Spiritual and Faith Development

The National Synod of Scotland of the United Reformed Church expresses its vision through a series of aspirations. These are not fixed in stone, but form a moving (and capable of being updated) vision statement. I am exploring these in turn in a series of brief articles. This piece reflects on the eighth aspiration which focusses on our commitment to spiritual and faith DEVELOPMENT. The Scottish College (Congregational and United Reformed) offers a dynamic programme for spiritual and faith DEVELOPMENT for anyone wishing to explore Christianity or particular callings in the life of the Church. URC YOUTH and URC CHILDREN are growing youth and children’s organisations within the United Reformed Church offering opportunities for learning and friendship amongst youth and children. The Synod is committed to encouraging people of all ages in faith development in all sorts of ways. This includes looking for opportunities for good intergenerational engagement, recognising that we are all part of the one family of God. We resist any suggestion that children and young people’s importance lies in their being tomorrow’s church. The important thing for the moment is that they are part of today’s church. Doing things together, across the generations, is highly valuable. However, we also recognise that there are times to engage in ways that are focussed on particular groups, such as children, young people, women, men, seniors and others. Discipleship is not limited to particular age groups. We value what everyone can offer, and leadership can be sourced from different age groups. I have valued the thoughts of Max De Pree, an American businessman who lived from 1924 to 2017. His book Leadership Jazz (1992) offer three insights that I have found helpful. First, he says: “The best leaders, like the best music, inspire us to see new possibilities.” I want to expand that to recognise that anyone can do that and to suggest that we should be looking to develop helpful models of discipleship from people of all ages. De Pree also says, “Expectations can really help people reach their potential.” I am reminded of Barnabas’ ministry of encouragement and Jesus’ call is simply that we all do what we can. My third De Pree quote is that “People who never fail have not been trying hard enough.” I find that surprisingly encouraging. I might put it another way and suggest that Jesus does not call us to be successful, nice though that may be when it happens, but to be faithful. For me, another word for development (in this context) is discipleship and finding ways of walking Jesus’ way is at the heart of what we do and are. There are many ways in which we can describe this, but I want to note the definition that Sam Wells offers in his book “Incarnational Ministry: Being with the church” (2017) – “Discipleship is first of all one’s relationship with God – a daily walk of grace, wonder, intimacy, sadness at failure, repentance, renewal, forgiveness, longing, gratitude, and companionship.” I really like that mix. It provides a great starting point from which we can look to be God’s people. Being God’s people is described, as well as anywhere, in Acts 2:47 - “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Another way of describing discipleship is to talk about developing holy habits, and I have used various ways of listing what those might be. One list I like suggests five. The first is to bless. Bless somebody by doing something good for them. The second is to eat. That is about hospitality. The third is to listen, to God and to others. The fourth is to learn, whether from the Bible, or other spiritual sources. The fifth is to be sent. Where does God want us to go now? Whether it is that list or some other, developing a few holy habits can really make a difference.