* FINAL VERSION - Concurred
Resolution:A082
Title:Charter for Lifelong Christian Formation
Topic:Christian Formation
Committee:15 - Education
House of Initial Action:Deputies
Proposer:Standing Commission on Lifelong Christian Education and Formation

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 76th General Convention of The Episcopal Church adopt the following text as The Charter for Lifelong Christian Formation:

Lifelong Christian Faith Formation in The Episcopal Church is lifelong growth in the knowledge, service and love of God as followers of Christ and is informed by Scripture, Tradition and Reason.

I have called you friends… John 15:14-16

Through The Episcopal Church, God INVITES all people:

§ To enter into a prayerful life of worship, continuous learning, intentional outreach, advocacy and service.

§ To hear the Word of God through scripture, to honor church teachings and continually to embrace the joy of Baptism and Eucharist, spreading the Good News of the risen Christ and ministering to all.

§ To respond to the needs of our constantly changing communities, as Jesus calls us, in ways that reflect our diversity and cultures as we seek, wonder and discover together.

§ To hear what the Spirit is saying to God's people, placing ourselves in the stories of our faith, thereby empowering us to proclaim the Gospel message.

…You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit... John 15:14-16

Through The Episcopal Church, God inspires all people:

§ To experience Anglican liturgy, which draws us closer to God, helps us discern God's will and encourages us to share our faith journeys.

§ To study Scripture, mindful of the context of our societies and cultures, calling us to seek truth anew while remaining fully present in the community of faith.

§ To develop new learning experiences, equipping disciples for life in a world of secular challenges and carefully listening for the words of modern sages who embody the teachings of Christ.

§ To prepare for a sustainable future by calling the community to become guardians of God's creation.

…I am giving you these commands that you may love one another… John 15:17

Through The Episcopal Church, God transforms all people:

§ By doing the work Jesus Christ calls us to do, living into the reality that we are all created in the image of God and carrying out God's work of reconciliation, love, forgiveness, healing, justice and peace.

§ By striving to be a loving and witnessing community, which faithfully confronts the tensions in the church and the world as we struggle to live God's will.

§ By seeking out diverse and expansive ways to empower prophetic action, evangelism, advocacy and collaboration in our contemporary global context.

§ By holding all accountable to lift every voice in order to reconcile oppressed and oppressor to the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord; and be it further

Resolved, That we affirm that Christian Faith Formation in The Episcopal Church is a lifelong journey with Christ, in Christ and to Christ; And be it further

Resolved, That

1. We urge each diocese to read and study the Charter for Lifelong Christian Formation and to live it out locally.

2. We urge the seminaries and other institutions concerned with formation and education and leadership in The Episcopal Church, to engage the charter as a tool to advance their support for persons in their Christian Formation.

3. We urge The Episcopal Church's Evangelism and Congregational Life Center to commit staff during this triennium to communicate, advocate and implement the charter, and report progress to the Standing Commission on Lifelong Christian Formation and Education before the 77th General Convention.

And be it further

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention request that the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance consider a budget allocation of $30,000 for the implementation of this Resolution during the 2010 -2012 triennium.


EXPLANATION

Definition: Christian formation is the lifelong process of growing in relationship with God, self, others and all creation. In this process we are transformed into the people God wants us to be. As twenty first century Episcopalians, we still long for the inheritance common to all Christians in all times and places-to be united in Christ, who calls us in the power of the Holy Spirit to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and bodies; to love our neighbors as ourselves; and to make disciples, baptize and teach. In our Baptismal Covenant, The Episcopal Church has gracefully articulated the way in which we answer Christ's call. Life-long Christian Formation describes the many processes by which we live into that covenant.

By this definition, life-long Christian formation encompasses a broad set of activities, supported by a rich array of communities and institutions, serving people from cradle to grave. Without attempting to circumscribe the action of the Holy Spirit-who is always at work renewing the minds of Christian people-we acknowledge some common characteristics of formation ministries. Formation is unceasing-serving the individual's emerging understanding of identity, community, authority and purpose in Christ throughout their lives. Formation is dynamic-encompassing learning, action and reflection. Formation is formal and informal-informing, forming and transforming both the individual and the community. Formation is hospitable-welcoming the "new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator." (Col 3:10)

Problem: As an institution, we have not entirely welcomed our Lord's generous invitation to grow in knowledge and love of him. Our behavior does not always reflect our heart's desire. For example, we have inadequately resourced our allocation of time, talent and treasures; we have failed to clearly articulate a vision and support for life-long Christian formation; and we have insufficiently supported Christian formation in our daily lives and work places. As a church, our people suffer from a widespread lack of knowledge of the traditions that form the foundation of The Episcopal Church. And moreover, in our post-Christian culture, Christian formation has been given significantly less priority than our other community activities. We have also experienced a failure to address the formational needs of an aging church membership. We need to address and remedy culturally exclusive teaching practices and the lack of attention to the formational needs of non-English speakers. We also need to continue our ever-growing response to stewardship of creation that merits our attention and resources.

Vision for a transformed church: We affirm that life-long Christian formation is foundational to the success of any church, and in the case of our own, is an integral part of the process by which we will rebuild The Episcopal Church. Our congregations will grow in numbers and health when they are supported by leaders-of all orders of ministry-who know their identity in Christ and are able to access their tradition for the purposes of proclaiming and living out the Gospel.

By prioritizing the Christian formation ministries of The Episcopal Church, we choose to invest in a language and practice-rooted in scripture, tradition and reason-that has the capacity to unify us in fulfilling the Great Commandment. We can make use of this common language to inform, support and reinforce healthy relationships in families and congregations. With it we can continually develop and renew those processes, programs and rites of passage that develop Christian ministers at all ages and stages. Through it we can hold each other accountable to grow in love, knowledge and depth of insight.

History/How we preceded: Early in 2007 PEALL recognized a need to be more intentional about bringing lifelong Christian formation to the attention of The Episcopal Church and encouraged a group of Diocesan Christian educators to draft a Case for a Proposed Charter for Lifelong Christian Formation to complement the Children's Charter. After receiving their case statement, which spoke about writing a new charter in 2012, PEALL and SCLCEF agreed not to wait for 2012 and called for a Charter Writing Team immediately to draft a document for presentation to the 2009 General Convention. With PEALL's support a Writing Group of educators, formation experts and others from a variety of disciplines (whose diversity included age, gender, ethnicity, church geography and congregational size) developed a draft Charter for Lifelong Christian Formation. The Writing Group submitted a draft charter to this Standing Commission that now advances Resolutions pertaining to a Charter for Lifelong Christian Formation.

 


* Note: The final language, as well as the final status of each resolution, is being reviewed by the General Convention office. The Journal of the 76th General Convention and the Constitution and Canons will be published once the review process has been completed.