Spiritual Formation

Spiritual formation is how our heart and our spirit are formed and how we begin to reflect Jesus’ heart and spirit in the process. We each have an inner life which has been shaped by our experiences, relationships, and practices, which then drives our outputs, our character, community, and compassion. No matter where we are on our spiritual journey, we are each transformed by the Spirit day by day when we are open to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. 

At New Community Church, we believe that spiritual formation is the heart of the discipleship journey as Christ followers. We must play an active role in our own lifelong spiritual formation so that our formation moves us toward true Christ-likeness. Our transformation is helped through learning and knowledge, scripture, prayer and contemplation, wisdom from our community, and disciplines and practices. We invite you to intentionally participate in your spiritual formation and want to offer you resources and guidance along the way. 

Spiritual Formation Resources

  • Sermons

  • Recommended books: 

    • Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard

    • The Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

    • The Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen

  • Spiritual practices to acknowledge God throughout our day:

    • Centering prayer

    • Prayer of Examen

    • Lectio Divina: read a scripture, meditate, then pray

  • Experiences: Take part in a small group, men’s or women’s ministry gathering, community engagement opportunity.

Spiritual Direction

A spiritual director is someone who has been trained to help you discern the distinct way God communicates with you. It can be helpful to meet with a trained guide to understand the unique way you connect with God. Reach out to Dave Peterson (dave@anewcommunity.church) if you have questions or are interested in meeting with a spiritual director. Suggested donation is $50 per session and a sliding fee scale is available if needed. (Please note that spiritual direction is not therapy and we would be glad to refer you to therapists in the area).

Have questions about spiritual formation? Reach out to one of our pastors or anyone on our board or staff team.