As a book person, I have been slow to make the leap into cyberspace. But I do recognize that many of my friends and most of my students are not as timid. Some people I know spend literally hours online—for both business and pleasure.

Online formation is being used with increasing success in Web-savvy congregations—especially ones with large numbers of GenXers and Millennials. Small groups and classes may be conducted in cyberspace. Such support groups and learning experiences may be more powerful than traditional ones in some instances. A friend of mine even serves as a spiritual director online to her geographically removed directees.

In addition to online small groups and courses, congregational chat rooms, e-mail prayer lists, and daily Bible studies can provide opportunities for formation when congregants are at work or on the road. A good Web site, full of spiritual formation links and resources, including streaming sermons and adult formation events (audio and video) connects shut-ins, busy working families, stay-at-home moms, teens, and college students in a community beyond the walls of your building. Adult formation should have a dedicated online corner in your congregation's Web site that includes clear information about programs, spiritual reflections written by clergy and lay persons, resources, links to retreat centers, and a book nook. Many congregations still think of the Web as an elaborate advertisement. It is more than that—the Web is your key to reaching all those who cannot come to church on a weekly basis. The better you connect in cyberspace, the more possibility you have to create a learning community.

Questions to consider:

• What barriers exist in your congregation to doing formation in cyberspace?
  
• How might they be overcome?
  
• How might your spiritual life be enriched or transformed by community provided over the internet?
  
• What resources might better equip you—and your congregation—to do God's work?