My upcoming sabbatical is quickly approaching, and so one of the main questions I plan to explore is at the top of my mind: How do we pass along the core teachings of our faith and tradition?

As the “Pastor of Christian Formation” this question lies at the heart of much of my work. Another way of phrasing the question might be “How are we being intentional about the ways we are being formed by this community?” At its core, Christian formation is the lifelong process of being shaped in the way of Jesus. It’s about who we are becoming together. This kind of formation happens in many different ways across the life of a congregation. 

It happens in worship through the rhythms of prayer and song and scripture that slowly work their way into us over time. It happens around tables, in conversation, in moments of service, and in relationships where we learn from one another across generations. It happens when we make space for deep questions without needing to rush toward easy answers. It happens when we learn how to sit with scripture, with the traditions we inherit, and with each other in thoughtful, honest ways.

Christian Formation happens in all these ways, but the focus of my work and my upcoming sabbatical will be thinking how we can be intentional about this kind of formation within our Christian Education programs. 

Passing along faith isn’t just about making sure the next generation can recite the right beliefs or has enough scripture or prayers or historical dates memorized. It’s about helping one another learn how to notice, name, and nurture the presence of God among us. But to do that, it is important to have some intention behind the kinds of questions we ask and the topics we explore together. 

During this sabbatical, I plan to spend time pondering what these core teachings of our faith and tradition are and how we can bring some intentionality behind the ways we explore them together. As I do this work, I would love to hear any stories you have related to Christian Formation. What has been especially meaningful for you in your faith journey? How have you found yourself being formed by a faith community? Which questions or topics do you wish we would wrestle with more as a community? 

I will begin my sabbatical on May 18 and will return on August 17. During that time, I won’t be responding normally to emails or messages, but feel free to reach out to Joel or Robin with any pastoral needs. I am extremely grateful for this gift of time away for rest and renewal and look forward to seeing how we all grow and change over this summer.