Spiritual Formation as if the Chruch Mattered

Wilhoit, James C. Spiritual Formation as If the Church Mattered: Growing in Christ through Community. 2nd ed. Baker Academic, 2022.

This book had its beginnings in conversations with my students about the spiritual nurture they received in their families and churches. These conversations naturally arose during advising visits, over lunches, and in classes, and I soon became fascinated by the variety of formational practices that students had experienced. As I reflected on their stories, I began to look for the presence of formational principles. This led to a more intentional set of interviews with church leaders about patterns and practices of spiritual formation. I realized that some churches are marked by the presence of a “cultural of formation,” and while others may have many programs and much activity, they lack the presence of such a transformative culture. In the spring of 1989, I taught in a newly reopened seminary in Tallin, Estonia, then still part of the Soviet Union, and I observed how churches had formed disciples who remained faithful even in a hostile environment. These churches all lacked the buildings and program structure that I had come to associate with Christian education and spiritual formation, but they had a definite culture of formation.

I write as an evangelical and one who is deeply concerned about the erosion of intentional practices of spiritual formation in many of our churches. My concern is that many of the formational patterns that served us well for several generations have quickly been set aside. To be sure, some of these practices of formation may have become stale and unattractive. But, tragically, it seems like we have often abandoned practices without adopting alternatives. Some practices that were common in evangelical churches for several generations and that have recently been set aside include an emphasis on systematic Bible teaching; Bible memorization and reading; Sunday evening services with an emphasis on testimonies, missions, and global Christianity; observing the Sabbath; sharing church-wide meals; practicing hospitality; attendance at nurture-oriented summer camps; pastoral visitation; and significant intergenerational socializing. These changes represent a sea change in our formational structures, and its effects will take a generation to fully manifest.

This book is not so much about reversing a trend as it is about a call to intentionality about our formation and to repentance about how we have tried to engineer formation more than prayerfully seek to open our lives and our churches to God’s grace. I have sought to provide guidance on community-oriented and educationally based spiritual formation that has stood the test of time. I am grateful to the teaching and writing of Dallas Willard, who has reminded us that our spiritual formation must be grounded not merely in spiritual abstractions but in the life, teaching, and ministry of Jesus. I am distressed that so much Christian spirituality seems content to focus on a vague spirituality rather than on the life, teaching, and actual indwelling of Jesus.

Adapted from the Preface.