In the wave of the presence-driven churches of the 21st century, somewhere along the way, the idea of structure in a relationship with God was a bad idea.[1] This thought suggests that churches with a structure for spiritual formation must be bad because man is imposing his own will on God. Spiritual formation must be charismatic or sacramental, led by the Holy Spirit or tradition. However, the idea that these two concepts cannot coexist is fundamentally flawed. God is one of order (1 Cor 14:33) and directs us to be led by the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:14, Gal 5:18). This is where the idea of structure with variability becomes so critical. If a structure is too rigid to adapt, it eliminates the Holy Spirit, but order has been lost if it is too loose to guide. The secret to a great structure of spiritual formation is to provide structure with variability—guidance with freedom.
Setting up a structure for spiritual formation in one’s life does not have to be complicated, time-consuming, or scary. Instead, think of it like building a house on the rock instead of sand (Matt 7:24-27). It can be the consistent foundation that holds spiritual formation true when the storms of life come.
During an interview with a local PhD minister, they were asked how they structure their spiritual formation for continued spiritual formation. Their answer noted that they identify spiritual goals to achieve at the beginning of each year. Whether that was reading the Bible, spending a specific amount of time in prayer each week, fasting weekly, or serving outside their ministry each month.[2] However, they noted that these goals were set up to have flexibility. It was not based on checking a box but to help them focus more on God. If an objective was not hit because something God led them to do came up, it was never a concern because they were more interested in following the leading of the Holy Spirit than their structure. The structure must allow flexibility based on God’s direction and believers being okay with not checking a box but abiding in God, which is the ultimate goal.
Determine a Starting Point
Determining a starting point is critical for a great structure and will differ for everyone. So where do you start, and what are the options? The first option would be salvation. This is the starting point if one has not received Christ as Lord and Savior (Rom 10:9). It then progresses to baptism, often called the first step of obedience in the faith. If one has been saved and baptized, the next step would be getting connected to a local church’s New Believers Class that teaches the fundamentals of the faith. If these three have already been done, the following starting points are where each individual will have to assess what is next.
The recommended structure follows the new believer class with the core practices of prayer and scripture. It then follows with the development practices of journaling, learning, forgiveness, community, service, obedience, solitude, generosity, evangelism, sabbath, fasting, and sanctification. These 14 practices are recommended to be taken in order, but it is understood that some practices may be more challenging for individuals and warrant deferring to a later time.
Most of determining a starting point is identifying a goal for the future and one’s weaknesses. If forgiveness is a particularly hard challenge, that might be a highlighted goal that can be taken on. No practice is just completed and thrown to the wayside, but are there as reminded of the ultimate goal of disciplining oneself in all the practices. For most believers, it is recommended to start with prayer. Do not make it too complicated, but focus on identifying a goal and choosing to pursue the practices.
Setting the Structure and Beginning
The core practices of prayer and scripture need to be the foundation of the structure of spiritual formation. Choose a time daily that allows for both to take place. Do not try to make it fancy or over the top, but somewhere comfortable, at a time that you can be alone with God, and at a time that can be consistent. It is often said that spiritual maturity is consistency. In whatever choice is made, make it consistent. After that, identify the practices that can be taken on.
All practice structures will be laid out below, but let us go through the practice of prayer together. It begins with three growth statements that help establish a foundation for the practice. The three statements are “I know that prayer is a conversation with God,” “I understand why prayer is important,” and “I choose to pursue the practice of prayer.” These three statements are of knowledge, understanding, and choice. From there, it goes to the first stage of prayer: Talking to God. This is the fundamental of prayer, talking to God. It goes on to the next stage, which is talking with God. This is marked by developing a relationship with God and the daily prayer time from the heart. The third stage of prayer is listening to God, transitioning from a monologue to a dialogue with God—listening to and responding to what He is saying. Finally, the last stage is being with God. This is the encompassing connection that prayer allows for the constant pursuit of God by daily seeking Him and His presence. Each practice has this structure of three growth statements and four stages of progression. This is the moment to identify where one is in that practice and begin pursuing the next stage. No practice of the faith is terminal but should be sought out until the day of completion. There is no arrival with God, but we
constantly seek Him.
So, what does this look like as a personal structure? It involves reviewing each core and development practice, identifying where you are in each practice, and then seeking God for guidance on implementing that practice further. The structure provides a framework for looking at spiritual formation practices individually and holistically, with the primary goal of being with God and growing closer to Him.
[1] Terje Hegertun, “The Spirit Driven Church: Signs of God’s Graceful Presence,” The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies. 40 (2018): 216–18
[2] Kenny Mitts, interview by author, in-person, November 2024.