What Is Spiritual Formation: a Biblical Guide
- The Bible Seminary
- May 20
- 12 min read
Spiritual formation is the Spirit-led process of being conformed to the image of Christ in our inner being, affecting our thoughts, emotions, and will, not just our outward actions. Yet many faithful churchgoers struggle to see lasting growth. In one LifeWay study of regular Protestant churchgoers, only 17% reached what was described as a “decent” level of spiritual maturity, only 16% read the Bible daily, and only 3.5% showed statistically significant growth over a year.
You may know that feeling personally.
You read Scripture. You serve at church. You show up for classes, sermons, Bible studies, or ministry meetings. But somewhere beneath the activity, you sense a gap between what you know and who you are becoming. You want more than information. You want transformation.
That longing is not a sign of failure. It is often the beginning of wisdom.
Many people ask what is spiritual formation because they are tired of a shallow answer to the Christian life. They don't want faith reduced to rule-keeping, ministry performance, or occasional inspiration. They want a life truly shaped by Christ. At The Bible Seminary, we care profoundly about that question because ministry leaders need more than biblical content alone. They need hearts and minds trained for kingdom service.
The Invitation to Deeper Transformation
A pastor can preach sound doctrine and still feel impatient at home. A worship leader can serve faithfully and still feel inwardly hurried, distracted, or spiritually dry. A student can learn theology and still wonder why anxiety, pride, or resentment seem so stubborn.
That's why spiritual formation matters.
In Christian theology, spiritual formation refers to the transformation of the inner person, especially the heart. Dallas Willard expressed it memorably in his article on spiritual formation in the tradition of Jesus Christ: “Spiritual formation in the tradition of Jesus Christ is the process of transformation of the inmost dimension of the human being, the heart.”
That language helps because it moves us beyond a narrow focus on appearances. Spiritual formation asks a deeper question. Who are you becoming before God?
Why knowledge alone isn't enough
Christian growth certainly includes learning. We cannot love the God we do not know. But information by itself doesn't produce maturity. A person may understand Greek verbs, defend orthodox doctrine, and explain the storyline of Scripture while still struggling to love enemies, resist envy, or walk in peace.
Practical rule: If our theology never reaches our desires, habits, and relationships, something is incomplete.
Historic Christianity has always recognized this. The modern phrase “spiritual formation” became more visible in late-20th-century ministry education, but the actual truth itself is older. Christians have long spoken of sanctification, discipleship, holiness, and becoming Christlike over time.
What readers often get wrong
People often hear “formation” and think of a private devotional routine. Others hear it and imagine a vague inward spirituality detached from doctrine. Neither view is sufficient.
Spiritual formation includes practices like prayer, Scripture, fasting, silence, and service. But those practices are not the end goal. They are ways we place ourselves before God so that the Holy Spirit shapes us into the likeness of Christ.
A simple way to say it is this:
It is inward. God works in the heart.
It is Christ-centered. The aim is likeness to Jesus.
It is lifelong. No one finishes this journey in a semester.
It is for ministry. What God forms in you affects how you lead, teach, serve, and suffer.
When people ask what is spiritual formation, they are often asking for a deeper Christian life. That desire is not trendy. It is thoroughly biblical.
A Biblical Vision for Spiritual Formation
The Bible does not always use the modern phrase “spiritual formation,” but it clearly presents the reality. Scripture describes a people being shaped by God into holiness, obedience, love, and Christlike maturity. This is not a side topic for especially devoted Christians. It is part of the normal Christian life.
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV
That verse gives us a clear biblical vision of transformation. God is not merely managing our behavior. He is changing us as we behold Christ.
Conformed to the image of Christ
Romans 8:29 teaches that God's purpose is that believers be conformed to the image of His Son. Spiritual formation is one way we describe that lived reality. It is the practical outworking of sanctification, carried out by the Holy Spirit through the Word, the church, and ordinary faithfulness.
This helps answer a common confusion. Spiritual formation is not about inventing a new spiritual identity. It is about God shaping believers into the character of Jesus.
Portland Seminary describes spiritual formation as being “conformed to the image of Jesus Christ” and frames it as a whole-person journey through orthodoxy, orthopraxy, and orthopathy in its explanation of spiritual formation as whole-person growth. In plain language, that means right belief, right practice, and rightly shaped affections.
The whole person is involved
A biblical vision of formation reaches every part of life.
Dimension | Plain meaning | Ministry implication |
|---|---|---|
Orthodoxy | Learning to think truthfully about God | Leaders need sound doctrine |
Orthopraxy | Learning to obey Christ in daily life | Ministry must match the message |
Orthopathy | Learning to love what God loves | Character shapes credibility |
If one of these is missing, formation becomes lopsided.
A student may know doctrine without tenderness. A ministry leader may stay active without inward communion with God. Another person may value emotion but neglect biblical truth. Mature formation holds these together.
Scripture grounds the process
Consider how often the New Testament speaks in this direction:
Romans 12:2 calls believers to be transformed by the renewing of the mind.
Galatians 5:22-23 describes the fruit of the Spirit as visible character, not mere religious activity.
Ephesians 4:22-24 speaks of putting off the old self and putting on the new.
Colossians 3:12-14 describes a community clothed with compassion, humility, patience, and love.
These are not just commands to act differently in public. They reflect inward renewal.
Spiritual formation is biblical theology made visible in a human life.
That matters for pastors, teachers, and students. Ministry is not only the transfer of information. It is the overflow of a life being reshaped by God. When seminaries treat formation as central, they are not adding something extra to theological education. They are honoring the Bible's own vision of maturity.
Distinguishing Formation from Related Concepts
Confusion often begins because spiritual formation sits close to several other important ideas. It overlaps with them, but it is not identical to them. When we make poor distinctions, we usually drift into either vagueness or moralism.
Formation and discipleship
Discipleship usually highlights the relational pattern of following Jesus. It includes teaching, imitation, obedience, and life-on-life learning. Spiritual formation fits within that world, but it emphasizes the inward transformation taking place as a disciple follows Christ.
You might say it this way. Discipleship names the relationship and path. Spiritual formation names the deep change happening along that path.
A church may have discipleship classes, mentoring relationships, and Bible studies. Those are good and necessary. But if people only accumulate content and activity, discipleship can become thin. Formation asks whether the person is being changed.
Formation and sanctification
Sanctification is a theological term. It refers to God's work of setting believers apart and making them holy. Spiritual formation often serves as a practical ministry term for how that holy-making work shows up in daily habits, affections, and patterns of life.
Sanctification belongs to doctrine. Spiritual formation often describes the lived experience of that doctrine.
That distinction matters in ministry settings. It helps us avoid treating formation as a trendy add-on. Properly understood, it is rooted in historic Christian theology.
Formation and self-improvement
At this point, the sharpest line must be drawn.
Many popular accounts describe spiritual growth in ways that sound almost identical to secular wellness language. Be calmer. Build better habits. Become a more centered person. Develop resilience. Some of those goals may contain partial truths, but they do not yet define Christian spiritual formation.
As Logos notes in its discussion of what spiritual formation is and why it matters, authentic Christian formation is not generic inward growth. It is specifically the Holy Spirit transforming a believer toward the character of Jesus.
A key distinction: Self-improvement asks, “How can I become a better version of myself?” Spiritual formation asks, “How is the Holy Spirit making me more like Christ?”
That difference changes everything.
A brief comparison can help:
Self-improvement often centers on personal success, efficiency, confidence, or fulfillment.
Therapy often addresses emotional wounds, mental health needs, and patterns of suffering.
Habit-building focuses on repeated behaviors and systems.
Christian spiritual formation is Spirit-powered, Scripture-shaped, church-rooted, and aimed at Christlikeness for God's glory.
Why these distinctions matter in ministry
Without theological clarity, pastors can accidentally preach behavior management instead of gospel transformation. Students can mistake busyness for maturity. Churches can celebrate visible gifting while overlooking inward disintegration.
That's why we need language that is both precise and pastoral.
Formation is not opposed to habits, counseling, learning, or discipleship structures. It insists that none of those should replace the central reality. God is forming a people whose hearts are being reshaped into the likeness of His Son.
Essential Rhythms and Practices for Growth
Spiritual formation is God's work, but it is not passive. Christians have long practiced habits that open their lives to the Spirit's shaping work. These rhythms do not earn grace. They help us receive it attentively.
A helpful way to think about these practices is through three spheres of life: personal, communal, and missional. Healthy formation usually includes all three. If we neglect one sphere, growth often becomes distorted.
Personal rhythms before God
Some practices are quiet and hidden. They train attention, humility, and dependence.
Scripture reading and meditation helps shape the mind according to God's truth.
Prayer teaches us to bring the whole self before the Lord.
Silence and solitude expose our restlessness and create space for attentiveness.
Fasting trains us to say no to immediate appetite so we can say yes to deeper hunger for God.
Many believers know these practices matter. The challenge is not agreement. The challenge is consistency.
A pastor may prepare sermons every week and still neglect unhurried prayer. A student may read biblical texts for assignments while rarely dwelling in them devotionally. Spiritual formation asks us not only to study Scripture but also to be searched by it.
Communal rhythms in the church
Christian growth is never merely private. God forms us in community.
Worship, confession, fellowship, the Lord's Supper, hospitality, accountability, and shared service all shape the believer. Other Christians help us see our blind spots. They also strengthen us when we are weary.
We usually discover our maturity level in relationships, not in isolation.
This is one reason local churches matter so much. A person may feel patient while alone, but community reveals whether patience is growing. The same is true for forgiveness, gentleness, humility, and love.
Missional rhythms in the world
Formation does not stop at inward peace. It moves outward in love.
Serving others, welcoming strangers, caring for the vulnerable, sharing the gospel, and bearing witness in ordinary work all become places where Christ forms us. Ministry is not just something formed people do later. Ministry is one arena in which God forms us now.
The following teaching may help you think more concretely about these habits in daily life.
The digital challenge to attention
One of the most important formation questions today is not only what practices we add, but what distractions we resist.
A Wesleyan reflection on Christian spiritual formation and modern life notes a significant gap in how many people talk about formation. They commend silence, solitude, and prayer, yet often fail to connect those disciplines to constant multitasking, algorithmic media, and digital distraction. The same piece points out that global social media use remains extremely high, with billions of users spending multiple hours per day on platforms.
That matters spiritually because attention is not neutral. The kind of person you become is shaped in part by what consistently captures your mind.
Here are a few practical responses:
Create device-free prayer space so Scripture and prayer are not constantly interrupted.
Practice deliberate limits on entertainment and scrolling, especially at the start and end of the day.
Recover sustained reading by spending time in longer passages of Scripture rather than only short excerpts.
Choose embodied fellowship with real believers instead of assuming digital religious content can replace the church.
For readers exploring structured training, one option is the academic pathways at The Bible Seminary, where biblical study, ministry preparation, and spiritual formation are taught together rather than as separate concerns.
How The Bible Seminary Trains Hearts and Minds
Many churches and ministry leaders sense the need for deeper formation because activity alone doesn't guarantee maturity. The gap is not imaginary. A LifeWay summary of Brad Waggoner's Spiritual Formation Inventory research, reported in the Baptist Courier's article on spiritual maturity, found that among 2,500 regular Protestant churchgoers surveyed over a year, only 17% scored at or above the level described as a “decent” level of spiritual maturity. The same report noted that only 16% read the Bible daily, 47% admitted they often went through the motions during worship singing and prayer, and only 3.5% showed statistically significant growth one year later.
Those findings should sober us, but they should also clarify the task. Christian leaders need environments where theological education and spiritual maturation belong together.
Formation requires more than academic transfer
A seminary should teach students to interpret Scripture carefully, understand doctrine faithfully, and serve the church wisely. But if education remains only cognitive, students may graduate with sharpened arguments and undernourished souls.
The church needs leaders whose teaching, prayer, endurance, and character are being shaped together.
That's why seminary formation matters in practical terms:
For pastors who need theological depth without neglecting the health of the soul
For worship and ministry leaders who serve publicly while guarding private communion with God
For teachers and disciplers who want biblical truth to shape not only lessons but lives
For bi-vocational servants who need integrated training that speaks to real ministry pressures
What integrated formation looks like
A healthy seminary culture does not treat spiritual formation as a side workshop. It weaves it through study, worship, mentorship, community life, and ministry practice.
At an institutional level, that often means students are invited to do more than pass exams. They learn to read Scripture prayerfully, receive feedback humbly, serve others concretely, and connect theology to local church ministry.
The best ministry training does not separate the mind from the soul. It teaches people to think biblically and live faithfully.
For prospective students, that matters because ministry life can expose whatever has been left unformed. Pressure reveals impatience. Leadership reveals pride. Conflict reveals whether gentleness and self-control are real or merely admired ideals.
For donors and ministry partners, it matters because supporting theological education is also supporting the formation of healthier church leaders.
Why this matters now
We live in a moment that rewards speed, reaction, and visibility. Christian ministry requires a different kind of depth. Leaders must know how to handle Scripture, but they also need the inner stability to endure criticism, resist self-promotion, and care for people with grace.
That kind of maturity rarely appears by accident. It is cultivated over time through biblical truth, the Spirit's work, and communities that take formation seriously.
Frequently Asked Questions About Spiritual Formation
Can spiritual formation happen alone
Not in a full sense. Personal prayer and private Bible reading are essential, but the New Testament assumes believers grow within the body of Christ. Other Christians encourage us, correct us, and help us practice love, patience, forgiveness, and humility in real relationships.
How can I tell whether I'm growing
Growth is not measured only by how much content you know or how active you are in church. Look for signs of increasing Christlike character. Are you becoming more truthful, more teachable, more prayerful, more patient, and more willing to repent? The fruit of the Spirit offers a far better diagnostic than outward busyness.
Is spiritual formation just another word for spiritual disciplines
No. Disciplines are practices. Formation is the deeper transformation God brings through those practices and through the whole Christian life. Prayer, fasting, Scripture reading, worship, and service are not the destination. They are means God often uses.
What if I feel stuck
Many sincere believers feel stuck at times. That doesn't mean growth has stopped forever. It may mean you need honest self-examination, renewed patterns of prayer, wise pastoral care, or a more intentional community. Often, the first step is not dramatic. It is simple faithfulness.
Growth usually looks slower than we want, but deeper than we realize.
What role does the local church play
The local church is central. It is the ordinary place where believers worship, hear the Word, receive the ordinances, practice love, and serve one another. Seminaries can support formation, but they should never replace the church as the primary community of lifelong discipleship.
Your Next Step on the Journey of Formation
Spiritual formation is not religious image management. It is the lifelong, Spirit-led work of becoming more like Jesus from the inside out. That means the question is not whether you know more today than you knew last year. The question is whether Christ is shaping your loves, reactions, habits, and ministry life.
That kind of growth is both theological and practical. It is grounded in Scripture, carried by the Holy Spirit, and tested in community. It also requires honesty. Many believers have learned to perform Christian activity without learning how to abide in Christ.
If you want to reflect further on the kind of work God does beneath the surface, this Expert Author Community post on the work that transforms you, not just your book offers a thoughtful meditation on inner formation and faithful labor. If you're also looking for trusted reading that can support your growth, our guide to best books for spiritual growth is a helpful place to begin.
Wherever you are today, start there. Open Scripture. Pray with sincerity. Rejoin the life of the church with fresh intention. Seek the kind of training that forms both conviction and character.
Explore how The Bible Seminary can help you grow in biblical understanding, spiritual maturity, and ministry readiness as you prepare to serve Christ and His church.