The 2025 Forma Conference is sponsored by Episcopal Relief & Development as well as over two dozen other organizations and dioceses.
Forma, the network for Christian formation practitioners in the Episcopal Church and beyond, has a twenty-seven-year history of gathering for an annual conference. The conference offers an intentional time of networking, learning, and inspiration.
In January 2024, we gathered in a brand new way. As I wrote in “‘Behold, I Am Doing a New Thing!’: The Radically Hybrid 2024 Forma Conference,” our Conference Planning Team worked with Learning Forte to design an engaging and interactive conference in which participants could be either online or on-site. In our first “radically hybrid” conference, roughly a third of participants engaged with the conference on-site and about two-thirds participated online. You can read the full 2024 Conference Model Report on our website.
Responding to Feedback: Come Away Together
We received both positive and constructive feedback about many aspects of the conference. Some of the most positive feedback came from those participating at retreat center on-site gatherings while many of the most critical comments came from those participating online:
- “You all did a great job, and the people who gathered with me appreciated and enjoyed this format. We were all glad you’re going to do it the same way next year. Well done!”
- “I really dislike hybrid content — there is a lot of pressure to work and balance the conference — even with a local gathering.”
I believe the feedback we received reveals a deep longing for rest, connection to fellow formation ministers, and time/structure to tend our own spiritual growth. The 2025 Forma Conference offers an opportunity to quench some of these longings. And registration is now open!
Our theme for 2025 is “Come Away Together (Retirémonos Juntos),” which comes from Mark 6:31–32: “‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ . . . And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves” (NRSVA).
We encourage all participants to take continuing education time January 27–30, 2025 and come away with us physically or spiritually to explore the theme of rest as spiritual practice. There are 10 on-site gatherings available across the United States, eight of which are located at camp, conference, or retreat centers. Our Conference Planning Team is working to design retreat materials so that all participants, regardless of location, can engage in spiritual practices related to the theme outside of the conference content. In addition, free spiritual direction will be available on a first-come, first-served basis through our partnership with the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation.
Conference Details
Schedule
The conference will take place for 3.5 hours each day and will be synchronous across six time zones. A daily schedule can be found on the Forma website.
Hawai’i Time 8:30am–12:00pm
Alaska Time 9:30am–1:00pm
Pacific Time 10:30am–2:00pm
Mountain Time 11:30am–3:00pm
Central Time 12:30–4:00pm
Eastern Time 1:30–5:00pm
Speakers & Workshops
The Opening Plenary will feature a panel discussion on rest, retreat, and Sabbath. Panelists are the Rev. Canon Andrew Arakawa, the Rev. Canon Randy Kyle Callender, and Annalise Hume, M.Div. The panel will be moderated by Sarah Bentley Allred, M.Div.
The Closing Plenary speaker is Dr. Nathan Stucky, author of Wrestling with Rest: Inviting Youth to Discover the Gift of Sabbath.
There are 20 workshops on a range of topics including:
- “Be Still and Know: Preventing Burnout and Rediscovering Joy in Ministry”
- “If They’re Not Leading, They’re Leaving: Empowering Students for Ministry”
- “Restful Connection: Utilizing Book Clubs as a Way to Connect”
- “What Comes Next? Continuing the Path towards Racial Justice”
A full list of workshops can be found on the Forma website.
Live Spanish Interpretation
This year’s conference will offer live, simultaneous interpretation provided by Cenzontle: A Language Justice Cooperative and sponsored by The Episcopal Church Department of Faith Formation. All parts of the conference, from announcements to workshops, will have interpretation.
Register Today!
Early Bird Registration (ends December 20): $160
General Registration (December 21 – January 30): $180
Financial support is available to help offset the cost of conference tickets as well as reimburse meals, lodging, and travel costs for on-site gatherings. The deadline to request financial support is November 27. You can apply through the following form: 2025 Forma Conference Financial Assistance Application.
Featured image was created by The Rev. Jo Nygard Owens, Pastor for Digital Ministry at Washington National Cathedral