Introduction
Introduction
WHAT IS RENOVARÉ?
RENOVARÉ (Latin meaning “to renew”) is committed to the renewal of the Church of Jesus Christ in all her multifaceted expressions. An “infrachurch” effort, it focuses on helping bring renewal to local churches.
The mission of RENOVARÉ is to provide individual churches and their members with a balanced, practical, effective small-group strategy for spiritual growth. These “Spiritual Formation Groups” give depth to our desire for God and increase the level of our discipleship. While it is impossible to measure spiritual growth, those who have been part of a Spiritual Formation Group for a six-month trial period describe a marked change in their lives. One woman notes, “Since I started a group with one other woman in my church, my life of discipleship has grown one hundred percent.”
A pastor of a large inner-city church has been developing Spiritual Formation Groups in his church since 1989 because he feels that “they are an indispensable tool of discipleship for the end of the twentieth century.” His goal is to have every member of his church in a Spiritual Formation Group by the year 2000.
WHY DOES THE RENOVARÉ PLAN AID SPIRITUAL GROWTH?
The secret of the program is the combination of three very important ingredients. The first is balance. To be spiritually healthy, we need balance in our spiritual lives, just as physical health needs balance in diet and exercise. Founded upon the six major areas of discipline found in the life of Jesus Christ and the corresponding Six Traditions seen in the history of the Church, RENOVARÉ emphasizes balance.
The second ingredient is knowledge. Many of us do not become a disciple of Jesus for one reason: we lack information about how to do the spiritual disciplines. We dream about being true followers, imagine ourselves being committed disciples, but what do we actually do? What steps do we take? What activities do we engage in that will help us grow closer to God? We are like travelers looking across a great chasm, longing for the other side, discontent with where we are, yet unable to cross the bridge because we do not know how to start. The RENOVARÉ program provides that knowledge: what to do and how to do it.
The third ingredient is mutual encouragement and accountability. Once we find a balanced plan and gain knowledge of how to use it, the only thing left for us is to do it. Unfortunately, for most of us this is the hardest part. Ingrained habits hamper us from changing the way we are. The secret to breaking these ingrained habits is the strength found in joining forces with others who have a similar mission. They provide the encouragement we need to start across the chasm and the accountability we need to keep us on the bridge. RENOVARÉ’s strategy utilizes the God-given strength we gain from each other.
HOW DOES A SPIRITUAL FORMATION GROUP WORK?
From two to seven people gather regularly to study, to share their past experiences, and to make plans for the week ahead. This is done easily by following a suggested Order of Meeting.
During each gathering (which should last between sixty and ninety minutes) one person is designated as that week’s leader. He or she guides the group through a series of opening words, a question-and-answer session, and a closing time of prayer. Within this flexible format, members are reminded of their task, enabled to hear from one another, and empowered to share, plan, and dream with each other. It is within this framework that the balance, the knowledge, and the encouragement and accountability are nurtured.
HOW DO I USE THIS WORKBOOK?
The plan itself is very simple. However, you must take a few steps to get a Spiritual Formation Group started.
Find a partner or partners.
The next section of this workbook, “Starting a Group,” offers helpful insights about how to bring a group together. Please note that at this stage, you are looking for one to six other people who are willing to gather for nine weeks to “test-drive” this strategy. At this point, that is all you are asking them to do.
Educate yourself and the group members.
At least one or maybe all Spiritual Formation Group members lack the first two ingredients necessary for spiritual growth: balance and knowledge. This workbook contains eight sessions that will provide these two ingredients.
Session 1 provides your group with the “big picture”—that is, our model, Jesus Christ, and our illustration, the Six Traditions of the Church. Sessions 2 through 7 provide a basic understanding of six areas of discipline that make up our balanced diet, along with an explanation of how they function in our lives. Session 8 brings it all together, providing you with the tools you will need to be an ongoing group in the future—if your group chooses to continue. We encourage you to meet one more time (Session 9), using the Order of Meeting, to give the regular group meeting a try.
Decide whether or not to continue meeting.
After the group has gone through the nine-week trial period, it will have (1) a functional knowledge of the Six Traditions, (2) a knowledge of how those Traditions are woven into our daily lives, (3) practical experience in each area, and (4) a sense of how working as a group enhances our ability to accomplish our goals.
At this point—either at the end of the trial regular meeting or at a separate tenth meeting—the Spiritual Formation Group will need to decide its future by working through the chapter titled “Periodic Evaluation,” answering a series of questions designed to help the group plan for its future. We have found it best for those who are willing to continue meeting to make a six-month commitment to this program. At the end of the six months, the group can reevaluate themselves once again, using the same process.
Should any member or members of the group decide to stop here, or should the entire group decide to disband, the evaluation and planning process provides a graceful way to leave or break up. No group or individual should feel pressure to continue in a plan that does not meet their needs. We realize that this program will not fit everyone. Even groups that meet over many years need to remember the importance of periodic evaluation.
WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?
If you decide that you would like to form a Spiritual Formation Group, read through several of the sessions on your own. Most certainly, these can be used by individuals as a personal study, but we offer this counsel: just as it “takes two to tango,” so also it “takes (at least) two to covenant.” In other words, the sessions work best when done in the context of a group of two or more so that the members can share and plan and lovingly hold one another accountable. We do encourage the organizer to study the sessions before meeting with a group, however.
A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
If you have decided to try this strategy, please keep in mind that we at RENOVARÉ have no desire to control your actions or to demand that you use this program exactly as it was designed. We are committed to the Church, and this plan is our gift to the Church.
Furthermore, we are not concerned that you use the RENOVARÉ name for your group or groups within your church; some simply use the name “Spiritual Formation Group.” For you to grow closer to God and to your Christian sisters and brothers is our heart’s desire. We cheerfully offer you and your church this theologically sound and experientially effective smallgroup strategy—a strategy that grew out of doing research over the years, listening to God, and responding to the needs of people.
Now turn to the next section, titled “Starting a Group,” to find suggestions for forming a Spiritual Formation Group. May God bless you richly in this endeavor.