Mission and Formation
Blue Ocean is a one-year introduction to mission and formation. The leaders who take part on this journey explore what it means to have a renewed theological vision of the church on mission, serving as a sign, servant, and foretaste of the Kingdom of God. We meet three times a year in three different cities across the United States and Canada for multi-day retreats. Blue Ocean includes pastors, leaders, and regional ministers from across the NAB. Each cohort represents a cross section of regions, church sizes, and ministry styles. The discussions are both encouraging and challenging.
Click here to contact Lisa Schmidt for more information.
These quotes sum up the importance of spiritual formation and give a peak at what Blue Ocean is all about:
Mission [is] understood as being derived from the very nature of God. . . . The classical doctrine on the missio Dei as God the Father sending the Son, and God the Father and the Son sending the Spirit [is] expanded to include yet another “movement”: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit sending the church into the world. —David Bosch
Spiritual transformation is the process by which Christ is formed in us . . . for the glory of God, for the abundance of our own lives, and for the sake of others (Galatians 4:19; Romans 8:29; Romans 12:1, 2). . . . Spiritual transformation in the lives of redeemed people is a testimony to the power of the Gospel and it results in an increasing capacity to discern and do the will of God. (Romans 12:2) —Ruth Haley Barton