Implement and develop the formative practices of silent prayer, sabbath keeping, and the slow reading of scripture in order to develop a way of life that is slow, vibrant and transformative.
Learn to pay attention to your “interior world” and explore the way you’ve been formed by your family of origin. Gain a greater understanding of the influences (e.g. patterns of behavior, traumas, conscious and subconscious scripts) that impact who you are today and grow into a spiritually and emotionally mature adult with the capacity to love well.
Implement and develop the formative practices of silent prayer, sabbath keeping, and the slow reading of scripture necessary to develop a way of life that is slow, vibrant and transformative.
Learn to pay attention to your “interior world” and explore the way you’ve been formed by your family of origin. Gain a greater understanding of the influences that impact who you are today. We will explore the skill of growing in differentiation as you grow into a spiritually and emotionally mature adult with the capacity to love well.
Begin to redefine your understanding of community with a macro perspective of how the gospel creates a new reconciled family. We will look at the 7 layers of racial reconciliation, identifying the ways we can strive to be the new humanity Jesus speaks about in Ephesians 2. You will learn about the habits and practices that can help you lead a life and ministry marked by the barrier-breaking power of the gospel and gain skills to help engage in the important work of racial justice within, but not defined by, this cultural moment.
Learn a biblical framework for greater integration between your spirituality and your sexuality. Examine the impact of your own sexual formation as it relates to your family of origin. Wrestle with the ongoing theological and cultural shifts as it relates to human sexuality and what it means to be a thoughtful, loving presence for others.
Understand the critical importance of mission in scripture which joins together our being and our doing. Discover how your presence, posture and pervasiveness of mission is foundational to following Jesus. Develop healthy missional practices so that you can live as kingdom-witnesses in the world and become a presence of healing and hope for others.
You will be presented with a macro perspective of how the gospel creates a new reconciled family. We will look at the 7 layers of racial reconciliation, identifying the ways we can strive to be the new humanity Jesus speaks about in Ephesians 2. We will explore the skill of self-differentiation as a way of the future in being people marked by reconciling and just love. You will learn about the habits and practices that can help you lead a life and ministry marked by anti-racist love.
Learn a biblical framework for greater integration between your spirituality and your sexuality. Examine the impact of your own sexual formation as it relates to your family of origin. Develop sexual wholeness practices (e.g. naming your history of sexual formation messages, sobriety (honesty), and social bonding) that will move you towards healing, wholeness and freedom while becoming a healing presence for others.
Understand the critical importance of mission in scripture that joins together our being and our doing. Discover how our presence, posture and pervasiveness of mission is foundational to following Jesus. You will develop practices (hospitality, activating our justice gene, commissioning in our work, announcing the gospel) to live as kingdom-witnesses in the world and become a presence of healing and hope for others.
Teaching sessions will be offered both in person (at New Life Fellowship in Elmhurst, NY) AND online in a hybrid synchronous format. Mentor sessions will be offered mostly online with a few select mentor groups in person. The program is made up of a variety of interactive sessions, mentoring groups, self-reflective pre- and post-session journal assignments, readings, discussions, the development of a Personal Formation Plan (PFP), and a 2-night in-person retreat at the end of the program in April.
From September through April, we will meet twice per month on Thursday evenings (once for the monthly teaching session – hybrid in person and online, 6pm-9pm ET, and once for your mentoring group – online only, 7pm-9pm ET). Full 2025-2026 Cohort 5 Schedule here.
Each session has assigned readings and pre- and post-session assignments ranging in length from 500-700 words each (2 per month). The discipline of these writing assignments helps in your self-discovery and will create internal clarity as you wrestle with the material and articulate the depth of character formation that is being revealed to you through the readings, sessions, and God’s Holy Spirit. These writing assignments will be a form of meditation on paper.
There will be a two-night retreat at a location in Long Island, NY (35 miles from LaGuardia/JFK Airports, New Life Elmhurst, and 25 miles from New Life East). The retreat is what brings the whole program together. It will offer you space to listen and respond, individually and together, to what God has done through your School of Formation journey. It will also serve as the culmination of our time together as we commission you to take what you have learned and offer it to others. This continues to be a significant highlight of the program. This retreat will only be offered in person.
The curriculum is led by a diverse group of Teachers. Rich Villodas, lead pastor at New Life Fellowship, will be your primary teacher and guide in your journey. You will also have several interactive teaching sessions with experienced church leaders, authors, and instructors from around the world.
As you go through this program you may find the need and desire to process areas of your life that the Holy Spirit is bringing to your attention even deeper. As a participant in the School of Formation you will have the opportunity to receive Spiritual Direction from certified Spiritual Directors who have gone through the School of Formation program themselves.
You will be part of a small mentoring group that meets monthly for 8 months and will be encouraged to cultivate a relationship with your mentor and members of your group as you explore the course material’s impact on your life (you’ll be meeting with the same mentor group for the 8 months). Mentoring groups provide a time for reflection, listening, and shared learning, which creates the opportunity for deep and lasting formation. Because of the depth of sharing and vulnerability that you will be invited into, participants are expected to respect each others’ stories by committed participation and confidentiality. Please read the Mentor Group Participation Agreement you will be expected to agree to.
At the end of the course, you will have developed a Personal Formation Plan (PFP) which encompasses two areas of personal and leadership development. First, you will identify a specific area of personal growth within the 5 values that you feel God is leading you to engage in more deeply. And secondly, you will develop a plan for addressing a practical need within your ministry, profession, or community incorporating key elements of the 5 formation values. The PFP is a final project that will serve you in practically taking your most significant and profound learnings beyond your School of Formation journey.
The program cost, which includes some materials, mentoring groups, teachers, and the two-day retreat is $1,700*. A deposit of $850 (50%) is due once you have been accepted in early July and the final balance is due by August 15, 2025. Formal members of New Life receive a discount (contact us for more details).
Teaching sessions will be offered both in person (at New Life Fellowship in Elmhurst, NY) AND online in a hybrid synchronous format. Mentor sessions will be offered mostly online and a few in person. The program is made up of a variety of interactive sessions, mentoring groups, self-reflective pre- and post-session journal assignments, readings, discussions, the development of a Personal Formation Plan (PFP), and a 2-night in-person retreat at the end of the program in April.
From September through April, we will meet twice per month on Thursday evenings (once for the monthly teaching session – hybrid in person and online, 6pm-9pm ET, and once for your mentoring group – online only, 7pm-9pm ET). Full 2025-2026 Cohort 5 Schedule here.
Each session has assigned readings and pre- and post-session assignments ranging in length from 500-700 words each (2 per month). The discipline of these writing assignments helps in your self-discovery and will create internal clarity as you wrestle with the material and articulate the depth of character formation that is being revealed to you through the readings, sessions, and God’s Holy Spirit.
There will be a two-night retreat at a location in Long Island, NY (35 miles from LaGuardia/JFK Airports, New Life Elmhurst, and 25 miles from New Life East). The retreat is what brings the whole program together. It will offer you space to listen and respond, individually and together, to what God has done through your School of Formation journey. It will also serve as the culmination of our time together as we commission you to take what you have learned and offer it to others. This continues to be a significant highlight of the program. This retreat will only be offered in person.
The curriculum is led by a diverse group of Teachers. Rich Villodas, lead pastor at New Life Fellowship, will be your primary teacher and guide in your journey. You will also have several interactive teaching sessions with experienced church leaders, authors and instructors from around the world.
As you go through this program you may find the need and desire to process areas of your life that the Holy Spirit is bringing to your attention even deeper. As a participant in the School of Formation you will have the opportunity to receive Spiritual Direction from certified Spiritual Directors who have gone through the School of Formation program themselves.
You will be part of a small mentoring group and will be encouraged to cultivate a relationship with your mentor and members of your group as you explore the course material’s impact on your life. Mentoring groups provide a time for reflection, listening and shared learning, which creates the opportunity for deep and lasting formation. Because of the depth of sharing and vulnerability that you will be invited into, participants are expected to respect others’ stories by committed participation and confidentiality.
At the end of the course, you will have developed a Personal Formation Plan (PFP) which encompasses two areas of personal and leadership development. First, you will identify a specific area of personal growth within the 5 values that you feel God is leading you to engage in more deeply. And secondly, you will develop a plan for addressing a practical need within your ministry, profession, or community incorporating key elements of the 5 formation values. The PFP is a final project that will serve you in practically taking your most significant and profound learnings beyond your School of Formation journey.
The program cost, which includes some materials, mentoring groups, teachers, and the two-day retreat is $1,700*. A deposit of $850 (50%) is due once you have been accepted in early July and the final balance is due by August 15, 2025. Formal members of New Life receive a discount (contact us for more details).
The School of Formation is geared primarily for pastors, ministry leaders in local church contexts and those working in parachurch/non-profit spaces that are shaping and impacting our culture.
However, anyone who wants to personally grow in the 5 formational values and apply them in their ministry or leadership context is welcome to apply.
You will journey alongside a diverse group of people (ethnicities, vocations, generations, etc). All who desire to ingrain these values into their life and work. Both New Life Fellowship members and non-members are welcome to apply.
The program is geared towards helping you understand and ingrain these values in your own life first. There will be a natural progression to leading others when you live them out yourself first. We believe you cannot lead others through what you have not wrestled through yourself.
On average you should expect to give 10-12 hours a month to the program through a mixture of teaching sessions (3 hrs monthly), mentor sessions (2 hrs monthly), assigned reading and pre/post session assignments (5-7 hrs monthly). In essence it will require weekly engagement (week 1 – 1st journal assignment, week 2 – teaching session, week 3 – 2nd journal assignment, week 4 – mentor session). More details on exact dates and the 2 night retreat here.
While there are 10-12 hours that you are expected to dedicate to the program monthly, there is also a rigorous emotional investment that you will be invited and guided into. Part of the journey entails looking back at your family of origin and digging deeper into areas of your life that may be difficult. This has the potential to be emotionally and mentally weighty. This should not be underestimated! We also believe that there is great reward in allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you into these deeper places for the sake of greater healing, freedom, and a growing ability to love God, others and yourself well!
There will be 3 teaching sessions that will be offered live both in person and virtually via zoom. The rest of the teaching sessions will be offered virtually. The mentor sessions will be offered virtually via zoom only. The 2 day retreat will be in person only. It is entirely possible for you to do the whole program online except for the required 2-night retreat in person in NY. Detailed 2025-2026 Cohort 5 schedule linked here.
Once you have submitted your completed application, a spiritual life reference, and intro video by the Cohort 5 June 12, 2025 application deadline, we will communicate to you the final acceptance decision and next steps shortly after.
We offer limited partial scholarships on a financial need based basis. We also suggest you contact your home church or organization’s leadership and ask about scholarships they may be able to offer you.
We do offer scholarships to formal members of New Life. See details below to see if you qualify.
Qualifying for Formal Membership at New life:
Formal Members at New Life have received a letter via email acknowledging their Formal Membership status from the lead pastor. This happens after you have attended our membership class, Rooted (formerly Communitas), had a Membership Consultation, and affirmed our Membership Covenant.
The Formal Membership is open to those who:
If you have completed these steps, the next and only opportunity during Cohort 5 application window for our Rooted class will be April 22, 2025. If you have any questions about your membership at New Life, please reach out to Monina Ramos at [email protected] for more support.
Membership process must be complete at the time of submitting the application in order to be eligible for the New Life Formal Member Discount.
