The Three-Legged Stool: Leg One: Spiritual Formation

The image of a three-legged stool is often offered as a metaphor for healthy, well-balanced Christian formation. Like a three-legged stool, Christian formation needs to stand solid on multiple points of contact. The legs of the stools are described in various ways: (a) prayer, study and service, (b) worship (reach up), pastoral care (reach in) and evangelism (reach out), or (c) justice (ministries of God the Creator), spiritual formation (ministries of God the Redeemer) and care (ministries of God the Sustainer). For our August 15, combined presbyteries meeting at Mission del Sol in Tempe, the three legs of the stool are spiritual formation, congregational formation and missional formation. Today I would like to describe the workshops offered for spiritual formation.

There are seven workshops offered in the area of spiritual formation. These workshops cover areas of theological discourse to practices of prayer, from educational training of children to training of adults, from discernment to discipleship, and from helping the sheep we are called to shepherd to becoming the shepherds we are called to be.

·   Essential Tenets of the Reformed Faith: a panel discussion on what constitutes the core of our Reformed convictions regarding what we believe as Presbyterians. All church officers vow to “sincerely receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith.” Do you know what they are?

·   Christian Discipleship 101: in a new apostolic era in which many do not know even the basics of Christian faith, what does it look like to train up disciplined followers of Jesus?

·      Praying the Labyrinth: a labyrinth is a tool for prayer and an invitation to immerse into contemplative reflection upon the face of God. Do you long for such an experience?

·   Twelve Steps as Path of Formation and Discipleship: not only for addicts, the twelve steps are rooted in biblical faith and historic Christian practice, which is to say the steps also apply to each of us who are not addicted to substances per se but to our own sinful ways!

·     Forming Leadership Teams into Communities of Discernment: elders make lots and lots of decisions, but are we guided by God’s Word and listening to God’s Spirit? What does the need for spiritual discernment call for in the midst of crazy-hectic meeting agendas?

·   Growing in Grace and Gratitude: grace and gratitude are touchstones of Presbyterian faith, life and identity; learning how to invite children to live into these touchstones is the focus of this workshop presented by a representative from Presbyterian Publishing.

·   Understanding Addiction: every church suffers from folks caught in the web of addiction, and our common call is to help them find new life and abundant life in Jesus. How can you be part of the healing journey for a brother or sister?

This event is open to anyone interested!

For a complete list of topics, click here.

To register for the August meeting and to reserve your place in one of the workshops, click here. 

Grace and peace,

Brad Munroe