DISCIPLESHIP & FORMATION

Growing in Christ means growing in our love of God and one another. We focus on practices and habits that Christians historically have embraced for their growth.  Taken together, these practices and habits form a "Rule of Life". A Rule of Life brings together Christian disciplines in a holistic and intentional way.

We take a look a look at a different aspect of the Rule of Life each month. The goal is to enter into a spiritual practice more deeply and to let the Holy Spirit form a comprehensive Rule of life in us.  No two Rules look the same -- the Holy Spirit forms and tailors each our of Rules to meet us where we are in each season of life. However, every Rule of Life shares similar aspects.

As you read through the list of practices, some you already engage, and others may be less familiar. Let's press in as individuals and as a community. Let's press in together and experience God's love for us and for the world in deeper ways.

We gather together weekly to worship God and, through His Spirit, re-orient our hearts and lives towards Jesus Christ.  We believe that the gathered worship and participation in the sacraments is the most formative time of our week:  what we do together on Sundays shapes our understanding and experience of all the other moments of our lives. 

We learn together and seek to be mastered and shaped by the Word of God.  We affirm Scripture is living and active, and we desire to understand what it means in our day and age. We offer a variety of classes and seminars that cover a wide-range of topics. Additionally, you can find books,  articles, and music for personal study, and our pastors are available to help you develop your own personal study plan.

We are called by God into a new family, and we embody this reality by meeting with one another, becoming friends and shaping one another into lovers of Jesus Christ. City Groups are the primary space in which adults of all ages and life-stages gather and develop spiritual friendships. Others groups engage more specific relational needs of those in similar life circumstances

Prayer is fundamental to a robust relationship with the living God. In prayer, we bring our joys, thanksgivings, sorrows, and needs to the God who cares for us. In prayer, we spend time listening to God's good words. We encourage prayer that is rooted in Scripture and practiced individually and communally. To help cultivate prayer, we offer periodic retreats and prayer nights, as well as monthly prayer guides for individuals, families and groups.  

We rejoice in the work God gives to us because it is a means for God to bring his redemption to the world, no matter the work. To better share our joys and sorrows of our work, we offer opportunities for people in similar fields to gather, talk and pray. 

After creating all things and his people, God rested.  As an act of faith, we also rest from our work and seek to develop habits of deep rest daily, weekly, monthly and annually. In our life together, we steal away for short periods of time to reflect on our relationship with God, ourselves and others.  Grace Pasadena offers several types of retreats: womens, mens, prayer. 

God blesses us so that we may bless others. We cultivate generosity of money, time and resources for the sake of our common life together and the flourishing of our neighbors, city and world. 

In Genesis, God calls his people to steward creation and to be fruitful. We believe this call involves the good cultivation of creation to bring forth life giving culture in our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, city and world.