When the future is uncertain, moving forward can feel like walking through a thick fog. In these situations, we are faced with a choice – to stay in one place, or to continue in faith. Like so many ministries, the Formación conference continued to mentor student leaders amid a foggy future.
This Formación was unlike any other before. What once was a 10-day conference bringing students together from across Europe expanded into a 10-month online course with lectures and small groups meeting over Zoom.
Many creative elements contributed to a thriving digital learning community of 67 students from 30 countries. But the objectives remained the same. The program encouraged participants to recognize their unique strengths and offered clarity about who God is, how he created them, and for what purpose. They examined their own cultures and how the gospel could answer needs within their unique contexts. And most pertinently, students learned how to lead in the midst of change and uncertainty. As one student expressed,
“Even in critical times, even in the fog, serving God is possible, leading others is possible, preaching the Good News is possible!”
Having just wrapped up the 2020-2021 cohort, the leadership team is assessing how this unusual year may change future Formacións. The new format proved that creating an international digital learning community is possible and has benefits. Pray for the Formación leadership team as they discuss the future of this important conference, and trust God to lead through the fog.
- Praise God for the digital tools he has provided to continue the Formación conference online. Thank him for the cross-cultural relationships among participants which have offered insight and inspiration for their ministries and leadership.
- Pray for the 67 students who have just finished Formación. Pray that they will use what they learned to serve their student groups and campuses.
- Pray for the Formación leadership team as they reflect on this previous cohort and plan for the next conference. Pray that God will give them wisdom to discern the best way to use what they have learned over the past year.