Spirituality and the Churches
On Becoming Communities of Transformation
Spirituality and the Churches: Beyond Survival Mode
With the foundation of knowledge laid in his first lecture in his course at Fuller on Spirituality and Ministry, Dallas Willard turns to construct a vision of what spirituality actually is. If you want to, you can watch the full lecture here.
He insists on the fundamentally spiritual nature of the human person, who exists, as he says, “at the intersection of two worlds.” This condition demands attention to the unseen, eternal dimension of life under God’s governance.
A Theology of Spiritual Life
In this lecture, Willard begins to articulate a theology of spiritual life as it relates to the nature of the human person and the necessity of spiritual transformation. This theological framework provides directive clarity for pastoral ministry, whose aim, Willard argues, is to aid in the transformation of character.
The lecture draws primarily on two biblical passages: 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 and Romans 8. Both emphasize the inner life over the decaying outer self. Willard reminds his listeners that Christian hope lies in attentiveness to the unseen. Spirituality, then, is not a vague religious sentiment but a rational orientation to the enduring, supernatural presence of God.
Everyone Undergoes Spiritual Formation
One of Willard’s core claims emerges here: every person, regardless of religious affiliation, undergoes spiritual formation. “Hitler had one,” he remarks, “just as Mother Teresa had one.”
This understanding of human nature leads Willard to confront cultural and church distortions of spirituality. Popular slogans such as “I’m spiritual but not religious” have become ways of dismissing the value of the church. Likewise, revival, renewal, and charismatic movements have often substituted emotional experiences for real character transformation. Spirituality movements, revivalism, and even secular twelve-step programs have all failed, he argues, to offer an “overall program for character transformation.”
Spirit as Unbodily Personal Power
As the lecture develops, Willard offers an understanding of human nature grounded in biblical realism. Spirit, he teaches, is “unbodily personal power.” Human beings, as spiritual beings, are not reducible to physical parts. As such, they are capable of thought, intention, choice, and determination.
It is the pastor’s task, Willard insists, to help individuals understand themselves as spiritual beings and to direct them into practices that cultivate transformation into the image of Christ. Pastoral leadership involves confronting false images of the self and guiding people through spiritual disciplines that move beyond the visible realm into the unseen life of the soul.
Something That Makes Surviving Worthwhile
In the lecture’s conclusion, Willard urges churches to rediscover their calling as communities of transformation. Too many churches, he argues, have adopted a survivalist mentality, focusing on financial stability and institutional maintenance rather than spiritual formation.
What is needed, he says, is “something that makes surviving worthwhile.” The Church’s mission must transcend institutional longevity and aim at the spiritual transformation of souls into the likeness of the immortal Christ. This is where the pastoral vocation finds its truest meaning: in cultivating a context where apprenticeship to Jesus becomes the organizing principle of church life.
The Pastoral Task
In this lecture, Willard deepens what I’m calling the Willardian pastoral paradigm by situating the pastoral task within a realistic understanding of human nature. He reminds pastors and ministry leaders that they are responsible for communication of spiritual reality, called and equipped to help others understand and live into their spiritual identity in communion with the God who is Spirit.
Questions for Reflection
How would you describe your own spiritual formation right now? Into what image are you being shaped?
Does your church community prioritize institutional survival or spiritual transformation? What evidence supports your answer?
What would change in your life if you truly understood yourself as a spiritual being at the intersection of two worlds?
What practices or structures in your church actually facilitate character transformation rather than just religious activity?