Centre Grove’s council has been reading, discussing, and acting on Bishop Robert Schnase‘s Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. So far, we have completed discussion of one of the practices (Radical Hospitality) and we recently started on a second (Intentional Faith Development).
In this chapter, Bishop Schnase stresses the importance of learning together in community. He writes …
Churches that practice Intentional Faith Development offer high quality learning experiences that help people understand Scripture, faith, and life in the supportive nurture of caring relationships (62).
Among the benefits of learning in community, Bishop Schnase suggests that …
Learning in community helps people explore possibilities that God may have for them that they never would have considered on their own (63).
Bishop Schnase notes that “Growing in Christ-likeness is the goal and end of the life of faith … This growth in Christ spans a lifetime” (64). Further, “The Christian faith is not static but dynamic. It requires cultivation” (64). I love the word cultivation. It’s a great way to understand the discipleship process Christ-followers engage in throughout their lives.
I like how Bishop Schnase describes Bible study. It reminds me of what I blogged recently in Eat This Book. Schnase writes …
Bible study is not just about self-improvement but about setting ourselves where God can shape us, intentionally opening ourselves to God’s Word and God’s call (65).
Bishop Schnase also challenges and reminds church leaders to personally engage in Bible study. It’s easy for church leaders to neglect their own personal spiritual growth by spending all their time in the Scriptures preparing sermons or Bible studies for others. Bishop Schnase writes …
Bible study changes churches. When church leaders take their own spiritual growth seiously and immerse themselves in the study of Scripture, in prayer, and fellowship, they understand the purpose of the church and the point of ministry differently (73).
Church leaders must be growing themselves in order to be effective in leading others. Bishop Schnase asks …
How can church leaders make good faith decisions for the congregation without proper grounding in the faith? (73).
Bishop Schnase closes the chapter on Intentional Faith Development reminding the reader that spiritual transformation is ultimately God’s work. Schnase writes …
No matter how dedicated our efforts, the transformation of human hearts and minds is God’s work through the Holy Spirit, and intentionally learning in community is our way of placing ourselves in the hands of God so that God can sculpt our souls and recreate us in the image of Christ (78).
The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, and if we’re going to be faithful to God’s call, we must be intentional about developing faith in people.
In the next post in this series, I’ll blog some of the practical ideas Centre Grove is considering as we engage the concept of Intentional Faith Development.