Formation for All
An exploration of Formation by Rev Dr Cathie Lambert.
Formation for All was first published in the August 2024 edition of Revive magazine.
From the age of five until I began my first job as a school teacher, I was part of the Girls’ Brigade. I began as a cadet at Alan Road Methodist Church in England and finished up as a leader in the 3rd Perth Greenwood Company attached to the Uniting Church where I attended. There are numerous camps, programs and people who have been part of my spiritual formation over the years, but Girls’ Brigade was a constant in my early years to which I now attribute much of my learning and development. Girls’ Brigade provided a safe environment for me to question, fail and try again. The program included practical skills and crafts, learning about faith and the Bible, getting outdoors to develop confidence in the world around me and my ability to navigate my way through it, exposure to different cultures and ways of thinking, and development of leadership skills. For me, being a member of the Girls’ Brigade was an 18-year formation program.
This article is not intended to be a promotional piece for the Girls’ Brigade, but rather an exploration of formation and the many guises it may take. At the recent Presbytery of WA meeting, the Perth Theological Hall was renamed the Uniting Centre for Education and Formation.
Many of us will be familiar with the term ‘education’ having worked through systems of primary school, secondary school and, perhaps, tertiary courses. Formation, however, is not a word used so much in secular circles. To find consensus in defining Christian formation or spiritual formation is an almost impossible task. I do not intend to propose my own definition within the space of this article, but instead will address some common misconceptions about formation which I believe are not helpful.
The first misconception I wish to address is a limited view of who formation may exist for. The term ‘formation’ is rightly used to describe the process undertaken by candidates for specified ministries in the Uniting Church. Recently, however, I have heard comments indicating that these are the only people who embark on formation. My response – formation is for everyone! Certainly there are specific programs and courses that are focused on certain ministries. Formation, however, is the work of every follower of Jesus. We are all in process, on a journey of being continually formed.
At this point the question could be asked, ‘Formed into what?’ This highlights the second misconception – formation leads to conforming. A cookie-cutter approach to formation may lead to orthopraxy and orthodoxy but does not provide much space for how God’s Spirit may be moving in the lives of people. There may be some particular requirements for some specified ministries, however formation is not about becoming less yourself. It’s about becoming more the person God created you to be. Some use the language of becoming more Christ-like or having the mind of Christ. This does not diminish the gifts and skills that each of us bring to our own ministries. As Dallas Willard describes, “Discipleship is the process of becoming who Jesus would be if he were you.” In deepening our relationship with God in formation, I am convinced we also deepen our knowing of ourselves and discover our own giftedness and place in the world.
There is, however, a danger in focusing on the individual nature of formation. Although each of our journeys will differ and have its unique twists and turns, formation occurs in community. We are born to be in relationship and the Christian faith is based on a Trinitarian, relational God. Formation, at its best, occurs when we bump up against each other. To quote Dallas Willard again, “Spiritual formation cannot, in the nature of the case, be a ‘private’ thing, because it is a matter of whole-life transformation. You need to seek out others in your community who are pursuing the renovation of the heart.”
My experience of formation throughout my life has involved communities of people in the Girls’ Brigade, in my local churches, in the villages where I lived in Tonga, with my spiritual director, with my family, and with numerous other people in a variety of places.
The newly named Uniting Centre for Education and Formation hopes to provide a formational space to add to those already in your lives. We hope to create opportunities for people to gather in community, explore their relationship with God and grow in mind and spirit. We encourage you to look out for upcoming events and not view them as opportunities for a select group – but for all seeking to deepen their faith. The work of formation is the “renovation of all our hearts” which together can bring transformation to our communities.
Rev Dr Cathie Lambert is the Formation and Learning Culture Co-ordinator with the Uniting Church in WA.
