In the new Forward Today, Scott weighs in from the Forma conference in Charleston, reflecting on Christian formation and how our sense of it has evolved.
Dear friends in Christ,
I am writing this from the Forma conference in Charleston, SC. Forma is an association for people who work in Christian formation or who are passionate about it. Really, we should all be passionate about formation, where it’s our own formation as Christians or the formation of those in our churches.
In times past, we understood this work to be very similar to traditional education. We had Sunday School, and the model was filling heads with information. This is not outdated, but we now understand Christian formation to be larger than the facts in our heads. (Though facts and theology and history do matter, and we should learn them!)
My formation as a Christian is not only the information I might learn in a class. My formation also includes my prayer life, my worship life, my life of service, and so much more. Christian formation is closely related with discipleship. We are formed to be disciples of Jesus Christ, and being disciples of Jesus Christ makes us ready for further formation.
Here at this conference, I am inspired by what people are doing to form themselves and those around them. I am excited by what is happening in many churches. If you would like to learn more about Forma, visit their website.
What are you doing to continue your formation as a Christian? How can you support the work of formation in your church?
Yours faithfully,
Scott Gunn
Executive Director
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