Christian Education & Formation
→ → → Sunday Morning Bible Study will start at 9:15 AM during Advent. ← ← ←
Bring your Bible. If you do not have one, we will have some extras available for use, but you are encouraged to consider purchasing your own. (The New Revised Standard Version with Apocrypha can be found for under $10 on Amazon.com and the local Half Price Books stores usually have a good selection available too.)
Please visit the Diocese of Dallas' Youth Ministry & Christian Formation website to see what our Diocese is up to.
The following is adapted from Life Long Learning in the Church
In today's Episcopal Church, theological education is related to the Baptismal Covenant. To be baptized is to be in Christ and to share a common life of faith with other Christians, a Christ-like life intended to be radically different from that of the world. It is a life of service and servant-hood. It is a life of action for justice, peace and reconciliation. Baptism is more than a momentary experience; it is the beginning of an ever-onward process of growth in Christ.
The main mission of theological education is to better equip laity (including those in the laity who are called to be ordained) for faithful and effective servant leadership. Theological education and reflection takes place throughout the church, and outside the institutional church in homes, hospitals, and in corporate board rooms. "Episcopalians are people who seek to know and do the truth by means of the creative interplay of Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience," said John Booty.
In the process of Christian education, a disciple:
- Reflects on life - focus attention on some particular practice or experience so that it can be named
- Engages the church's faith - consider the faith of the church contained in scripture and tradition and engage that faith afresh
- Renews and reforms faith - reflect upon our lives in light of faith so as to gain insight
- Lives faith - act upon these insights out of new convictions and with new practices
