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 Sara-May Cardy for more information at scardy@nabconf.org.
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