About six years ago, Covenant Presbyterian Church was deep in the process of refreshing their mission. They discerned God was calling them to be a people known for “encouraging one another to follow Jesus wherever we live, work, and play” especially through the practices of solitude, community, and service.

Yet, as a large church, they needed to find a relationship-driven way to help hundreds join together in those transformative spiritual practices.

It clicked when they saw the approach of Fuller Formation Groups, where participants were invited through weekly practices, monthly conversations, and quarterly retreats.

Now, even with a COVID interruption, Covenant has already brought 128 people through Formation Groups with new cohorts launching this fall.

Covenant’s pastors say one of the most beneficial parts has been the deep connections that congregants have made with one another. Especially at a large church, each cohort has people who otherwise never would have had the opportunity to share life together. In Formation Groups, they go deep with one another and in their relationship with God. They listen and sharpen their sense of God’s call on their lives.

As the years have passed, one reason they continue to offer Formation Groups is the support and consistency they receive from the Center of Spiritual Formation team.

Kathryn Sedberry, Associate Director of Formation at Covenant shared, “The leadership training, the constant tweaks and improvements, the readily available programming and technical support is so helpful and professional. The best part is not having to change the formula, or for us to have to come up with something different or better. We are able to make small modifications based on our specific circumstances without changing any of the content. It is a formula that just works!”
It has been a gift for our team to have a relationship with Covenant for so many years and we are excited to see what will be next for them!