Adult Faith Formation

Adult Faith Formation

Living as Disciples of Christ

Faith formation is foundational. As people created with spiritual needs, faith formation helps us find spiritual food. We are learning to live daily into Biblical practices:

  • Cultivate spiritual depth by becoming disciples of Jesus. Disciples are people who live Jesus’ daily rhythms as our own. These rhythms include: study of scripture, prayer, rest, and community.
  • Cultivate spiritual depth in our interactions by practicing Holy Listening modeled by Jesus. Holy Listening focuses on jointly discerning the wisdom and will of God. Through listening and speaking, we share both holy invitation into deeper relationship and holy challenge to turn away from wrong and destructive behaviors.

Sunday Morning Adult Faith Formation
10:00 AM

CROSSWAYS BIBLE STUDY – Parlor
An academic style Bible study that reads the Bible book by book and wrestles with what the text means for us. Each week you’ll read a few chapters on your own, and we’ll discuss. Fall 2024 picks up with the book of 1Samuel.

COME AS YOU ARE 2.0 – Room 230 and Zoom
A gathering for adults who are looking for a casual environment to build community and explore faith. The class will loosely be modeled on Faith 5 principles of Share, Read, Talk, Pray & Bless.
No preparation needed.

Additional Faith Formation Opportunities

COMPANIONS IN CHRIST
A group spiritual formation practice that generates deep spiritual friendships. Members of these small groups engage in 20 minutes of daily reflection and journaling prompts. They meet weekly at a mutually agreed time for 2 hours to reflect on how the Holy Spirit is moving and to further explore the week’s theme. Adopts a formational rather than informational approach


LECTIONARY & SERMON PREP
Pastor Ellen Williams • pastorellen@saintmartins.org
Help Pastor generate sermon ideas, share what God is helping us each understand, and learn methods for developing a sermon. Involves preparatory reading of the weekly lectionary and commentary two Sundays in advance. Over time, some participants may feel called to engage in lay preaching for mid-week or Sunday worship services. This group meets on Wednesdays, beginning September 11 at noon over Zoom.

BOOK GROUPS
For fall 2024, we are offering multiple book groups with various times and formats. In early fall, we are reading The Contested Public Square about the evolution of Christian theological thinking on human government since the apostles. In late fall, we are reading Seculosity: How Career, Parenting Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do About It.


SATURDAY “FOUNDATIONS” WORKSHOPS
Pastor Ellen Williams • pastorellen@saintmartins.org
Pastor will lead two stand-alone Saturday sessions, teaching Bible Foundations or Lutheran Foundations, interspersed with
a bread-making workshop—teaching what she learned from her professional bread-making classes last summer!