Forma 2027 Annual Conference: Sanctified Imagination

Forma, the Network for Christian Formation, will hold its 2027 Annual Conference from Monday, January 25, through Thursday, January 28, under the title 'Sanctified Imagination.' Registration opened in an October 14 announcement distributed by Episcopal News Service. The conference is built for formation leaders from across the church and will use what organizers call a radically hybrid model: synchronous content will stream online each day, while participants may also gather in person at regional sites. The main online schedule runs from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. This structure makes the event accessible nationwide without requiring every participant to travel to a single venue, while still allowing local communities to add worship, conversation, prayer, and fellowship. Inspired by Ephesians 3:20, the conference will examine theological imagination as the capacity to perceive connections between divine and human experience and to let those connections shape Christian vocation. Forma describes that imagination through communal and embodied habits that help believers recognize God's activity, practice Christian virtues, and envision gospel-rooted futures. The intended audience includes clergy, lay formation ministers, Christian educators, and leaders responsible for forming children, youth, adults, and intergenerational communities. The Rev. Judy Fentress-Williams, Dodge Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Virginia Theological Seminary, will deliver the keynote address, and the Rev. Kelley Hudlow, an instructor of preaching at Bexley Seabury Seminary, will serve as closing preacher. Organizers say Forma celebrates, equips, supports, and connects people who form followers of Jesus. Its membership reaches beyond the United States, but the online format gives congregations across the nation a common opportunity to participate without building a travel budget around one central site.

For congregations, the value of the conference lies in connecting faithful imagination with concrete ministry practice. Christian formation often requires more than selecting curriculum; leaders interpret Scripture with communities, cultivate habits, accompany people through change, and help churches respond to cultural pressures without losing the gospel's center. The conference theme encourages participants to ask how biblical hope can enlarge ministry vision while remaining disciplined by Scripture, worship, virtue, and the life of the church. Forma is a ministry of Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary and works ecumenically across Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Moravian, Catholic, and other communities. That breadth can help participants compare approaches while keeping the conference's explicit purpose-forming followers of Jesus-in view. Individuals attending online can improve the experience by protecting the daily conference hours, gathering a small local cohort, and scheduling time to reflect rather than passively consuming a stream. Regional groups can identify one ministry challenge in advance, listen for theological and practical insights, and leave with an experiment they can test in their own congregation. Because the event spans four days, teams can revisit questions and integrate learning as it unfolds. Leaders may also compare notes after each session and assign one person to translate shared insights into a realistic ministry proposal. The practical reason to attend is not novelty for its own sake. It is the opportunity to renew a Christian leader's capacity to notice God's work, sustain vocation, and translate gospel-rooted imagination into practices that help people mature in Christ. Participants should consult the official registration listing for current access details and any regional-site options.