Tools and Practices to Foster Transformation in the Communities God Has Entrusted to You: The Companion Guide to Leading a Transforming Community

For pastors, leaders, and anyone longing to experience deeper levels of transformation in their life with others, this six-session study guide is the essential companion to Ruth Haley Barton's seminal book Leading a Transforming Community.

This guide provides the practical framework for individuals and groups to apply the book's teachings, helping you cultivate a community where transformation is the norm and not the exception. It is designed to help your group process and apply the vision and practices for becoming a community that gathers around the presence of Christ.

This study guide will equip you and your group with



- Six sessions for personal reflection, group conversation, and next steps;

- Thought-provoking questions to foster discussion and application of the book's core concepts;

- Liturgical prayers and group practices to help you experience God together and orient your community toward deeper spiritual formation; and

- Practical guidance for establishing or developing your own transforming community, turning vision into reality.

When your group uses the Leading a Transforming Community Study Guide alongside Leading a Transforming Community, you canlearn to discern and do the will of God together, creating a vibrant community of spiritual transformation that empowers others to do the same.



Ruth Haley Barton (DD, Northern Seminary) is founder of the Transforming Center, a ministry dedicated to strengthening the souls of pastors, leaders, and the communities they serve. Trained at the Shalem Institute and the Loyola University Chicago Institute of Pastoral Studies, she is a seasoned spiritual director, teacher, and retreat leader who has served on the pastoral staff of several churches. Ruth is the author of numerous books on the spiritual life, including Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, Invitation to Solitude and Silence, Sacred Rhythms, and Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest.



Introduction



Session 1: Longing for More in Community

Session 2: Theology that Shapes the Soul

Session 3: Solitude: Living from the Center Out

Session 4: Community: Sustaining Us in the Mystery

Session 5: Mission: In God for the World



On the Road to Becoming a Transforming Community (assessment)