Spiritual Formation as a Practice
Personal Formation
About this course
This course invites students into spiritual formation as a lifelong practice shaped by rhythm, attention, and discernment rather than technique or performance. Drawing from the Reformed tradition and the lived experience of ministry, the course explores practices that cultivate attentiveness to God, self, neighbor, and the work of the Spirit in everyday life. Spiritual formation is approached as both personal and communal, supporting resilience, humility, and faithfulness in commissioned ministry.
The course includes sustained engagement with practices including, but not limited to:
Prayer in its various forms
Scripture as a formative practice
Silence, Sabbath, and rest
Discernment and vocational attentiveness
Rule of life and spiritual rhythms
Reflection on lived experience
Practices of self-awareness and self-care
Course objectives
- Describe spiritual formation as an ongoing practice rooted in the Reformed tradition and the life of the church.
- Engage a variety of formative practices with openness, discipline, and theological reflection.
- Reflect on personal spiritual rhythms and patterns in relation to the demands of ministry.
- Develop and adapt formative practices appropriate to their context, vocation, and season of life.
- Articulate the relationship between spiritual formation, pastoral presence, and faithful leadership.
- Demonstrate a growing capacity for attentiveness, resilience, and discernment in ministry.
- Being to help others embrace spiritual practices that are helpful to their faith development
Courses that build on this work
- FORM 201 — Spiritual Formation II: Sustainable Ministry and Self-Care
Who may participate?
All church leaders unless a prerequisite or a particular offering states otherwise.