Formed Assessment 

A curated spiritual path for your formation journey with Jesus.

Step 1

 

Take the FORMED assessment and receive your results via email.

Step 2:

 

Review results, and find a spiritual mentor, friend, or CORE to help utilize our curated options to help with each growth area while celebrating strength areas..

Step 3

 

Become more like Jesus each day.

About the Assessment

Following Jesus is a daily task require all of us. Each day offers new obstacles, joys, and moments of worship while also asking us to deny ourselves and take up our crosses. There is no simple formula for spiritual formation, nor is the end on this side of heaven. However, Jesus is clear we must run the race with endurance, with a plan, and with others. The goal of this assessment is to give you a personal and clear diagnostic and check-in with yourself and how you soul is abiding and forming into Jesus each day. No assessment is perfect, but the aim of this one is to give you 10 categories we find ourselves leaning into when it comes to abiding in Jesus and formation to him. The 150 question assessment gives you the opportunity to see where you are flourishing, and also areas to grow in. Every seasons brings different challenges, and that is why this assessment should be taken every few years to reevaluate where we are seeing ourselves in our journey. This assessment does not compare you to others, or assuming anything you should/shouldn’t be doing.

This assessment does work best when its shared in community. You will find the most growth and celebration when you invite others into your results, and your curated plan for spiritual formation.

Resources

Each category comes from the assessment and has three aspects of holistical spiritual formation for your soul. We have simplified the soul to have three aspects:

  1. the “heart” (right-brain) best cultivated through —> reflection

  2. the “head” (left-brain) —> teachings

  3. the “hands” (action) —> practices

All three of these, when placed into a spiritual plan/rule of life, allows us to place an intention of means behind the vision God has given us for our lives and formation to Jesus. The goal is not to do every possible thing, but to slowly add aspects and disciplines to our journey which promote a deeper sense of abiding and formation to Jesus.

A few resources that are helpful for formation that are applicable to all/many categories are:

  • Celebration of Discipline - Foster

  • Invitation to a Journey - Mulholland

  • The Holy Longing - Rolheiser

  • Sacred Fire - Rolheiser

  • The Soul of Desire - Thompson

  • The Sacred Way - Jones

  • Spiritual Disciplines Handbook - Calhoun

Abiding | Making ourselves at home with Jesus

Abiding is our general word for your relationship with Jesus. Abiding, or remaining, or “making yourself at home” in Jesus is the language seen in John 15 when describing our relationship and connection with Jesus. Abiding then is evaluating the intimacy and strength of the relationship. Coupled with abiding is prayer–which is the central component of intimacy with Jesus and our relational glue. Abiding is the determinant for the rest of the categories as it relates to our souls’ becoming formed into the image of Jesus.

 

    • Prayer of Examen (video helps explain the practice)

    • Journal your prayers and God’s voice

    • Spend time listening to God’s voice

    • Meditation (see Celebration of Discipline)

    • Use the Meno 40 day Journal.

    • Lectio 365 App

    • Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools - Staton

    • Any of the Every Moment Holy books

    • Practicing the Way - Comer

    • How to Pray - Greig

    • What If Jesus Was Serious About Prayer? - Jethani

    • Invitation to Solitude and Silence - Barton

    • The Only Necessary Thing - Nouwen

    • Liturgy of the Ordinary -Harris Warren

    • Seeking God’s Face Daily Prayers - Reinders

    • The Being Formed Podcast with Adam Ormond

    • Slow Theology Podcast with A.J. Swoboda and Nijay Gupta

    • A Guidebook to Prayer (24 Ways to Walk with God) -Morse

    • Being with God - Sherrill

    • Read John 15 and meditate on it

    • Practice 5-10 non-verbal gratitude moments each day

    • Go on a prayer walk (or use a prayer labyrinth)

    • Try doing 5-10 mins of daily breath prayers (Jesus prayer)

    • Take an hour in the prayer room

    • Practice gratitude prayer

    • Petition God with your needs

    • Intercede for others

    • Pray through a psalm

    • Worship with music

    • Practice contemplative prayer

    • Pray at set times throughout the day (The Daily Office)

    • Take a longer time of quiet prayer

    • Fasting (see Celebration of Discipline)

    • Set an alarm for 3-6 times per day (for example: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, and 9pm) and take that time to pray The Lord’s Prayer for a week

    • Read a Psalm and paint or draw your emotions in response

    • Soul Space App

    • Light a candle while you pray or read your Bible to remind yourself that God is with you

    • 30 Days of Christian Yoga

 

Your Past | Going back in order to go forward

The goal of addressing your past in relation to your formation comes from the truth Pete Scazzero once coined as “ going back in order to go forward.” Being aware of not only what happened in your past, but processing through where it has you now, and where it could take you is crucial for walking in a healthy path of formation and interpersonal relationships. 

Your past includes anything relating to what you did, what was done to you, and how you have handled it.

 

    • Emotionally Healthy Spirituality - Pete Scazzaro

    • Boundaries for Your Soul - Alison Cook

    • What Happened to You? - Oprah

    • Redeeming Heartache - Dan Allender

    • Gentle and Lowly - Dane Ortlund

    • Broken to Beloved Podcast with Brian Lee

    • Try Softer (book and workbook) - Kolber

    • Being Known Podcast with Curt Thompson (good on it’s own but each season focuses on one of his books— an

      excellent companion if reading his books)

    • The Soul of Shame -Thompson

    • The Soul of Desire - Thompson

    • The Deepest Place - Thompson

    • The Lord is My Courage - Ramsey

    • Abba’s Child - Manning

    • The Ragamuffin Gospel - Manning

    • Start visiting a therapist/counselor to navigate past trauma.

      • Recommended therapists: Cornerstone, Live Wellness.

    • See a spiritual director to navigate the intersection of your past and where you want to go with God.

      • Reach out for a list of recommended spiritual directors

    • Map out a genogram and share it with a trusted friend to talk through generational sin, curse, and blessing.

    • Engage in inner-healing prayer

    • Make amends in your past with those whom you deem would be appropriate and helpful for you AND them.

 

RELATIONSHIPS | Loving god by loving others

This category navigates relationships in your life, specifically social (friends, co-workers, church members, etc). The importance of relationships as it relates to formation is exactly what Jesus was getting at when he combined the Shema with neighbor love as the greatest commandment. You love God by loving his people. You love his people by loving him. The two are mutually exclusive and are two sides of the same coin. Therefore, reflecting on your relationships can prove an important aspect of determining your formation growth.

*Romantic and nuclear family relationships will be addressed further down based on your contextual situation.

 

    • Identify boundaries which you have upheld in relationships which you believe have been beneficial– then process the need for any future boundaries.

    • Reflect on 3-5 of the most impactful people in your life. Process what made them so impactful, and what you have learned from them.

    • Take a “relationship inventory” in which you write down your closest relationships and the current health of them. Why are they healthy or are not healthy? What could be done to foster greater health and intimacy?

    • When People are Big and God is Small - Welch

    • The Other Half of Church - Hendricks

    • No Longer Strangers - Coles

    • Life Together - Bonhoeffer

    • Bible Project Shema Series

    • People Fuel - Townsend

    • Fighting for Heart - Murray

    • The Joy Switch - Coursey

    • Ask someone who knows you best, whom you trust and ask for feedback about your health in relationships.

    • Bring some of your relationship issues to a counselor or spiritual director

    • Get together with a close friend

    • Host or attend a community prayer night

    • Confession (see Celebration of Discipline)

    • Go find a creative way to serve a friend/neighbor

    • Write a card of encouragement to someone in your life whom you value.

 

Hospitality | Helping the stranger become known

Hospitality is more than just welcoming people into our spaces—it’s about making room for others. When we practice hospitality, we reflect the heart of God, who invites us into relationship with Him. True hospitality shapes our spiritual formation by teaching us to love like Jesus, to embrace those who feel unseen, and to create spaces where people can encounter His grace. It stretches us beyond comfort and convenience, forming us into a people of radical generosity and belonging.

 

    • Take some time to think about the most hospitable people you know. Make a list of their characteristics you’d like to emulate.

    • Pray for Jesus to give you opportunities to share your spaces and boldness to say yes even when you don’t want to.

    • Host or attend a Sabbath feast or celebration

    • Have one new person/family over every month

    • Ask to “shadow” a family that is doing hospitality well

 

MISSIONAL LIVING | LEVERAGING YOUR SPHERES FOR JESUS’ MINISTRY

Missional living is when we step into God’s mission, growing in faith, love, and dependence on Him. Sharing the hope of Jesus with others stretches us beyond self-centered living and deepens our understanding of His heart for the world. Missional living shapes our spiritual formation by aligning our lives with God’s greater story, teaching us to see and serve others the way Jesus does.

 

    • Pray intentionally for 30 days for a specific person in your life to come to know Jesus.

    • Take time to think about your experience with the Gospel and why it has been good news for you.

    • Tangible Kingdom - Halter

    • Reimagining Evangelism - Richardson

    • In the Name of Jesus - Nouwen

    • Gospel Fluency - Vanderstelt

    • The Art of Neighboring -Pathek

    • The Six Conversations -Holleman

    • The Patient Ferment of the Early Church - Kreider

    • Draw a map of 8 boxes around your house (apartment), and write down the names of each person/one fact about them.

    • Start small—look your (literal) neighbors in the eye and smile, pet their dog, ask their kid’s

      names, get to know the people who live around you, and when you see needs, meet those needs

      if you are ablePrayer walk around your neighborhood.

    • Find a “third space” where you can intentionally have spiritual conversations with people who don’t know Jesus.

    • Join an MC and commit to bringing a new person.

    • Look for tangible ways to bless others (co-workers, classmates, the mailman) throughout your

      day

    • Buy coffee for the person behind you in the drive-thru line

 

Serving | using our gifts for the church and world

Serving isn’t just about filling a need—it’s about being shaped into the image of Christ. When we serve others and the church, we step into the posture of Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve. Serving stretches our hearts, teaches us humility, and deepens our love for God and His people. It moves us from spectators to active participants in His kingdom, forming us into people who reflect His love in tangible ways.

 

    • Reflect on a time when someone served you and how that felt

    • Take intentional time to think/pray through your schedule and find space(s) you could be serving others

    • Reflect on the ways that Jesus served others and think about ways you could try those in your life

    • Submission (see Celebration of Discipline)

    • Service (see Celebration of Discipline)

    • Join a service team in the local church

    • Sign up for a meal train

    • Offer to help someone move

    • Go on a global impact short term trip

    • Sponsor a Student at Promised Land ministries

    • Volunteer with one of our local impact partners

 

Vocation | using your voice to make the world more kingdom-like

Our work isn’t just what we do—it’s a key part of how God shapes us. Whether in an office, a classroom, a home, or anywhere in between, our vocation is a space where God refines our character, deepens our faith, and uses us for His kingdom. When we see our work as an extension of our calling, it transforms mundane tasks into acts of worship and impact. Spiritual formation happens when we invite God into our daily work and seek to glorify Him in all we do.

 

    • Spend time with God reflecting on the list found in Garden City

    • Reflect on how Jesus is asking you to use your vocation to have a kingdom presence

    • Spend time intentionally for a certain period of time asking Jesus to reveal clarity/direction in your vocation

    • Garden City - Comer

    • The Gift of Being Yourself - Benner

    • A Long Obedience In The Same Direction - Peterson

    • The Bible Project “Image of God” podcast series – (Feb 18, 2016, February 29, 2016, March 12, 2016, May 4, 2016)

    • Guidance (see Celebration of Discipline)

    • Take Strengthsfinder to determine where your strengths lie.

    • Ask a mentor/respected leader about their insight into your vocation.

 

Pace | walking at the speed of love

In a world that glorifies busyness, God invites us to a different rhythm—one of rest, reflection, and dependence on Him. When we slow down, we create space to hear His voice, to be present with others, and to allow His Spirit to shape us. The pace of our lives directly impacts the depth of our formation.

 

    • Sit in stillness and silence with God, reflecting on his love for you regardless of your output.

    • Reflect upon the pace and speed of love by Jesus.

    • Ruthless Elimination of Hurry - Comer

    • The Bible Project: Sabbath

    • Sacred Rhythms - Barton

    • The Rest of God - Buchanan

    • Subversive Sabbath - Swodoba

    • Sabbath - Heschel

    • In Good Time - Michel

    • Three Mile An Hour God - Koyama

    • You’re Only Human - Kapic

    • Keeping the Sabbath Wholly - Dawn

    • Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now - Brueggemann

    • Into the Silent Land - Laird

    • Spend time in the quiet

    • Observe a 24-hour Sabbath

    • Go on a day or weekend retreat

    • Take a long annual vacation

    • Go on a sabbatical

    • Observe a digital Sabbath (powering off your phone and/or devices for a day)

    • Set aside time to enjoy beautiful things (poetry, art, nature, music)

    • Fasting (see Celebration of Discipline)

    • Read Matthew 6 and then go on a walk and pay attention to the different types of birds and

      flowers that you hear and see

    • Spend time outside in nature—metro parks are a great resource in Columbus!

    • Listen to Paul Zach’s Field Recording Album

    • Take a nap

    • Begin or end your sabbath with a feast with friends – literally tasting the goodness of the Lord in

      the land of the living

    • Read a Wendell Berry Novel (all are great, but Jayber Crow is a great place to start)

    • Paint, draw, write a poem

    • Go to the Columbus Art Museum (it’s free on Sundays!)

 

finances | stewardship and generosity of what god has given us

How we handle our finances reveals what we trust in and what we value. Jesus spoke often about money because He knew it had the power to shape our hearts—for better or worse. When we steward our resources with generosity, gratitude, and wisdom, we align our lives with God’s kingdom rather than the world’s priorities. Financial faithfulness teaches us dependence on God, contentment in all circumstances, and a heart that gives rather than clings.

 
 

Singleness | a gift for the sake of the kingdom

Singleness is not just a season to endure—it’s a sacred space for spiritual growth. In singleness, we have a unique opportunity to deepen our dependence on God, cultivate meaningful community, and live with undivided devotion to His mission. Rather than waiting for the “next stage” of life, we are invited to embrace this moment as a time of formation, purpose, and flourishing.

 

    • Reflect on your schedule/time— ask Jesus how you can use your free time do more kingdom work or if you need to be doing less

    • Ask Jesus to reveal the ways that he’s working in your life, even if you are praying/longing for something different

    • Think about the ways that you say “no” for other people instead of actually asking/inviting them into your life or spaces

    • Take space to grieve unmet expectations/dreams and invite Jesus into it with you

    • Solo Planet - Broadway

    • The Mingling of Souls - Chandler (for those wanting to pursue a relationship)

    • No Longer Strangers - Coles

    • 7 Myths about Singleness - Allberry

    • Rethinking Sexuality - Slattery

    • Finding Freedom in Constraint -Boyd

    • Washed and Waiting - Hill

    • The Meaning of Singleness: Retrieving an Eschatological Vision for the Contemporary Church - Treweek

    • Create a gratitude list

    • Invite a family or married couple over to your house or offer to bring dinner to them

    • Attend a sporting event, school concert or other activity with a family for their child

    • Find something you’re passionate about and reallocate some of your time into serving in that area

    • Take a Bible Project Classroom class

 

DATING/ENGAGED | PREPARING FOR A LIFELONG COVENANT

How we date shapes our character, teaching us patience, selflessness, and the importance of pursuing relationships with wisdom and intentionality. When we invite God into our dating/engaged lives, we allow Him to use this season to refine us, grow us, and prepare us to love others well. Are you approaching dating/engagement in a way that draws you closer to Jesus?

 

    • Reflect on your relationship with a spirit of gratitude and thankfulness for the other person

    • Interview a couple that has been married for 5 years, 10, years, and 20 years, and 30 years and ask them what they wish they would have known when they were engaged

    • Spend time asking Jesus how you and your significant other can serve together or reallocate your time to create more spaces for this

    • Boundless podcast

    • The Meaning of Marriage - Keller

    • Rethinking Sexuality - Slattery

    • 101 Questions to Ask Before You Get Engaged - Wright

    • Unwanted - Stringer

    • Offer to babysit for a married couple with kids

    • Pray together at specific times (even if it’s weird at first!)

    • Start prioritizing and practicing Sabbath together

    • Go on a missions trip or serve somewhere together

 

Marriage | living out a daily gospel-showcase of Jesus’ love

Marriage is more than a partnership—it’s a sacred space where God shapes us to love like Jesus. In the daily rhythms of marriage, we learn sacrifice, grace, and the beauty of covenant faithfulness. It challenges our selfishness, refines our character, and teaches us to serve and forgive as Christ does. When we see marriage as a tool for spiritual formation rather than just personal fulfillment, we allow God to use it to make us more like Him.

 

    • Pray through the marriage liturgies in Every Moment Holy V. 1

    • Pray together every day (even if it’s weird at first)

    • Reflect on how you can serve your spouse

    • Sacred Marriage - Gary Thomas

    • The Great Sex Rescue - Gregoire

    • Pray with your family or community

    • See a marriage coach together

    • Keep a list of your spouse’s favorite things on your phone

    • Monthly date, weekly if you’re feeling overly ambitious (get creative; it could be an hour

      breakfast date in the morning before kids wake up)

    • Have a weekly business meeting (15-30 minutes) to talk through the week and get on the same page

    • Play together! Have fun! Laugh! It’s SO important!

    • Invite a single person to spend a holiday with your family

 

parenting | raising God’s children in the way of Jesus

Parenting is one of the greatest invitations into spiritual formation. As we nurture and guide our children, God is also shaping us—teaching us patience, selflessness, and deeper dependence on Him. Through the joys and challenges of parenting, we learn to love as He loves, to extend grace as He does, and to model faith in the everyday moments. More than just raising children, parenting is a journey of being formed into the image of Christ.

 

    • Pray through the parenting liturgies in Every Moment Holy or To Light Their Way

    • Pray over your kids while they’re asleep

    • Intentional reflect on the good things about your childhood that you want your kids to experience

    • Take time every day to ask God for grace and wisdom to parent your kids well

    • Habits of the Household - Earley

    • Parenting - Tripp

    • Teach Your Children Well - Johnson

    • Sticky Faith - Powell

    • To Light Their Way - Craig

    • How to Pray for Little Explorers - Greig

    • How Children Raise Parents: The Art of Listening to Your Family - Allender

    • God Made All Of Me -Holcomb

    • Imaginative Prayer - Boyd

    • Are My Kids on Track: The 12 Emotional, Social, and Spiritual Milestones Your Child Needs to

      Reach - Goff, Thomas, and Trevathan

    • Raising Boys and Girls Podcast

    • Have family time

    • Pray with your family or community

    • Intentionally share the gospel with your kids

    • Practice a whole family Sabbath

    • Find a place to serve with your kids

    • Spend 10 minutes with each kid daily (or a few times a week) and give them your full attention,

      let them lead the time, and look into their eyes, and smile throughout the time so they can see

      your delight