Practices

Shared practices are a way the local church can accompany travelers on their lifelong journey of faith.

Practices provide scaffolding for the ways our life is formed, informed, and transformed by God as we encounter God, others, and the world. The practices named in this book help people listen to the Spirit, be curious about others, and reflect on their own experience.

Both yoga and basketball involve practice, but both view it in different ways. In basketball, practice prepares players for “the real deal,” it is preparatory. During practice, coaches run drills, do aerobic exercises, teach plays, and get teammates working together. In yoga, practice, practice is when a person engages in a series of yoga poses. A yogi, or instructor, creates the atmosphere, guides the practice, and gives suggestions, but each person does their own practice. Yoga is not rehearsing for the real deal; it is the real deal.

The practices named here are like yoga, not basketball. They are just some of the practices that accompany people in discovering a Christian way of life. You are encouraged to try them, whether you are new to a life of faith or have been on this journey for decades. Enter into them with an explorer mindset, with the goal not mastery, but participation.

Journeying in the Wilderness, page 12

A practice-centered approach to forming faith is a GPS-like system that can automatically recalibrate as circumstances change. Tethered to loving God and our neighbor, these practices anchor faith, connect faith and everyday life, and have the potential to unify faith formation across the church. Engaging them allows us to practice our way into abundant living in our shared quest to discover a Christian way of life in our dynamic world. Congregations become cruciform communities and accompany people in their becoming journey as they employ three types of practices: sanctuary, incarnational, and outpost.

Journeying in the Wilderness, page 172