Adult Formation
Christian faith is not formed by a list of rules, principles to live by, or even inspirational sayings. The Christian faith, rather, is beautifully rooted in a long narrative—God’s story told through the story of Israel, the story of Jesus, and the story of the Church. We carry this narrative with us from childhood, and it continues to form us as adults. It is through reading, telling, and living the stories of Scripture that we learn about who God is, what God desires, and how we belong to and participate in that narrative. In this community, we will explore how to enter into the biblical narrative and how to practice carrying the stories with us throughout our lives. Join us in the adult formation community to learn practices to help your church experience narratives from Scripture.
COMMUNITY DETAILS
We are excited to have Rachel Howell and Steven Carrizal lead us through conversations regarding adult formation. Their work, both from a practical and theological perspective, will surely be a blessing to all who attend. Stay tuned for more details regarding the adult formation community at Summit where Steven and Rachel will facilitate an interactive workshop and learning lab experience among the ministry community.
Facilitators
RACHEL HOWELL
Rachel Howell is the Congregational Minister with the Palo Verde Church of Christ in Tucson, Arizona. She is also a spiritual director, a church planter, and a writer; she writes about the intersection of changing faith and shifting formation at gooutinjoy.substack.com. She has served as a church planter, an adjunct professor, and also a cross-cultural minister for 15 years in northern Mozambique. Rachel has a Master of Arts in Historical Theology and another in Old Testament, and her research interests include making atonement and hermeneutics conversations practical for everyday life. Her goal is to help the church live into better stories as they move between creation and new creation.
STEVEN CARRIZAL
Steven Carrizal is Associate Minister at Altamesa Church of Christ in Fort Worth, Texas having served there since 2010. He has been in full-time congregational ministry since 1991, also serving as youth minister in churches in Houston and Denton, Texas. He is a graduate of Abilene Christian University with an undergraduate degree in youth and family ministry and a graduate degree in Christian ministry. Steven is passionate about the spiritual growth of adults of all ages as they go along the journey as disciples of Jesus. He also enjoys his work through HOPE Network mentoring and coaching ministers and ministry teams. Steven and his wife Debbi have been married for over 30 years and have three children and one grandchild.
Additional speaker
JUSTIN GERHARDT
Creator of Holy Ghost Stories & President of Hazelfire Studios (Fayetteville, AR)
From Text to Episode: My Work as Sacred Story Liaison
Overview: How do you create a binge-able listening experience from old stories told thousands of times before? Writer and creator of the popular Old Testament storytelling podcast Holy Ghost Stories Justin Gerhardt shares his creative process and speaks to the unique ways his time with Biblical narrative has formed his spirit.
session information
Come join us to learn how to deepen adult formation in your church. Rachel Howell and Steven Carrizal will facilitate a workshop environment where community members will collaborate as both teachers and learners, asking deep questions about the spiritual formation of adults in churches. Together, alongside Justin Gerhardt, they will explore how adults are formed by story, Scripture, practice, mission, experience, and community.
THURSDAY MORNING SESSIONS
9:30 - 10:20 a.m. | Finding a Coherent Whole-Bible Narrative | Rachel Howell
In this session, we will learn how to grow beyond the expectations of the Bible as a rulebook or user’s manual. We will investigate the overarching narrative of Scripture that testifies to what God has done in the world and how to make that practical for people in your community. We will explore how to help people live into the narrative “between Creation and New Creation,” learn why this makes the Old Testament come alive, and practice a reading of the text.
10:30 - 11:20 a.m. | Finding the Story in the Biblical Narrative | Steven Carrizal
The larger narrative of the Bible consists of hundreds of smaller stories, many of which can leave us scratching our heads to understand their purpose or the lesson we are expected to learn. In this session we will explore how to understand these stories in the larger narrative of Scripture and learn how to enter their world and walk away with insight for living in our world.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON SESSIONS
1:30 - 2:20 p.m. | From Text to Episode: My Work as a Sacred Story Liaison | Justin Gerhardt (Zoom)
How do you create a binge-able listening experience from old stories told thousands of times before? Writer and creator of the popular Old Testament storytelling podcast Holy Ghost Stories, Justin Gerhardt, shares his creative process and speaks to the unique ways his time with Biblical narrative has formed his spirit.
2:30 - 3:20 p.m. | Sanctified Imagination: Walking Alongside Our Ancient Siblings | Rachel Howell
In this session we will explore how the Holy Spirit connects us to the writers and characters within the Biblical text, and why witnessing their testimony invites the participation of our imagination. We will share practices for activating our creativity within the story of God between Creation and New Creation.
3:30 - 4:30 p.m. | Am I in the Right Story? | Steven Carrizal
“What am I doing here? I'm in the wrong story.” So proclaims the baker’s wife in the classic musical Into the Woods. In this session we will explore some wrong stories both in Scripture and in our world today. We will also learn how to use the trajectory of the larger narrative of the Bible to avoid finding ourselves in the wrong story.
FRIDAY MORNING SESSIONS
9:15 - 9:55 a.m. | Finding Your Story | Rachel Howell and Steven Carrizal
In this first workshop session, we will each practice sharing with 1-2 others how God has formed us with a story from the Biblical narrative that we identify with. As we listen to each others’ stories, we will notice connection points where God’s Spirit weaves our experiences together.
10:00 - 10:45 a.m. | Creating a Story Experience | Rachel Howell and Steven Carrizal
In this second workshop session, we will collaborate to generate ideas to engage biblical narratives in creative ways in small groups, classes, and other gatherings to deepen the formation of our communities.