As a ministry of the Church, we believe each person is made in the image and likeness of God, an integrated whole of body, mind, heart and soul, through which both the human spirit and the spirit of God are expressed. Grounded in this belief, Ascension is committed to Ministry Formation.

Learn More about Ministry formation

Welcome!

If you are reading this, your Formation Leader or Chief Mission Integration Officer has invited you to participate in this program to equip you to with the necessary practices, habits and competencies to successfully facilitate formation encounters for our general associate population effectively. As you consider applying, please review these requirements of a participant:

Prior to enrollment, associates must have:
 		Upon Completion, participants must:

1. A demonstrated commitment to the work of Ministry Formation (i.e. formation program graduate, active member of an M&MC, etc.)

2. Strong communication skills and an ability to effectively engage all types of audiences.

3. Practices and habits of personal spirituality 

4. A functional competency in Google Workspace. Click here for resources. 

5. Expressed support from direct supervisor to participate in this program AND to facilitate 1x/month after

1. Facilitate an associate and/or clinician facing event in partnership with local Formation team once quarterly at minimum.

2. Enter partnership with their market formation team to maintain and grow in the practices developed through this program

3. Practice Ascension's Values and service commitments and personally integrate the ABIDE hallmarks. 

4. Maintain an ongoing practice of reflection on experience to engage and maintain their Levels of Awareness. 

Practices and Habits

Candidates who successfully complete this program will experience development in the following practices and habits of formation facilitation:

1. Start with Experience
2. Storytelling
3. Full Presence
4. Invitation
5. Modeling appropriate vulnerability
6. Non-anxious presence
7. Deep Listening
8. The art of the follow up question
9. Empathy building
10. Silence

Duration | Delivery | Timing

  • How is the program delivered?

    This four week curriculum is a blend of experiences and practices delivered weekly through online asynchronous modules and live-virtual retreats. Participants must complete all modules and participate in all four live-virtual sessions.

  • How long are the weekly live-virtual sessions?

    Each session is 90 minutes

  • What will my time commitment look like for the self-paced modules?

    Participants should expect to spend ~90 minutes on the assignments each week, bringing the total time commitment for this program to 3 hours per week for 4 weeks (90 minutes on self-paced modules; 90 minutes for the live-virtual session)

  • What are the upcoming opportunities?

    email Mike Krussel to learn more about the upcoming cohorts

Ready to apply?

Contact

Organizational Impact

Through our Formation Practitioner program, we will:

  • Assure the integrity and consistency of formation facilitation
  • Achieve greater equity and access to formation experiences for associates at all role levels

Resulting from the above, Ascension can expect to see a rise in our two broad formation outcomes:

  • Personal flourishing in community
  • Organizational integrity as a Ministry of the Church

All of the above is consistent with, and flows from our obligations to the Ascension Sponsor, thus ensuring continued fidelity to our Catholic Identity