Activity: Doing the Ministry

Objective(s): to give students hands-on practice at helping another determine the next appropriate step

Time: sufficient time for one or two in a group of three or four to share a story, respond, and debrief

Materials: none

By the time we have reached the end of the book, even undergraduate students are ready to step out and practice the ministry of Christian spiritual formation, at least in some small scale. What I like to do is divide the class into groups of about three or four. Then I let them know that one person (or two if there is time) will have an opportunity to share something real from their life with regards to their relationship with God (and perhaps I warn them about this assignment in advance so they can come to class with something prepared to bring to the group). I let one member from each group volunteer to be the storyteller. I also say that another person in the group will be the primary “minister of spiritual formation.” This person, the minister, will help the storyteller to discover some appropriate next step by attending to context, agents, means, and so on. The other people are silent observers. The conversation should be safe (if necessary you can develop rules for creating a safe communication atmosphere). First, the storyteller shares their story. Then the minister may ask questions or respond. There may be interaction. When the time is up, sit silently for a moment taking in the interaction. The storyteller shares what came up in the process. The minister then shares what she or he noticed. Then the observers share. The point is not to critique the “success” of the conversation but to notice where progress was made. Remember this is only a brief exploration. Perhaps very little progress was made, but you may still be able to notice that movement. Use this experiment as a springboard for talking about the ongoing ministry of Christian spiritual formation and all the challenges and possibilities mentioned in the text.

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Assignment Set 1

1. Rule Prologue

This assignment is designed to provide you with the opportunity to summarize your preparation work toward writing a rule of life. You will do this in the form of writing your own rule prologue, much as the Rule of Saint Benedict begins with a prologue. You may have seen the “Writing a Rule of Life: The Preliminary Work” video lecture , which provides you with a general overview of the purpose and process of writing a rule prologue, and you have read the prologue in the Rule of Saint Benedict. Now is the time to put your own life on paper. In this prologue you will summarize the following:

• General vision. What is the gospel about? Why are we on earth? What does God want of us? How does this relate to my own life? In the “How does it relate to my own life?” section you should include your reflections on course material or other appropriate resources on the nature and function of a rule of life.
• Particular vision.
  —What are the values that characterize my life? What is my own particular “charism”?
  —What are my current circumstances in life? What can and cannot be changed? What are the “givens” of my context in this next season of life?
  —What is my cutting edge? Where is God taking me? What has God been speaking to me lately? Where am I being led?

Note: A rule prologue should not be a brief story of your life. Neither should it be simply a theological treatise on the Christian life. A rule prologue is meant to put the two together. It ought to be integrative. Consequently, in this assignment I expect to see theological (historical, biblical, etc.) reflection, personal evaluation, and concrete links between the two. The point is to explore this particular avenue of Christian spiritual formation—how our theology becomes our life lived out.

2. Rule of Life

This assignment involves writing (or revising) a rule of life, demonstrating integration of course materials into both the reasoning and the rule itself. The aim of this assignment is to enable students to envision, and even to plan, what a life of Christian spiritual formation might look like. You have explored both historical and contemporary rules of life. You may have seen the “Writing a Rule of Life: The Principle Work” video guide to writing the main section of a rule. Your assignment is to write that rule in light of the vision, circumstances, values, and cutting edge expressed in your rule prologue. (Note: you may include your rule prologue for the sake of context, but I will only be grading the rule itself.) You should address in this rule at least the following:

• Your rhythms of life. How do you intend to make use of your time? Say something about your seasons, your schedules, and the different “types” of days you expect to encounter. What are the basic elements of your use of time (e.g., prayer, work, community, study, ministry, and so on), and how do you imagine these being allocated in the various kinds of times in your seminary career?
• The ordinary things of life. How do you intend to live your ordinary activities? Say something about how you plan to handle money and possessions, food and drink, sleep, entertainment, travel, your key relationships, your guests, and so on.
• The inner things of your life. What attitudes do you wish to pursue? What vices do you wish to battle? Are there inner healings or equippings ahead for your upcoming season of life? What do you see as you look forward into your relationship with God?
• Interaction with other rules and religious forms of life both old and new. This does not mean that I want you to paint your life as a nun or monk. I am aware that the religious life (or even a semireligious life) is its own calling. Nonetheless, I would like for you to reflect on your life in dialogue with the material presented in class on monastic rules of life. If you do not feel called to any of this, explain why and do so in dialogue with the assigned (or unassigned) resources for the class.

Depending on your situation, one of these categories may need more attention than another. Just do what needs to be done.

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Assignment Set 2

This week you will have a chance to “put it all together.” Your reading will bring together all that we have learned to focus on in the ministry of spiritual formation, on the need and value of actually helping others be formed into Christ. Your discussion group will give you a chance to share your takeaways from the class, and your practice assignments will get you started living this course out in the next season of your life.

1. Academic—The Church History of Discernment

The issue of authority and leadership in helping people be formed is a critical issue, one which I mentioned in the chapter. It is also an issue that has been discussed in other religions as well. Here are three different examples of people outside evangelical Protestantism who discuss authority and spiritual guidance relationships. Read and compare these authors and evaluate them from your own perspective and what you have learned from the chapter (and the course) thus far.

• John Chryssavgis, “The Counsel of Trullo and Authority in Spiritual Direction,” from The Greek Orthodox Theological Review vol. 40 (1995): 115–23.
• Shenpen Hookham, “Spiritual Authority: A Buddhist Perspective,” from Buddhist-Christian Studies vol. 30 (2010): 121–32.
• Karl Baier, “Spiritual Authority: A Christian Perspective,” from Buddhist-Christian Studies (14 pages) vol. 30 (2010): 107–19.

2. Personal

Your personal assignment is simply to take the next step in your “plan” begun in class this past week. Go deeper into your context, your aim, or your means. Ask any questions related to discovering or maintaining your appropriate next step of growth. If you finished it last week and have no more exploring to do, then explain why your plan seems appropriate to you. The point of this class has been to help you discover your route to being increasingly formed in the likeness of Christ and the gospel. Tell me how you intend to do this.

3. Spiritual Practice

The only appropriate practice for this week is to do it: do the ministry of Christian spiritual formation. I dare you—find someone and have a formation conversation where you listen to them about their life and spiritual growth. See if you can help them—using all the resources you have learned—to take a next appropriate step of growth. Then write a report describing how this was an experience of the ministry of Christian spiritual formation, using the categories mentioned in your chapter.

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