Our Approach

Our approach to everything we do is grounded in the work of spiritual formation, which we organize around three core relationships.

As a community, we aim to embody our three core relationships: love God, love one another, and love the city—and we believe it is essential to engage in daily practices that support that pursuit. The work of spiritual formation expresses our commitment to nine practices that help us grow as disciples of Jesus.

What is spiritual formation?

Spiritual formation—the process of becoming increasingly devoted disciples of Jesus Christ—is what we believe to be the core task of the church. Because we are always being formed into one kind of person or another through everything we do, it is essential for those who desire to become like Jesus to be intentional about how we might change and grow.

At Redeemer Downtown, we seek to create a culture where people respond to the grace shown to us in Jesus by taking ownership and responsibility for their growth. To do this, engaging in certain practices is critical. These practices are designed to help us see Jesus more clearly. For it is through gazing on him that we are changed from glory unto glory, as explained in 2 Corinthians 3:18.

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Our core relationships inform the practices we embrace.

We believe our daily practices—what we choose to prioritize and do regularly—are the things that form us. Incorporating the nine practices below can help us become people who love the Lord with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and who love our neighbors as ourselves, as the Lord calls us to do in Matthew 22:36-40.

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OUR THREE CORE RELATIONSHIPS:

Nine Practices

  • (7/9) Hospitality & Witness
    is the practice of regularly sharing our lives, resources and time with others, especially those who are different from us, so that they might experience the love and welcome of Christ.
  • (8/9) Compassion & Justice
    is the practicing of walking humbly with God and doing justice out of compassionate love.
  • (9/9) Work & Rest
    is the practice of joining God in the renewal of all things by working with integrity for the common good.

All of us are works in progress when it comes to becoming like Jesus in his character and purposes. Thus, humility and gentleness toward others is always in order. Our spiritual formation model and the accompanying worksheet provides a pathway and diagnostic tool to help us in our growth.

Download worksheet

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