Graeme Anderson is the Lead Pastor for Northside Baptist Church and an adjunct lecturer at Morling College. Prior to pastoral ministry Graeme was a primary teacher (and had a short and unremarkable career as an opera singer). He is an alumni of the Renovarè Institute, and was a Morling College Research Fellow in 2015. His research focused on the role of Christian spiritual formation in missional ecclesiology.

We started a conversation with Graeme around Spiritual Formation, there was so much great insight we had to split it out into two blog posts! Below we conclude the discussion on Spiritual Formation and the important role it plays in our lives as entrepreneurs and change-makers.

Is there a way of measuring our spiritual growth?

No. In fact trying to measure spiritual growth will be the first step to killing it. This is a frustrating reality for people who are tuned in to seeking measurable tangibles. I’m not sure how healthy it would be to try and measure the depth and outcome of any relationship.

What are some of the particular formational needs entrepreneurs might have?

As leaders in creativity and thought, I think that entrepreneurs need to learn from Jesus how to listen (to what God is doing), how to love (in the way of Jesus), and how to let go (‘Those who give up their lives for my sake…). These may on the surface seem simple, but I have yet to speak to an entrepreneur (or pastor) who is not slightly terrified by the implications of listening, loving, and letting go. (By the way – this is the key area I plan to cover in the coaching night).

When have been the times of spiritual growth for you?

I think the cliche is true that the times of deep spiritual growth have been the difficult times – the times that I’d rather not remember, think about, or have happen again. But in the times I have decided to place my confidence in the unseen and even the ‘absent’ God – to realise I am in the world of Psalm 13 rather than merely explaining it. It is also true to say that the other times of deep spiritual growth have been when I have committed to living a rhythm of grace – creating space each day for the grace of God to shape and re-shape me – this is what the spiritual habits/disciplines do. In and of themselves, they achieve nothing (they are certainly not acts of righteousness) but they do create space in my life for the grace of God to work.