NCD: Passionate Spirituality
Methodists began as "enthusiasts", but some of our churches seem to have drifted away from the passion and excitement of our early years. Dynamic and healthy churches are filled with the joy and love of Christ, and they display this passion in culturally appropriate ways. Some questions to ask about passionate spirituality include:
- In what ways do the people in your congregation practice the personal spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, Bible study, tithing, fasting, charity and justice?
- In what ways do you model the practice of spiritual disciplines?
- How important is prayer to the regular life and work of your congregation?
- How excited are people about their relationship with God?
- How often are people talking about their faith inside and outside of the church?
In addition to devotional material, like The Upper Room and Disciplines, some resources for developing a passionate spirituality are:
- Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
- The Meaning of Prayer by Harry Emerson Fosdick
- Covenant Discipleship: Christian Formation through Mutual Accountability by David Lowes Watson and through their web site www.gbod.org/smallgroup/cd/
- Companions in Christ and Disciple Bible Study curriculums
- Wanda Stahl, NEUMC Director of Spiritual Formation - stahl@neumc.org
8 Quality Characteristics of Natural Church Development
- Empowering Leadership
- Gift-Based Ministries
- Passionate Spirituality
- Effective Structures
- Inspiring Worship
- Holistic Small Groups
- Need-Oriented Evangelism
- Loving Relationships
- back to Natural Church Development
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More information and resources
- New Churches
- Natural Church Development
- Church Assessment
- Training Events
- Online Resources
- Congregational Development News
- Curtis' Blog
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congregational development office 978-682-8055 ext 210 curtis@neumc.org
congregational development office 978-682-8055 ext 210 curtis@neumc.org
___________________________________________________________________
congregational development office 978-682-8055 ext 210 curtis@neumc.org
congregational development office 978-682-8055 ext 210 curtis@neumc.org