Spiritual transformation is the process by which Christ is formed in us for the glory of God, for the abundance of our own lives, and for the sake of others according to Galatians 4:19, Romans 8:29, and Romans 12:1, 2. We believe if these verses are central to the gospel, they must be central to the mission of the church.
The essence of spiritual formation at Crossroads is about fostering the capacity, the orientation and the discipline of living in union with Christ as a community. It's about cultivating an awareness of Jesus, an appreciation for his love and a capacity to lean into the grace we know through his Spirit. We are not bystanders in our spiritual lives. We are active participants with Jesus, who is ever inviting us into relationship with him.
Spiritual reformation helps us reclaim our relationship with God as it was meant to be. It’s not trying – but it’s training in eternal living...now. While we cannot transform ourselves, we can create the conditions in which spiritual transformation can take place and this is where spiritual practices come in. They are concrete activities we engage in, in order to make ourselves available for the work that only God can do.
A signature activity for spiritual formation at Crossroads is Formative Community™. These are gatherings formed by the narrative of scripture, which revolves around the life of Jesus. We won’t let doctrinal or theological principles form the life of our community. It will only be formed by the reality of life together that has been personally experienced and practiced in the presence of the resurrected Jesus.
If you are interested in learning more about Formative Community, or becoming part of our virtual meet-up, write to us at info@crossroadstabernacle.com
“Pondering Angels On The Road To Emmaus”, by Daniel Bonnell, oil on canvas
2024 (Fall) Formative Community Resource
Eugene H. Peterson speaks to Christians who realize the necessity for prayer and yearn for it but who find their prayer unconvincing and unsatisfying. Addressing the causes of this dissatisfaction, Answering God offers guidelines for using the Psalms as dynamic tools for prayer.Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
"Thoroughly grounded theologically, in touch with the reality of life, and vigorous in its articulation." -Walter Bruggenman
2024 (Spring) Formative Community Resource
"This book has helped me--genuinely. James Smith has helped me think about the subject of time in a fresh way. I greatly enjoyed the distilled wisdom, the broad philosophical engagement, the connecting of Scripture, tradition, and culture. Truly this book is a gift which has engaged my awareness of how we are called to live the gifts which are our lives. My hope and prayer is that the impact of this book on how we live--on the times of our lives--will be exponentially more than the time it took to read it."
--The Most Rev. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
"James K. A. Smith shows us that time is a gift waiting to be redeemed, and a central conviction of this book is that 'the Lord of the star fields' is intimately attuned to our haunted, beautiful histories. Dwelling with these lucid, winsome meditations on 'spiritual timekeeping' was like listening in on a lively conversation between St. Augustine, Gustavo Gutiérrez, James Baldwin, and Marilynne Robinson, while Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon played in the background."
--Fred Bahnson, author of Soil and Sacrament
2024 Formative Community Resource
"Nobody can help you navigate a faith crisis with more candor, grace, and humor than Pete Enns, and you'll even learn amazing things about the Bible in the process. This book is a grand slam." — Brian D. McLaren, author of Faith After Doubt and Do I Stay Christian?
"This is a road map for the deconstruction journey that we’ve all been waiting for. Curveball reminds readers that faith crises are not something to be feared but are opportunities for spiritual growth that can help you re-embrace God as more beautiful, loving, and mysterious." — Jonathan Merritt, contributing writer for The Atlantic and author of Learning to Speak God From Scratch
2023 Formative Community Resource
Moore has brought together compelling selections from more than a hundred writers to call for the formation of a fellowship of disciples who will simply live as Jesus taught us to live. I strongly recommend this book for study, reflection, and prayerful living. —Richard J. Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline
There are no words more important than the Sermon on the Mount. And I can think of no better cloud of witnesses to reflect on those words than the people in this book. It is a gift to the world.—Shane Claiborne, author and activist
2022 Formative Community Resource
“Seldom have I read a book that I so totally agree with! This is a very fine, very readable, often humorous, and much needed analysis of what Western Christianity is up against.”—Richard Rohr, author of Falling Upward
“If you’re afraid that your theological questions and doubts disqualify you from being a person of faith, theologian Peter Enns has good news for you. Really good news. And it’s a delightful read, too!”—Brian McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christianity