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The Formative Power of Your Congregation

Faith and Human Development

Christina Jones Davis and Tim Shapiro

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.

  • Details
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  • Author
  • Author
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  • Reviews
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Rowman & Littlefield Publishers / Alban Books
Pages: 176 • Trim: 5¾ x 8¾
978-1-5381-8625-1 • Hardback • October 2024 • $70.00 • (£54.00)
978-1-5381-8626-8 • Paperback • October 2024 • $23.00 • (£17.99)
978-1-5381-8627-5 • eBook • September 2024 • $22.00 • (£16.99)
Subjects: Religion / Christian Church / Administration, Religion / Christian Church / Growth, Religion / Christian Ministry / General

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.

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

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


The Formative Power of Your Congregation

Faith and Human Development

Cover Image
Hardback
Paperback
eBook
Summary
Summary
  • 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.

Details
Details
  • Rowman & Littlefield Publishers / Alban Books
    Pages: 176 • Trim: 5¾ x 8¾
    978-1-5381-8625-1 • Hardback • October 2024 • $70.00 • (£54.00)
    978-1-5381-8626-8 • Paperback • October 2024 • $23.00 • (£17.99)
    978-1-5381-8627-5 • eBook • September 2024 • $22.00 • (£16.99)
    Subjects: Religion / Christian Church / Administration, Religion / Christian Church / Growth, Religion / Christian Ministry / General
Author
Author
  • 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.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • 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

Reviews
Reviews
  • 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


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