A while back I posted a blog entry from Mark Fields with Vineyard Missions about how much better his board meeting went when he scheduled spiritual formation retreats just before them. Mark makes some interesting points about how mission and formation intersect.
He observes that some people are very focused on mission and task. But if they ignore the formation side, they have trouble staying spiritually aligned with the mission. Our mission needs to flow out of our connection with God. Jesus spent time with the Father, and we need to make sure we stay connected with God as well.
On the other side of the equation, some people are so focused on formation issues, so contemplative, that they never get out in the world and do anything. They become like a monk in a monastery functionally speaking: not engaging but isolated.
It’s not supposed to be an either/or, but a both/and. If you’re more inclined toward the missions side, you need to make sure you build formation into your time and schedule your connects with God. If you’re more inclined toward the formation side, schedule a time of listening after your connects with God where you ask him what he wants you to do and listen for his responses.