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Start Shaping Your Spirit God's Way

It is a truism that spiritual growth and maturation requires spiritual formation. You can't be formed into the image of Christ without training.

By Dr. Richard Beck, Sunday, January 07, 2018

When does spiritual guidance truly begin?

It is a truism that spiritual growth and maturation requires spiritual formation. You can't be formed into the image of Christ without training.

So this was my third bit of advice for churches, posed as a question: So how many spiritual directors does your church have on staff?

Let's say someone in your church wants to learn how to pray. Does you church employ people who can do this work?

Probably not. No church in my tradition, that I'm aware of, employs spiritual directors with whom congregants can set up appointments for spiritual direction.

A lot of churches have therapists on staff for mental illness and relationship dysfunction, but there are no spiritual directors on staff to help with spiritual formation. All our resources are devoted to putting out fires rather than moving people into the abundant life.

Given how grossly negligent we have been in regards to spiritual formation in our churches, is it any wonder why our people struggle and fail to look any different form the surrounding culture?

Richard Beck is author and professor of psychology at Abilene Christian University. You can follow him at http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/