Adult Formation

Alive: The Spirit of God Transforming Lives

The promise of the gospel is that the Spirit of God dwells within us, yet we are also called to walk in the Spirit—pointing to a dynamic partnership between God’s Spirit and our willing cooperation. But what does it actually look like to walk with the Spirit in everyday life? In this community, we will explore how churches can equip adults to encounter the Holy Spirit through personal experience, growing understanding, participation in God’s mission, and shared discernment. Together, we will reflect on how to recognize and respond to the Spirit’s presence and leading.

 

Facilitators

Rachel Howell

RACHEL HOWELL

Rachel Howell is the Congregational Minister with the Palo Verde Church of Christ in Tucson, Arizona, as well as a spiritual director and writer (gooutinjoy.substack.com). Her ministry experience includes cross-cultural missions, campus ministry, adjunct teaching, church planting, and spiritual formation. 

 

Steve Carrizal

STEVEN CARRIZAL

Steven Carrizal is Associate Minister at Altamesa Church of Christ in Fort Worth, Texas, having served there since 2010. He has been in full-time congregational ministry since 1991, also serving as youth minister in churches in Houston and Denton, Texas. He is a graduate of Abilene Christian University with an undergraduate degree in youth and family ministry and a graduate degree in Christian ministry. Steven is passionate about the spiritual growth of adults of all ages as they go along the journey as disciples of Jesus. He also enjoys his work through HOPE Network mentoring and coaching ministers and ministry teams. Steven and his wife Debbi have been married for over 30 years and have three children and two grandchildren.

session Information

Come join us to learn how to deepen adult formation in your church. Rachel Howell and Steven Carrizal will facilitate a workshop environment where community members will collaborate as both teachers and learners, asking deep questions about the spiritual formation of adults in churches. 

 

THURSDAY MORNING

Session 1: Filled Up: The Spirit of God Alive in Our Lives

Session Description: What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? What does it feel like? What does it look like? How can we encounter the Holy Spirit as God’s vital presence in our lives? In this session, we will explore the idea that people experience and engage in the spiritual life in different ways, each of us with different sensibilities to the way the Spirit of God comes alive in us waking us up to life with God.

Session 2: Renewed Minds: The Spirit of God Alive in Our Understanding

Session Description: The Holy Spirit is the least-familiar side of God for many people, and this need for deeper knowledge about the Spirit goes back centuries. With compassion and curiosity, in this session, we will explore how greater understanding of the Spirit helps us access both the fullness of God and increasing power for human transformation.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON

Session 3: Sent Out: The Spirit of God Alive in Our World

Session Description: It hasn’t been too long ago that engaging or participating in God’s mission implied some adventure in some faraway foreign land. Yet, over the past two to three decades we have been alerted to the fact that with how our world is changing, the mission field is right outside our front door, maybe even inside our own homes. In this session, we will explore how the Holy Spirit is waking us up to see the world around us and inviting us to participate in the mission of God without needing to pack a suitcase.

Session 4: Holy Listening: The Spirit of God Alive in Our Decisions

Session Description: What is the next right decision for you and your church? Navigating change and major transitions can be complicated for both churches and individuals. In this session, we will explore the practice of Discernment, which is sensitive listening for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in significant decisions.

 

FRIDAY MORNING

Session 5: Back Home: The Spirit of God Alive in Our Neighborhoods

Session Description: In this workshop session, we will draw on Thursday’s discussion, collaborating together to develop practical ideas to take home. We will listen to each other’s perspectives and experiences to access the wider imagination of the Holy Spirit that will help us engage the work of the Spirit in our lives—ourselves and our church communities.