The Formed Conference

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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 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.

the formed FT WORTH GALLERY

the formed FT WORTH sessions

Rev hans boersma
Silence and Solitude in an Age of Ubiquitous Noise

While there are many goods from modern technology, we must also assess the ways it has dehumanized and disconnected us from each other and from God. Drawing from his work on lectio divina, Dr. Boersma will reflect on the nature of God as silence and on our cultural insistence on noise, along with the need for Christian practices of meditation and listening to enter into the silence of God.

We’re Not Crazy and are in Good Company

Do you sometimes feel as if you are the only one in your circle of relationships raising both the questions and the objections we are discussing here?  Good news:  You are NOT alone!  Here are eight theses, which are not in any way new, but rather a distillation of the Great tradition, the mind of whole church at all times and in all places.

Canon phil ashey
Engaging the Culture with Biblical Truth

Where are we in the great story?  We are much closer to Babylon than to Jerusalem.  What can we learn from those who faced exile in a strange and foreign land hostile to the truth of God’s word?  What principles can we learn from the lives of Daniel, his three companions, Esther and Mordechai that we can translate into engaging our culture with biblical truth, in word and in deed?

How to Commend the Truth and Courageously Engage Others Using the Daniel Declaration

The Daniel Declaration reflects our desire to help grow courageous and resilient leadership in the Church today. This restatement of the faith summarizes the social and cultural issues currently affecting the Church, an orthodox and Anglican response in light of those issues, and a commitment to biblical-faithfulness and the faith once delivered to the saints. Learn how leaders and churches can get involved and help others walk through these struggles in the way that Daniel walked in Babylon.

Read the Daniel Declaration here!

dr adam macleod
Framing the Questions; Biblical Metanarrative

In the post-Modern, post-Christian culture in which we live, we are bombarded with many answers—but do we know how to ask the right questions? And to those questions worth asking, how does the Biblical story of God’s good creation, human rebellion (the fall), redemption and the restoration of all things in and through Christ alone help us to answer those questions?

RICH BAKER
The Fall: Idolatry, Autonomy, and Recovering our Identity in Christ

What is our identity in Christ?  Speaking of the Fall and our identity in Christ, W. Phillips wrote: “While the choice to “take and eat” ultimately plunged mankind into the darkness of death, by offering Himself as a sacrifice on the cross the Son of God freely provided new life for us if we will but “take and eat.” 

However, identity, as seen through the lens of Critical Theory, is something far different and has become the focal point for postmodern culture.  With its spill over into the broad culture, the question of identity is having a tremendous impact on the Church and its understanding of mission. The first chapters of Genesis are of critical importance in understanding why Critical Theory is not critical enough and therein recovering a Biblical understanding of our identity in Christ.

What our participants say

"The formed conference was a unique opportunity for clergy to come together and wrestle through pressing issues affecting the church. Learning about our history as Anglicans and listening to elder statesmen in the faith was a great blessing for us younger clergy striving to walk faithfully in these confusing times."
The Rev. philip hanner
Rector, Anglican Church of the Redeemer, Chattanooga, TN
“We need to speak truth to people, to help lead and guide them where they are, but also to point them to Christ through the Scriptures. We have to know that the Word does not return void, and this conference helps remind us of that.”
Janie williams
Church Planter,
Anglican Diocese of the South, Jackson, TN
“This conference has an eye towards helping clergy and parishioners face the challenges of this cultural moment. What are the resources we have that can address these issues in the Anglican tradition? This panel helped us tap into those resources, and we heard from great thinkers address those very issues pastorally and intellectually. It’s a great gift for all of us.”
The rev. andrew thebeau
Rector, Sts. Peter & Paul Anglican Church, Arlington, TX
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!