2011-2012 Academic catalog
Community Formation
237
Kentucky campus Welcome to a Life in Community... For 86 years Asbury Seminary has sent forth people of a “different spirit” who have served the Church with a distinction worthy of the Kingdom. One word captures this distinction: holiness. Anchored in the ancient roots of the orthodox, apostolic Church, moored in Evangelical faith and planted firmly in the Wesleyan-Arminian theological tradition, Asbury humbly carries the banner of Holy Love. What happens here has come to be known over the years as “The Asbury Experience.” The Asbury Experience consists of no one thing but the confluence of many things working together in harmony. The Ministry of Community Formation works to nurture formational community everywhere we find it and to help create it everywhere we don’t. The Community Formation team works across all systems of the seminary as stewards of the communal life and spirit, shaping a transformational learning environment and collaborating to catalyze a sense of belonging and an experience of Christian formation among all its members. Community Formation includes all willing participants and aims its mission at all members. Notably at Asbury, this includes the spouses and families of seminary students. To these ends, the work of Community Formation consists of the following aims:
We cultivate a learning environment and experience rich with formational opportunities and resources. The Common Text Project: We practice the means of grace together. Foundationally, this means we read Scripture together. Each semester, the ministry of Community Formation creates and issues a Scripture Reader designed to enrich the spiritual life of the seminary. The chapel: Chapel is a hallmark of our life together as a community. Chapel gathers on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during fall and spring semesters at 11 a.m. in Estes Chapel. Midweek Eucharist is celebrated each week during the Wednesday service. On all other weekdays, Eucharist will be offered in Fletcher Chapel at noon. All community members are encouraged to step into worship roles: Singing Seminarians (chapel choir), communion servers, musicians, liturgists, preachers, etc. New Room small meetings: New Room groups are fashioned after Wesleyan Bands and intended to provide space for shared spiritual practices. These groups are formed by affinity and available to all members of the community. ArTS: Asbury Art and Theological Society, devoted to the development and integration of artistic expression and spiritual formation, provides support networks for community artists. Mentoring classes for women: Formation and leadership classes are offered for women students and spouses in the spring and fall semester. Spouse community: A lively community of spouses meets for mentoring, spiritual growth, friendship and support during the year. Excellent, free child care is provided for all spouse and chapel events. Seedbed Social Media: A cross campus team is collaborating on the creation of a prototype social media platform that will make communication open and intuitive, facilitate shared projects and inspire conferencing around fresh ideas while hosting a multitude of content creators and investors.
We nurture a pastoral Infrastructure offering healing prayer, spiritual direction and a range of pastoral care resources, including counseling support. Pastoral conversations and spiritual direction: Prayerful attention to persons and needs is available by appointment from the Community Formation team. Healing Prayer Academy: Training through conferences, prayer mentoring and practicums open participants to the world of healing ministry.