CiM2 Foundational Principals

  1. God is actively engaged in shaping each congregation so that God’s vision for that particular congregation may be revealed and incarnated.
  2. Congregational formation is an ongoing, life-giving process with no easy fixes. There is no one right way to proceed.
  3. Pastors who seek to lead congregations in a creative and transforming way need mutual, covenantal, ongoing and healthy relationships with clergy peers.
  4. When congregations discover and act on the presence of God in the corporate life of the church, there is a net positive effect on the spiritual lives of the members of the congregation. (Corporate spirituality shapes individual spirituality and vice versa.)
  5. Conflict in the congregation can be transformative in a positive way as congregations experience crisis as a time for confirming their identity as the people of God and as a journey to both death and resurrection.
  6. A key role for the pastor is that of a spiritual guide, assisting the whole congregation to discover the presence of God in the corporate life of the church.
  7. It is easier to assist individuals to be open to God’s shaping presence than transform church practices and procedures.
  8. There is great value in helping pastors shape a congregation so that every congregational practice and procedure becomes a means of God’s transforming power.
  9. In order to serve as spiritual guides, pastors must attend to their own spiritual formation, paying attention to the Spirit of God at work in their lives.
  10. Pastors are formed and re-formed in an incarnational way, learning throughout their lives from role models and mentors as well as peers and colleagues.