Why Knowledge Isn’t Enough: Spiritual Formation for Ministry
Formed in Christ for Faithful Ministry
Community, Formation, and the Communion of Saints
What does it take to form leaders who are not only knowledgeable and skilled, but deeply shaped by Christ?
In this conversation, Jeff Sajdak, Dean of Students at Calvin Theological Seminary, joins Phillip Palacios, Director of Communications, to reflect on spiritual formation, community life, and the practices that shape faithful Christian leaders. Recorded during Calvin Theological Seminary’s 150th anniversary, the discussion invites viewers to consider why formation is essential to theological education, and why it cannot be reduced to academics or ministry skills alone.
“You can have great knowledge and still be ill-formed as a follower of Jesus.”
— Jeff Sajdak
Formation Beyond Knowledge and Skill
Drawing on more than two decades of pastoral ministry and fourteen years serving students at Calvin Seminary, Jeff names a hard truth: it is possible to have strong theology and effective ministry skills while still being poorly formed as a follower of Jesus.
Formation, he explains, shapes not only what students know or what they can do, but who they are becoming. Alongside academic and vocational training, spiritual formation attends to character, habits, and the slow work of becoming more like Christ.
“Formation is not just about what you know or what you can do—it’s about who you are becoming.”
At Calvin Seminary, formation is understood as both personal and communal. Students arrive from diverse cultures, traditions, and contexts, yet are formed together as a learning community centered on Christ.
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“Formation happens in worship, prayer, Scripture—and in the ordinary moments of life together.”
Community as the Context for Formation
Throughout the conversation, Jeff emphasizes that formation does not happen in isolation. Practices like chapel worship, public reading of Scripture, shared meals, prayer gatherings, and even informal moments of joy and rest all contribute to shaping Christlike character.
These practices remind students that formation is not only about personal piety, but about learning how to live well with others. How students treat one another, handle responsibility, respond to conflict, and share life together becomes part of their preparation for ministry.
“How we treat one another day by day is shaping who we are becoming in Christ.”
In this way, formation at Calvin Seminary reflects the creed’s language of the communion of saints—a community gathered, shaped, and sent by Christ.
A Reformed Vision of Formation
Jeff also connects student formation to Calvin Seminary’s Reformed identity. From this perspective, formation is rooted in a deep trust in God’s sovereignty, not only in salvation, but in calling, community, and daily life.
Every interaction, Jeff notes, takes place under Christ’s rule. Formation is not ultimately the work of staff or faculty alone, but the work of God’s kingdom unfolding in the midst of a learning community.
“This is not ultimately our work—it is God’s kingdom at work among us.”
This Reformed vision affirms that all of life belongs to God, including theological education, student life, and communal formation.
Sent Out, Formed for Flourishing
As students complete their studies and move into diverse forms of ministry, pastoral leadership, chaplaincy, missions, nonprofit work, and beyond, the hope is that the formation they experience at Calvin Seminary bears lasting fruit.
Jeff describes his hope simply: that graduates contribute to the flourishing of the communities they serve, carrying with them habits of prayer, humility, love, and faithful presence.
“The goal is leaders whose lives bear the fruit of the Spirit wherever they are sent.”
As Calvin Theological Seminary marks its 150th year, this conversation serves as a reminder that faithful theological education has always been about more than knowledge alone. It is about forming women and men whose lives reflect the gospel they proclaim.
The Forum Podcast is a production of Calvin Theological Seminary.
