Paul’s writings affirm the importance of the ecology of spiritual formation, but it has been God’s plan from the beginning. Ecology in the physical world reveals the natural order of things grow in the context of community. To say is stronger, nothing grows without the assistance of something outside of itself. Furthermore, “Biological, social, and physical scientists all agree that we live in a universe more akin to a spider’s web or power grid than to telegraph or telephone lines strung between poles.”[1]

God’s original design for human development was ecological as people developed and flourished in the Garden of Eden. Creation grows and it moves in a particular direction. An apple seed grows into a tree with many apples with seeds. All things in nature multiply into something like themselves but into something greater than themselves. The directional growth indicates God’s design to grow together in an intertwined web. Paul writes to the Roman church and reminds them, “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). Stephen and Mary Lowe present five areas God uses to spiritually form the Christian. Lowe shows the five areas of spiritual formation in ecology are moral, social, emotional, intellectual, physical, and spiritual.[2]

The perfect design of ecological spiritual formation was broken by rebellion, but God is still forming people toward His original design. God uses the Church as the epicenter of spiritual formation as it is connected to all other areas of ecology. Paul stated, “in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19, ESV). The body of Christ is God’s plan to reconcile, bringing broken things together, and relationships to God and to other people. In fact, the way God brings healing is through Christians, whom Christ “gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (1 Corinthians 5:18, ESV). The larger implication is that the church is not meant to be relegated to a peripheral position, but it is the source of healing of all relationships. God’s Word is not suggesting people from the church go out and solve social, political, and other relational problems, but that healing can happen as all those areas connect to the church.

The reality is the church has not successfully been the healing entity for the community. Lowe affirms that “the Christian community has yet to formulate a robust theology of networks and ecosystems.”[3] Many churches have tried to heal the community or be the ones who bring the message of reconciliation between God and humans. However, many churches often shift from the mission of the church to accomplishing the goal.

The topic of social justice in the church is a hot-button issue now, but Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert cover the topic in their 2011 book What is the Mission of the Church. They tackle how a church should respond to sin and dysfunction in the world around the church. DeYoung et al, state, “To put this in terms of a principle, generally speaking we would suggest that a local church should tend toward doing those activities and spending its resources on those projects that more directly, rather than less directly, further its central mission.”[4] DeYoung et al, suggest the way the church is Christ’s instrument to reconcile all things by focusing on Christ’s mission for the church. To use an example from ecology, a seed only works on growing into a tree, instead of making sure deer have equitable access to eat the fruit on the tree that will one day grow. The church must focus on the mission Jesus gave it, and the community will reap the benefits while Christ reconciles all things to himself. The way the church grows is together first and then the branches reach the community.

The unity of the mission is the practical way to impact the community. Jesus empowers the church to impact the world, through the Gospel, in an unconventional way. For example, Jesus states, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35, NIV). Jesus gave an ecological growth strategy that directly commanded unity in the church. The church is called to reach the world around them, by being complementary to one another.

Ecology of spiritual formation is the idea that individual Christians mature in the context of the church and its interaction with the surrounding community. In other words, “Thinking ecologically about spiritual growth involves a number of propositions that collectively offer convincing evidence for reframing spiritual growth from an ecological perspective.”[5] The perspective of the Christian must change to think in terms of growing collectively with the church that is reaching out to the community with the good news of Jesus. The prevailing view is that Christians come to church to be “filled” or “fed.” However, this notion is remarkably absent from Scripture, at least in the way this is the goal. Christians with the mission in mind will mutually build each other up in the church. The Thessalonian church is told to “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11, ESV). The author of Hebrews implores the church to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24, ESV). The paradigm shifts from a consumer perspective to being a contributor as the church grows collectively (Colossians 3:16; Proverbs 27:17; Romans 14:19).

[1] Stephen D. Lowe and Mary E. Lowe, Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age: Spiritual Growth through Online Education (Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2018), 11.

[2] Ibid., 18.

[3] Stephen D. Lowe and Mary E. Lowe, Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age: Spiritual Growth through Online Education (Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2018), 207.

[4] Kevin DeYoung and Gilbert, Greg, What Is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission, (Wheaton: Crossway, 2011), 194.

[5] Stephen D. Lowe and Mary E. Lowe, Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age: Spiritual Growth through Online Education (Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2018), 210.