Sanctuaries & Spiritual Formation

Part I of our discussion from Wednesday night.
Based on my notes/outline, with comments in parentheses...


Sanctuaries- Spiritual Formation Groups Focused on:
Intentional, Missional, Discipleship

(Our Sanctuaries, these spiritual formation groups...
Are intentional- We are asking people not to just join a program or event, but to commit to a small group of people, to actively participate in a community. Missional- in the sense that we want to also focus on the 'outward' aspects of our spiritual journeys, being an expression of God's grace in the world. Sometimes we also talk about this process in terms of the word discipleship. However, this can easily turn into Christian 'buzzwords' without a lot of meaning... So let's break it down a little more.)


Discipleship…
“’Come follow me,’ Jesus said…”
(Matt. 4:19)

Disciple- Learner, follower.
(Def)- a. One who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another.
b. An active adherent, as of a movement or philosophy.


Spiritual Formation/Discipleship in the Way of Jesus...
Has two interconnected movements:
-The Journey Inward
(what we more commonly think of as 'spiritual formation,' with activities like prayer, bible study, silence, and worship)

-The Journey Outward
(what we more often think of as 'service' or 'mission' activity, but is just as spiritual and just as growth shaping as the 'inward' activities)

Happens in three basic interconnected spaces:
-Individual
(At the deepest, most personal, core level... Opening our lives to God's love, and the Holy Spirit re-creating who we are back into God's original intent of Imago Dei (Gen. 1:27)- The truly, fully, complete human created in the image of God)

-Community
(Faith community, relationships, family, etc. God's Kingdom is a relational kingdom...
"Holy ground is never private turf, but always communal space." -Kenda Creasy & Ron Foster)

-Life
(All discipleship happens in the context of everyday life, just read about Jesus interacting with people in the Gospels! But this also includes larger life and relational structures, like- social structures, systems, and caring for all of creation)

And...
Spiritual Growth @ MG has always had five interwoven elements
(This is DNA level stuff!):
-Christ Centered
-Journey Shaped
-Grace-Full Community
-Dialogue Process
-Learning for Action/Growth

Now that we've hit the 'basics,' in my next post, I'd like to spend a little more time on each of these five elements of spiritual growth within MG... How we do it Missiongathering style!