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by the Rev. Daniel A. Smith, Minister of Christian Discipleship, First Church in Cambridge, Congregational
April/May 2008
Along with many other mainline churches, our adult faith formation has been focused largely on reclaiming ancient Christian practices. We are still attentive to doctrine and Scripture, mostly through preaching, and book and Bible studies. Within the last few years though, we have been exploring various practices of our faith, like hospitality, discernment, testimony, healing and sabbath keeping.
Learning about how these practices are rooted in Scripture, in tradition, and in the life of Jesus, and then offering people ways to experience them, both individually and as a congregation, has helped us to connect head and heart, and to connect the tradition with daily experience. We began laying the groundwork for this new/old way of being Christians by seasonally focusing our Sunday morning Christian formation sessions on a particular practice.
We continued this approach during Lent with a church-wide emphasis on healing. This past fall though, we challenged the congregation to make a more significant commitment to on-going formation in practices.
Our Ministerial intern, Terry McKinney, has done wonders to implement ‘Practicing our Faith Groups.’ Today, more than 70 people are engaged in small groups meeting in members’ homes. Participants gather twice monthly for fellowship and prayerful conversation focused on a simple question – “How have you practiced your faith lately?”
Our attention to practices has stretched far beyond our adult education / formation sessions. Through our worship, small groups and even our committee life, God is calling us to go deep with these practices and to share them with others at home and at work. They are shaping our community and are giving us a way of living that is patterned after Jesus.