Adult Formation

What does genuine love look like in our diverse, complicated world? How can church members embody deeper love like Jesus in our neighborhoods today? We will learn how the church in Rome wrestled with embodied conflict as members growing together into one body. We will also see how Romans 12 invites us to envision a life of love that can be nurtured within us and experienced by others in the way we show up in the world. Together we will collaborate and imagine practical strategies for equipping your faith community for genuine love.

 

SESSION INFORMATION

Come join the adult formation community 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 SESSIONS

  • Session 1: Embodied Conflict | Rachel Howell

  • Session 2: Embodied Love | Rachel Howell

THURSDAY AFTERNOON SESSIONS

  • Session 3: Nurturing a Life of Love, Part 1 | Steven Carrizal

  • Session 4: Nurturing a Life of Love, Part 2 | Steven Carrizal

FRIDAY MORNING SESSION

  • Session 5: Collaborative Workshop

Session Descriptions

Session 1: Embodied Conflict - In first century Rome, mounting tensions between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians created the environment of conflict that became the context for the whole letter of Romans. Together we will enter into their experience and imagine the hopeful implications for conflict and division in our own communities.

Session 2: Embodied Love - Navigating conflict means acknowledging our differences. Coming on the heels of the toughest section of the letter (chapters 9-11), Romans 12 reminds us that overcoming division means recognizing that our diverse bodies are being re-membered into the one body of Christ.

Session 3: Nurturing a Life of Love, Part 1 - What does a life of love look like, and how do we live into that life? In this session we will turn to the first two parts of Dallas Willard’s “pattern of personal transformation”: vision and intention. We will first consider Paul’s vision of a life of love in Romans 12:9-21 and connect that with the life of Jesus. We will then consider the intention required to engage in that vision.

Session 4: Nurturing a Life of Love, Part 2 - Continuing our exploration of Dallas Willard’s “pattern of personal transformation,” we will explore the third part: means. Because nurturing a life of love requires reaching into our minds and hearts, we will engage the tools of adaptive change as a way of helping us navigate our journey of transformation.

Session 5: Collaborative Workshop - In this workshop session, we will draw on Thursday’s discussions, collaborating together to develop practical ideas to take home. We will listen to each other’s perspectives and experiences to access our wider imagination for nurturing an embodied life of love within our churches and communities.

 

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). She has masters’ degrees in both Historical Theology and Old Testament, and her ministry experience includes cross-cultural missions for 15 years in Mozambique as well as campus ministry, adjunct teaching, church planting, and spiritual formation. She and her husband Alan have three young adult daughters.

 

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.