The formative power of a congregation serves as a primary catalyst for human development. A congregation also forms a person’s life. Congregations are often well-versed in matters of Christian formation and spiritual maturation. But what about how human beings develop as people? Insights from human development, also known as developmental psychology, provide an additional lens through which one can understand how humans are formed throughout life. Working with 30 congregations, the authors developed learning experiences, presented here as case studies, so that participants designed experiences that support human development at the intersection of congregational practices and various aspects of life (parenting, social justice, vocation, the arts, and more). Participating congregations extended beyond the volunteer-based organization to be one of the primary places where people learned to be more human using the simple yet multi-dimensioned phrase. The Formative Power of Your Congregation is written for clergy and laity who long for a congregation that supports human flourishing as much or more than the growth or existence of the church. We will introduce you to a framework of how congregations participate in the development of human beings. Furthermore, you will be introduced to particular congregations that, applying the framework, support participant growth in eight markers that support the flourishing of a person’s life. Moving churches from a loose volunteer association, you will learn how your congregation can form people in lives of meaning and purpose.
By:
Christina Jones Davis,
Tim Shapiro
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 140mm,
ISBN: 9781538186268
ISBN 10: 1538186268
Pages: 176
Publication Date: 03 September 2024
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Acknowledgements Introduction Framework Human Development Why This Book Matters To Us The Primary Purpose of Congregations Real Life Examples Beyond Practical The Formative Process Questions for Reflection Part I: Conceptual Understandings and the Curriculum Framework Chapter 1: A Contextual Theology of Congregational Life A Contextual Ecclesiology A Contextual Practical Theology Womanist Theology: A Model of Contextual, Practical Theology A Practical Ecclesiology Questions for Reflection Chapter 2: Life Arenas The Reality of Monday Lifeworlds and Life Arenas Life Arenas Different Selves Being Seen Unlimited Conversation Ultimate Concerns Formative Assets Questions for Reflection Chapter 3: Congregational Practices Introduction Defining Congregational Practices Musical Congregational Practices and Identity Life Together Bonhoeffer Bonhoeffer and Congregational Practices The Shadow Side of Congregational Formation A Formative Theory of God Questions for Reflection Chapter 4: Trail Markers: How We Know When We Grow Attachment Emotional Regulation Self-Differentiation Initiative Competence Authority Integration Transcendence Contemporary and Pastoral Reflections on Human Development Part II: Stories of Formation Chapter 5: Forming People of Racial Reconciliation Two Congregations The Life Arena of Social Justice Attachment as Mutual Trust The Trail Marker of Integration The Power of Religious Conversation The Trail Marker of Self-Regulation Liminal Experiences Pilgrimages as Congregational Activities With Authority Questions for Reflection Chapter 6: Forming People of Connection The Life Arena of Friendships Making Pies Five Trail Markers Even Jesus Needs Friends Formative Power is Overdetermined Going Underground Formative Impact Impact Quotes Postlude Questions for Reflection Chapter 7: Forming a Creative Congregation Why Grow Creativity? Cognition Emotional Regulation Attachment Identity Why Form a Creative Congregation? Transcendence Connection Theological Reflection Diversity Social Change Who is Witherspoon Presbyterian Church? Witherspoon’s Formative Project How Was the Pastor Formed? Case Study Reflections Trail Markers Life Arenas Congregational Practices Questions for Reflection Chapter 8: Formative Power Imagined – A Case Study and Project Guide A Beginning Congregation Implements Their Formative Process Intergenerational Meet-ups Spark Connections and Conversations News of the Day Events Spark Reflection and Dialogue Fellowship Meals Unpack Experiences and Growth Diverse Reactions and Growth Opportunities Refocusing and Moving Forward What About Your Congregation? The Formative Power of Your Congregation: A Guide Life Arena Examples Congregational Query Partial List of Congregational Practices Connecting Life Arena and Congregational Practice Trail Markers Chapter 9: Transforming Individuals, Transforming Communities Key Themes You Are Invited A Vision for the Future Questions for Reflection Bibliography Index About the Authors
Rev. Dr. Christina Jones Davis is the Clinical Professor of Pastoral Theology and Marriage and Family Therapy at Christian Theological Seminary (CTS). Dr. Davis’ research and teaching interests focus on spiritually integrated counseling, substance abuse and addiction, and relational psychoanalytic theory. Professor Davis has taught courses including Foundations of Pastoral Care and Counseling, Womanist Pastoral Theology, Theological Perspectives on Pastoral and Spiritual Care, Social & Cultural Dimensions of Counseling, Introduction to Marriage and Family Therapy, and Psychodynamic Family Therapy. An ordained minister in the Progressive National Baptist Church, Dr. Davis also holds a Th.D. in Pastoral Care and Counseling from the Emory University Candler School of Theology where she was bestowed with the W.E.B. DuBois Noomo Award for Academic Excellence. In addition to teaching, Dr. Davis maintains a clinical practice as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Rev. Tim Shapiro is the president of the Center for Congregations in Indiana. He has served as pastor at Bethlehem Presbyterian Church and Westminster Presbyterian Church in Indiana and Ohio respectively. He is the author of How Your Congregation Learns: The Learning Journey from Challenge to Achievement (R&L/Alban Books, 2017, over $45K net sales LTD). Shapiro is also the co-author of Holy Places: Matching Sacred Space with Mission and Message (R&L/Alban Books, 2017) and Divergent Church: The Bright Promise of Alternative Faith Communities (Abingdon Press, 2017). As a keynote speaker at events sponsored by the Church Music Institute, the Christian Reformed Church, the Pentecostal Faith of the Apostolic Church, and for the Wabash Valley Presbytery, he has shared what the Center for Congregations is learning about congregational life from some 5,000 congregations Indiana. He is a graduate of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary earning a M.Div. degree as well as a D.Min. He holds a certificate in Positive Deviance from Tufts University.
Reviews for The Formative Power of Your Congregation: Faith and Human Development
"Christina Davis and Tim Shapiro have developed a rich, hands-on, and comprehensive curriculum that is ensured to enliven congregational life. Their qualitative research is both a resource and model that honors the voices within the congregation while inspiring the community in which they are embedded. They have embraced the mutuality of the message they bring, saying, ""We shape the places we inhabit, and such places shape us."" --Gil Stafford, author of When Leadership and Spiritual Direction Meet"
