Spiritual
Formation
Spiritual
formation is central to fostering ministerial authenticity and
maturity in the practice of ministry. Many things make for good
ministry in the 21st century. There are abundant and varied
resources across the spectrum of schools in the Boston Theological
Institute that focus on spirituality and the spiritual formation
of persons, particularly persons training for ministry.
Good
ministry is about formation. Spirituality can be defined as
“a growing intimacy with God” through the “otherness” of life,
marked by a transformation of consciousness (Brian McDermott):
lectio divina, meditatio, oratio, contemplatio, and finally
actio. It comprises the schooling of the religious imagination.
It is a spiritual practice, a form of the lectio divina as appropriate
for modern cultural consciousness, contemporary generational
issues, imagination, desires, and faith. We are becoming something
– and we have somewhere to go.
Ministry
is about people. Persons, not abstract justice, are at the heart
of ministry. The revolution in psychology in the twentieth century
has brought many changes to the practice of pastoral ministry.
Whether in patters of correlation (Anton Boisen, Seward Hiltner,
and Wayne Oates), prophetic challenge (Jay Adams), or patterns
of correlation in psychology and pastoral care and offers a
way of reading and integration (Bernard Spilka, Richard Gorsuch,
and Larry Crabb), the challenge for pastoral care – and for
ministerial rhetoric – is to find the way to balance perspectives
on the psyche, or soul, found in forms of Christian spirituality
with the conflicting demands of culture and scientific endeavor
(Armand Nicholi).
Each
of the BTI schools provides resources for individual assistance
and spiritual direction. The following may be helpful as well.
Resources for
Spiritual Formation
Retreat Centers
Resources on Sabbath
Spirituality
Sermon Contest
Spiritual Formation in the BTI Schools
Field Education
