The Venerable Dr. David J. Anderson
God has a mission and invites Christian disciples to participate in God’s own life and work. Christian formation is all about being formed in this life and for this work. It is not a self-improvement project or self-help scheme. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in Christian community.
The Missional Church Conversation has something to say about how we engage in faith formation. Rooted in our understanding of the missio Dei, not only do we understand that mission belongs first to God, but if we are to participate in God’s mission, we should be formed to do so in God’s ways. Christian formation is then an intentional, communal process of growing in our relationship with God and being conformed to Christ through the power of the Spirit for the sake of the world. In this course we will explore these patterns of intentionality and how we might encourage the formation of such faith over time.
*Registration for this course is open to all participants—lay or clergy, both individuals and groups.
What You’ll Learn
This course will introduce you to a practical approach to Christian formation that:
- Jesus models in the Gospels,
- Forms followers of Jesus for participation in God’s mission,
- Engages in concrete Christian practices such as hospitality,
- discernment, household economics, to name a few, and
- Shapes the local church into a learning community.
How It Works
Join our instructor, Archdeacon David Anderson, and an engaged learning community of fellow leaders and missional practitioners live online and in online forums.
- Participate in six two-hour sessions with David and the learning community. The learning community will meet weekly on Thursday afternoons, 3:00p – 5:00p, September 30 – November 4.
- Practice in your context. During the course you will be encouraged to apply your learning in your context in order to deepen your understanding.
- Reflect within the learning community. Your new knowledge and experience will become even more meaningful when shared with other learning practitioners like yourself. You will use the online forums between sessions and break-out sessions within learning community gatherings to further integrate your learning.
Meet the Teacher-Practitioner
Archdeacon David Anderson (he/him) is the rector of the Church of Saint John the Evangelist in west downtown Hamilton and the Archdeacon of Hamilton-Haldimand in the Diocese of Niagara. David is passionate about neighbourhoods and helping disciples of Jesus participate more fully in what God is up to in their own local contexts. David is also an advocate for the cultivation of missional leadership in our diocese and has led a turn toward the neighbourhood in the parish. David is the chair of the Curriculum Committee of the Niagara School for Missional Leadership and a member of the Academy of Religious Leadership. David’s doctoral degree is from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota in the area of Congregational Mission and Leadership. When David has time he rides with a group known as the “Loose Association of Motorcycle Enthusiasts,” or LAME. David says that for a motorcycle gang, they are not as tough as they sound.