Anemic Christian Formation

by Rev. Mark Tidsworth, Founder and Team Leader

“Anemia is a condition where your blood doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin to carry sufficient oxygen to your body's tissues, leading to symptoms like fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath.”—Google AI

Most approaches to Christian formation in churches were developed during the Age of Christendom. Below these approaches was the subtle assumption that culture in this USA appreciated, or at least somewhat understood, the Christian narrative. So, forming people in the Way of Jesus was pursued with methodology which was fitting for the times.

We live in a very different time, here beyond the Modern Era, beyond Christendom in North America. We live in a time when so much deconstruction is underway… politically, environmentally, socially, vocationally, economically. No need to go on, since we are all aware these days are not “normal” nor stable times.

Right there in the midst, the Dones population continues to grow. What’s that about? Though there are a myriad of influences creating the Dones group, one is the lack of robust Christian formation. Evidently, the kind of Christian formation we’ve been doing in churches is insufficient for empowering sustained engagement in the Way of Jesus for too many of us.

Doesn’t this make sense? The classic Sunday School model, focused on learning information, was developed to support Christian disciples when Christianity itself was more culturally affirmed and popular. Now, learning information remains helpful, while insufficient for transforming us into robust Christ-followers in alien cultures.

So where to from here? Rather than lowering our expectations for engagement in Christian formation, it looks like we need greater engagement. Small groups, sharing their lives with each other, gathering around the Way of Jesus… One-on-one relationships, pouring into each other, supporting through thick and thin… forming a rule of life or rhythm of life in our churches, gathering around these rhythms, strengthening our spiritual center… it’s going to take these and more to sustain faith in this current situation.

We in God’s Church didn’t set out to develop anemic approaches to Christian formation. Instead, the context around us changed, making our approaches insufficient for our rising needs. So, let’s not stay there. Let’s seize the opportunity, right here in the midst of large-scale deformation, to discern how we can form ourselves as Christ-followers. Certainly not everyone will be on board. We won’t worry about that, accepting and loving disciples wherever they are at the time. At the same time, we might refuse to let the least interested in Christian formation set the bar for our formation efforts. Robust, disciple-developing powerhouse churches are needed. Let’s go O Church, let’s go.