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TRANSCRIPT:
Rebecca Trefz: We want to welcome you to the beginning of this Lenten study that we are doing as a cabinet and as a conference. The study is “Spiritual Formation: Studying the Spirit of the Movements” by Henri Nouwen. This week to start off, rather have one of on the cabinet members have an individual message, we thought it would be helpful to have a group conversation. We want to lay the groundwork as to why we chose this study, and our hopes for for you and your congregation. Today, I am joined by the other members of the cabinet: Bob Buedebusch, Joel Winckler, Kris Mutzenberger, and Ben Ingebretson.

Rebecca Trefz: Earlier this fall, as we were talking in our Extended Cabinet, about how to utilize this tool, this way of connecting as an annual conference, we asked, what would be a way to come along side our congregations in a meaningful way that was equipping and encouraging? For us, discipleship and spiritual formation rose to the forefront. This book was recommended.

Rebecca Trefz: Welcome everyone. We are gathered here around the fireplace at Lake Poinsett. As we begin our conversation, let us share a little bit and open it up to that question about discipleship. Thinking in your own lives, what has been an experience of discipleship that has been formational for you?

Bob Ruedebusch: I do remember, one of the things that has been helpful to me are retreats around discipleship, that the annual conference has hosted. I have always taken advantage of those. My first two district superintendents, Ken Voas and Kent Millard, had a prayer retreat. It was a way to begin to form our lives around spiritual discipline. You can’t just rely on sermon preparation to be your spiritual discipline. Often clergy would state, “I am doing my disciplines. I am doing my sermon prep.” I came to realize that within the work of ministry, you really needed a dedicated time of prayer and to grow in other spiritual disciplines.

Ben Ingebretson: I go back to my childhood.  In our household our parents encouraged us to memorize scripture. I didn’t memorize very much. But what I did memorize, I have never forgotten. It is always there as a model for what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. A scripture that says, “If you are going to follow me, you have to be willing to lay down your life,” a very simple scripture. It reminds me that if I am not willing to sacrifice my preferences, I am not being a disciple. Scripture memory has been very powerful for me.

Rebecca Trefz: For me it was Disciple Bible Study. I have actually gone through the Disciple Bible class about seven times now. My first year in seminary, the first time I took the class, they were offering it at the church in Evanston, my roommate and I said, “maybe we should do this?” Everyone said, “you’re insane, to do Disciple Bible study your first year of seminary.” In seminary, you are already reading so much. They were right and they were wrong. It was a lot. There was something about making that commitment and staying committed to that when I had other things to do. It was exhausting to go through 34 weeks of study. But it kept me so grounded. It made the Bible come alive and seeing the big picture of God’s story. Not just seeing snippets that had been quoted to me, or stories I had heard from Sunday School, but the big picture of God’s redemptive love for humanity.  That was transformational for me.

Joel Winckler: For me it was in small groups that I grew the most in discipleship. Being together, with three men and just saying, “we are going to read the Bible together and memorize some scripture, and pray together,” was life giving. We wanted to do life together. I was a part of a singles Bible study group, where I met my wife. We all decided that we want to grow together. That was the heart of discipleship, we had a similar desire. We wanted to grow deeper in our walk with Christ.

Kris Mutzenberger: It is interesting that you would mention disciple. For me, Discipleship Bible study was the one thing. I was a junior and senior in high school when I was invited to the Discipleship Bible Study class. Those folks are still the people that I think about as disciples. The content was awesome. At the time, I couldn’t go to bed, or I couldn’t go to sleep, unless I had read my Discipleship homework. It became a real discipline for me. It is the people and the conversations that stand out. We were a complete intergenerational group. We had teenagers, our pastors from two different generations, we had people who were my mom’s age, as well as my grandma’s age, in the mix.  What was most formational was hearing the stories and how people had grown in faith, and where people were at differently, because of their experiences. That was the most powerful part of that interaction with that group.

Rebecca Trefz: One of the most powerful aspects of the church that we often take for granted is that multigenerational aspect. In our world, where things are often separated into groups by affinity, or age, or likeness, here is this group of people from across the spectrum. How does that form you? Any experiences with that?

Ben Ingebretson: Sometimes discipleship gets thought of as a program. When often, discipleship is a person.  It is a relationship with someone, who intentionally makes space in their life, for you to get close enough to them, and something rubs off. Programs are great but relationship are sometimes more awesome.

Rebecca Trefz: That is a really important thing I hope we continue to wrestle with and sort of shift our mindset towards. When it comes to discipleship we often fall into, as the world does, education or a very organized approach, as opposed to a relational, more organic approach. Discipleship happens as you are going—go and make disciples, on the way. Walk along, talk about it, what might that look like? Especially in our world now, where gathering for safety reasons, or dealing with schedules, it is harder to gather, how do we begin to think of spiritual formation being formed in Christ like character as an ongoing thing?

Bob Ruedebusch: Also, the important piece of learning your own story. My own personal call. Why am I a follower of Jesus? Beginning to know that is why we chose this particular study, to help us in our own spiritual development, so we could share our stories. We can walk alongside each other and be in discipleship with one another.

Rebecca Trefz: The second chapter focuses on prayer. How foundational that is when it comes to spiritual formation, being formed by Christ. For me a transformational experience with prayer is Breakthrough Prayer. It was prayer walking, walking around my community, praying over the houses. Sometimes I knew the people. Sometimes I didn’t. It felt like being a part of what God was doing. What are some experiences for you with prayer as a part of spiritual formation?

Kris Mutzenberger: For me, prayer has shifted all throughout my life. I have found different rhythms throughout life. When you are a younger single person, it is different than when you a mom who has to get their kids up and ready for school. It is more about for me, fitting it into my life, making the space and the time. Taking the time, whether it is in the morning or the evening, the time does not matter, it matters that it happens. I notice when I have neglected or haven’t been as diligent in the prayer, devotional time. Just taking the time to focus on speaking with God is important.

Joel Winckler: It reminds me of the book, “To Busy Not to Pray.” I have to start with pray in my day to get myself settled and centered. I invite and let God work through me throughout the day. I want God to speak to me throughout the day and through prayer. I acknowledge that and welcome the spirit to begin working through me from the very moment I wake up.

Ben Ingebretson: It makes me think of what I aspire to. It is this idea of practicing the presence of God in every moment. Prayer doesn’t have to have a beginning and end. That is a very lofty ideal, but it doesn’t have to that formal. It can be just in the moment. God is in this moment not just in sacred moments.

Bob Ruedebusch: I use the trick that every time you stop at a red light you say a prayer. For me it has become about praying without ceasing. It always felt like you had to do that proper sit-down prayer. The practice of continual presence of God is something we all seek.

Rebecca Trefz: Thank all of you for chiming in. Thank you for joining us. We do hope and pray that this journey through Lent will be a time when you have a chance to sit, to be with God, to allow God to begin to shape some of those things in you and draw you closer to who God is calling you to be. We hope that together that we can share in the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.