In this episode, Ruth Haley Barton joins me to talk about her new book, Leading a Transforming Community. We start with the difference between formation and transformation, and with why discipleship programs alone don’t always change us. Ruth makes the case that the spiritual life is never only a private project. It unfolds in community, among people at very different stages of faith, including those walking through doubt and loss. We talk about letting go of control and staying together long enough to change. We also talk about how difference, rather than sameness, helps us listen for God together, and about what it means to make room for transformation instead of trying to manage it.
Ruth Haley Barton (DD, Northern Seminary) is an author and founder of the Transforming Center, a ministry dedicated to strengthening the souls of clergy, Christian leaders, and the ministries they serve. She has been a student, practitioner, teacher, and leader in Christian spirituality and spiritual formation for over 25 years. A seasoned spiritual director (Shalom Institute for Spiritual Formation), she developed and leads the Transforming Center’s two-year Transforming Community experience, a practice-based spiritual journey for leaders offered in quarterly retreats. Ruth is the author of numerous books, including Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry, Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community, and Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again. Her new book, Leading a Transforming Community: Foundations, Practices, and Strategies for Opening to God Together, along with a conversation guide for leadership groups, will be released on October 13.
Ruth's Book:
Leading a Transforming Community
Ruth's Recommendation:
