St James' Church

“Spiritual formation” is a phrase that is not as commonly understood as similar phrases like ‘discipleship’ and ‘leadership development’ yet it is something which I observed in recent years as critical in a spiritual leader’s development.

Bascially the stronger the spiritual formation, the more influential, consistent and effective the person will be for Christ. In Singapore, there is no shortage of talents. Our level of education is high. It is not unusual to find many educationally qualified people or those with successful careers volunteering for fulltime service.  In fact, the current National Director for Alpha Singapore (my succesor) resigned from a highly successful bank investment career before taking on this responsibility. We can only imagine the massive pay cut she has to accept. 
Yet the failure rate for those in fulltime ministry can be high. By ‘failure,’ I don’t necessary mean resignation but to put it plainly, some are ill-prepared for the rigours of Christian ministry. A critical area is relationships. The same problems which plague ‘secular’ working offices also follow Christian workplaces – folks who are not able to handle the challenges of relating to their subordinates, colleagues and those they are accountable to. It is a relationship problem stemming from one’s character, values and attitudes. Lessons have to be learnt about being an authentic disciple and servant.

Spiritual formation, as a process where the person learns to follow Christ in the context of community (and colleages) is key to preparing a Christian leader. It can be hard and painful at times, but when we submit to each other (“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” -Ephesians 5:21), the work of the Lord can be deep and lasting. Yes, we may have a mentor or spiritual director, but we often can’t choose who we should listen to. The Lord uses those around us as well.

Spiritual formation is a lifelong process. I am still very much a ‘work in progress.’ But if I can attribute some reasons why I could serve Him the way I am doing today, it will include those who have bothered to be my pastor, friend and a fellow pilgrim. I could close myself up and walk away, and conveniently submit only those who see my point of view. I am only too glad that I have gotten rid of “Terryism” a while back. And a part of that riddance has to do with how the Lord uses others to help me see the truth about myself, the ministry and most of all, Christ. I will not be what I am today without a genuine Christian community.