Claire Harvey
14 July 2024
Kate Pocklington. Shaped by the Spirit: Being formed into an outward-focused people. SPCK Publishing, May 2024.
Kate Pocklington’s readable series of reflections on Christian formation draws on her significant experience serving on, and leading, cross-cultural missionary teams. She writes with creativity and deep honesty, painting vivid pictures for readers. Her desire that God’s people be formed for mission, as an outward-focused people, is evident throughout. Her hunger for the glory of God among the nations is palpable.
However Pocklington equally doesn’t hold back in naming some of the painful challenges associated with discipleship-in-community, including as an Australian woman.
Part 1 of Shaped by the Spirit lays the foundation for all that follows, highlighting the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit—the grand designer—in forming us. The crucial role of prayer is emphasised as God’s “shaping pathway”, with the clear end goal being that we might “take up and carry on the mission of Jesus Christ in the world.”
Part 2 offers eleven different materials that God uses to shape his people for mission, drawing a parallel between recycling or repurposing, with the Spirit’s work in reforming and transforming us. Pocklington works through the following key shaping-aspects of our lives: our family of origin; people of personal influence; the role of suffering and pain; our unique gift-mix; opportunities to learn and unlearn; the richness of diverse cultures; the wisdom that comes with age; opportunities and challenges relating to gender, both for women and for men; the gift of being part of a team or community; and finally the mutual-exchange that occurs through ministry service.
Read more: Communities on a mission to reach neighbours with the Gospel
Part 3 highlights specific areas in which some of the deeper and most crucial aspects of formation will take place. Pocklington identifies these three areas as being a tenacious trust and hope in God; the choice to be open, trusting and vulnerable with others; and the necessary role of radical forgiveness, both given and received.
Pocklington highlights that this book is the fruit of her labours during the gift of a sabbatical season. Her love of writing is evident as she crafts colourful illustrations drawn from her rich, deep and wide experience across life in four different nations. It is a significant achievement, to write so honestly about not just the highs and glories, but also the evident challenges and real pain of team-based missionary service. And, it is an achievement to do so with humility, respect and a commitment to presevering the dignity of others throughout the process.
The author clearly needed to be highly selective throughout her authoring journey, especially for such a succinct and readable text. But, if there were to be a sequel to this book I would be interested in an exploration of the role of nature or creation in forming us, as well as our engagement with younger generations, whose perspective can be SO very different to our own. More and more I also find myself reflecting on how our eschatology, or beliefs about our longer-term future, significantly form us and our way in the world!
Read more: Western parish puts vision and mission into action
Shaped by the Spirit would make a wonderful resource for mature readers who are starting out on their own journey of discipleship. It might especially suit those who might have encountered Jesus but who now find themselves wondering “where next?” in terms of the pathway toward unity and maturity in Christ. I would certainly commend this book to women. Many of us will resonate with a range of the scenarios and difficulties faced by Kate Pocklington as a woman in ministry, and will likely also appreciate the tender and insightful way in which she draws out lessons for all of us. Even more so I commend this book to men, especially those who work and minister within organisations where women’s voices can be so much harder to properly hear. Even better would be for mixed groups. with a diversity of age, life-stage, gender and culture, to embark on the learning journey together! This book itself presents an opportunity not just to read about formation, but to be formed through a collective journey as a community of attentive readers. With 18 short, readable chapters, it could easily become a key text for a fortnightly small group, across a whole year!
Claire Harvey worked in the Pioneers of Australia office two decades ago, which included processing team support donations for Kate! She is mum to Sarah and Micah, and an engaged member of The Village Church in Mt Eliza. Claire works as People & Culture Manager for a local not-for-profit aged care provider, is bookkeeper for ISCAST, and serves on the boards of Ethos and CoPower.
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