The Formed Conference
Frustrated by the state of our culture?
want answers about what's really going on?
Want to know how to engage your community with the truth?
our NEXT formed conference: Phoenix, AZ
February 2-3, 2024
Christ Church Anglican
Phoenix, AZ
WHAT IS FORMED?
All human beings have a story to tell. The post-Christian culture in the West tells a story of chaos and uncertainty, casting a haze of confusion over topics ranging from sex to liberty to race and more. The Formed Conference will foster discussion on these critical matters, teach new perspectives to age-old problems, and equip Christians to tell the true and better story of the Gospel in the context we now face.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN EACH DAY OF FORMED?
Pre-Formed | Friday, February 2, 9 AM – 12 PM
The Pre-Formed Conference will occur on Friday morning and will feature talks from Phil Ashey, President of the American Anglican Council, a panel discussion with ACNA clergy, and an opportunity to discuss resilient ministry during cultural crisis in breakout groups. Though this time will primarily be aimed toward clergy, all who register are welcome to attend this free precursor to the Formed Conference.
Formed, Day 1 | Friday, February 2, 5 PM – 8:30 PM
The first evening of our Formed Conference will set the tone for the weekend, with an introductory talk by the Rev. Canon Phil Ashey on the true and better story of the Gospel. We will also have the opportunity to enjoy a fabulous dinner, worship together, hear a panel of fantastic speakers, and continue our conversations over dessert on the lawn.
Formed, Day 2 | Saturday, February 3, 8 AM – 5 PM
The second day of Formed is an all-day event. The morning will feature lectures and Q&A with our esteemed keynote speaker, Dr. Micah Watson. After we break for lunch, the afternoon will offer opportunities to go deeper with our breakout speakers. We will close our time together with Holy Eucharist, led by Bishop Keith Andrews.
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?
- Registration opens on Thursday, September 14, 2023. Use the promo code FORMEDCLERGY for a 50% discount on your ticket!
- Tell your parish! We hope that Formed can be a blessing to the entirety of the Diocese of Western Anglicans. As such, we want you to come and bring your folks with you!
- Questions? E-mail us at formed.conference@gmail.com.
- Pray for us as we plan, for our speakers as they prepare, and for a mighty outpouring of the Spirit to rest upon us as we strive to tell the true and better story of the Gospel to a broken world.
the formed PHOENIX sessions
DR. micah watson
Hopeful Realism: The Bible, Politics, & Natural Law
As Christians we follow our Lord who told us he is the way, the truth, and the life. And yet we live in a world with many conflicting ways, contested truths (and perspectives!) and diverse ways of life. In this lecture we will consider the resources God has given us in his word and in his world, such that we can aspire to live out our convictions while loving our neighbors who often see things differently.
Hopeful Realism Applied: Two Case Studies
Thinking about Christian convictions and natural law principles is important, but we need to consider practice and not just theory. In this lecture we’ll apply the principles and ideas in the first lecture to two “live” contemporary policy issues.
ABOUT DR. WATSON:
Our keynote speaker, Dr. Micah J. Watson (Ph.D., Princeton University), comes to us from Calvin University, where he serves as the Executive Director of the Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics. Dr. Watson is also the co-author of the esteemed work, C.S. Lewis on Politics and the Natural Law.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
The Rev. CN. Phil Ashey
What is the Daniel Declaration and Its Call to Mission?
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
The Rev. Noel Collins
Cross-Cultural Engagement
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
DR. sEAN MCGEVER
The Resilient Gospel that Gen Z Needs
our latest formed conference
The purpose of the Formed Conference is to build on the Daniel Declaration: A Call to Mission, A Place to Stand. The Daniel Declaration brings clarity out of the confusion that we find in a North American culture that is closer now to Babylon than to Jerusalem. The culture challenges Christians to find new ways to present the transforming love of Jesus Christ at a time when humans in the West worship themselves as autonomous individuals untethered from any objective moral standards. Facing these challenges well requires faithfulness, resilience, and a strength of character shared by the prophet Daniel when he and his people were in exile.
All the Formed sessions focused on different aspects of culture that have devolved into a chaotic norm for many in the West, from sex to liberty to race and more. Professor Adam MacLeod addressed how the biblical story of God’s good creation, human rebellion (the fall), redemption, and the restoration of all things in and through Christ alone helps us answer the philosophical questions that are being asked, and are worth asking, by anyone in search of identity and purpose. Rich Baker addressed the roots of our fallenness today, the idolatry of the self, and how we can recover a more grounded identity outside of ourselves in Jesus Christ. Dr. Hans Boersma, in his first talk, spoke from the Great Tradition on how we can recover the ability to hear God personally and corporately in a culture of relentless noise and distraction through contemplative silence. In his second talk, he reminded us that we are in good company with the Great Tradition through eight theses on human sexuality despite what the prevailing culture says about sex and sexuality. Canon Phil Ashey then focused on the practical application of biblical principles to engage the culture as Daniel and his companions did. He asserted that we need to become a different kind of people willing not only to stand up but also to stand out for Jesus Christ.
Panel discussions followed each session, and audience members were able to ask additional questions to deepen understanding of each topic. Breakout workshops included presentations by the Rev. Cn. Georgette Forney of Anglicans for Life, Creation Care in the Anglican tradition by the Rev. Andrew Thebeau, and the Daniel Declaration by Canon Phil. The entire event was hosted by the Rev. Jacob Worley and the amazing ministry team from St. Andrew’s Church in downtown Ft. Worth. The Rt. Rev. Ryan Reed, bishop of the Diocese of Ft. Worth, also celebrated Holy Communion for all those in attendance.
Formed is a conference to foster discussion, teach new perspectives to age-old problems, and equip young lay and clergy leaders for mission in the context we now face. It presents the questions we need to address as we present the transforming love of Jesus to those around us, and it clarifies the answers we need to give to those asking the most important questions in life. Our hope is to hold annual, regional Formed conferences across North America where participants have the opportunity to read, mark, learn, inwardly digest, and share the Daniel Declaration to engage Western culture for the sake of mission.
Stay tuned to this page in the coming weeks for more photos and videos of each session.
What our participants say
Anglican Diocese of the South, Jackson, TN
Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. - 1 corinthians 16:13-14
Want to host a Formed Conference at your Church? Need more information? Contact the Rev. Canon Mark Eldredge today!