Throughout the last several decades, Evangelical Christianity has been characterized by a series of movements, each born out of a reaction to the one before. When certain individuals began to feel that evangelicalism had become incompatible with the true heart and intention of God for the church, they reacted accordingly. Unfortunately, many of these movements have been marked by overreaction, and few have been successful in finding an adequate balance. As a result, the momentum of each movement would begin to wane, and the overreactions would become a reason for the next group to react against them. Thus, we ended up in a perpetual cycle of reaction.

As we scan the horizon of the evangelical world, it is clear that a different kind of movement is taking shape. This movement is not bound by denomination, generation, or geographic boundaries. It is made up of a growing number of Christians who cannot for the life of them find the “streams of living water”. This new tide in evangelicalism is characterized by a people who are grasping for the roots of the Christian faith, desiring to incorporate authentic faith and everyday life. This shift in thinking is known as “spiritual formation.”

It is our belief that spiritual formation transcends the cycle of reaction within evangelicalism. It is not simply a programmatic or ideological shift, nor is it a new concept – though it may seem new to many in the evangelical world. In fact, the concept of spiritual formation has been taught and contemplated throughout church history by the Apostle Paul, St. John of the Cross, and Jonathan Edwards.

Metamorpha exists because we believe that spiritual formation is the Christian life, not just another movement. We believe that the questions and answers brought about by spiritual formation contain within them what has been missing in the church and in Christian devotion. Yet, in order for these ideas to truly take hold, we believe that they must be integrated into the life of the local church. Spiritual formation must become a part of the DNA of the church, no matter its background, denomination, or affiliation. Metamorpha is committed to seeing spiritual formation become the way that evangelicals perceive the Christian life because, from the beginning, we were called into a journey of loving relationship with God.