How does contemplation connect to spiritual formation?

If you’ve been around church life long enough, you’ve probably heard the phrase spiritual formation or faith formation. It usually shows up in the context of Bible studies, discipleship classes, or programs that help us grow in our knowledge of the faith. These things matter. Learning more about scripture, serving others, and worshiping regularly are all essential. But spiritual formation is about something deeper than information or activity. At its heart, formation is about being transformed into the likeness of Christ for the sake of others.

And that’s where contemplation comes in.

Contemplation often feels mysterious or even intimidating. The word conjures up images of monks in monasteries or mystics living far removed from ordinary life. But in truth, contemplation is simply about slowing down to pay attention to God’s presence, already in and among us. It’s about opening our lives, not just our minds, to God. And it is absolutely central to the process of spiritual formation.

Why Contemplation Matters for Growth

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 12:2 not to be conformed to the world, but to “be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” Notice he doesn’t say achieve transformation through more effort. He speaks of being renewed, a process that God accomplishes in us as we surrender.

Contemplation is the way we practice that surrender, becoming ever more aware of the union with Christ that is already ours. It helps us shift from striving and producing to receiving and abiding. Jesus paints this picture vividly in John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit.” Formation is not about trying harder but about abiding more deeply.

When we spend time in silence, when we meditate slowly on Scripture, or when we sit in prayer beyond words, we are learning how to abide. And over time, this kind of abiding changes us. Our hearts soften, our patience grows, and our generosity increases.

The Tradition Behind Contemplation

Christians throughout history have understood that spiritual growth requires contemplation. The desert fathers and mothers in the early centuries left the cities not to escape the world, but to learn how to live attuned to God’s presence. St. Augustine spoke of the interior journey, the turning inward to find God dwelling within. Teresa of Ávila described the soul as an “interior castle,” with prayer and contemplation drawing us room by room closer to the center where Christ dwells.

Even in Anglican tradition, this contemplative thread runs deep. The Book of Common Prayer provides rhythms of daily prayer that create space to pause, listen, and be present to God. These are based on the early Benedictine rhythms of prayer that were foundational to living contemplatively. The beauty of liturgy is not just in its words but in the way it slows us down, training us to notice God’s presence.

In other words, contemplation is not a new fad. It is the Church recovering its ancient way of life.

Insights From My Research

In my doctoral research, I explored how congregations might recover this contemplative way in their own contexts. I studied three Episcopal churches that were intentionally cultivating contemplative practice in their communities. Through interviews, observation, and theological reflection, I found a consistent truth: spiritual formation cannot be sustained without contemplation.

Programs may inform, but they rarely transform. Transformation happened when people made space for God together. For example, one congregation began adding a few minutes of silence into their worship services. Members later described those moments as life-changing, spaces where they encountered God’s peace in ways they never had before. Another congregation offered regular opportunities for centering prayer, and participants shared how those rhythms spilled over into their daily lives, shaping the way they worked and served.

What I found was that individuals grew not just in private prayer but in resilience and mission when their congregations supported contemplative rhythms. Contemplation was not an escape from the world; it prepared people to engage the world more deeply.

Why Busyness Isn’t Formation

One of the greatest challenges facing the Church today is that we confuse activity with formation. We think that if we just attend one more class, sign up for another ministry, or volunteer at every opportunity, we’ll be more “spiritual.” But often we find ourselves exhausted, not renewed.

Contemplation teaches us that less is sometimes more. A few minutes of silence before God may do more to transform our hearts than hours of busyness. Spiritual formation requires margin, not just movement.

As Richard Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline, once wrote, “Superficiality is the curse of our age.” Contemplation is the antidote to superficiality. It roots us in the deep well of God’s presence so that everything else—our service, our relationships, our witness—flows from that depth.

How to Begin

The contemplative life doesn’t require hours a day or special training to begin. Here are a few simple entry points:

• Start with silence. Try sitting for five minutes at the beginning or end of your day, simply breathing and becoming aware of God’s presence.

• Pray Scripture. Choose a short passage, like a Psalm or a verse from the Gospels. Read it slowly several times, listening for what word or phrase God is impressing on your heart.

• Integrate stillness into worship. If your church service doesn’t already include silence, try pausing yourself during prayer or after communion, letting those moments deepen into contemplation.

• Find a companion. Consider inviting a friend to journey with you, checking in on how God is speaking through these practices.

  
  

These small practices can become the seeds of transformation, especially when they are woven into the rhythms of your community.

An Invitation

Spiritual formation is not about becoming busier Christians but about becoming deeper Christians. Contemplation is the path that takes us there. It slows us down so we can be present to the God who is already present to us.

If your faith has felt shallow or hurried, consider this an invitation to pause, breathe, and rediscover the God who meets you in silence. Formation begins not in what we do for God, but in what God does in us when we make space to participate with God’s work in us.

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1- Teresa of Ávila, The Interior Castle (1577).

2 -Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline (HarperOne, 2018). Quote: “Superficiality is the curse of our age.”