Renovaré

Renovaré (from Latin: to renew; to restore;) is a Christian non-profit organization engaged in "intentional Christian spiritual formation".

Overview

The organisation is based in Englewood Colorado in the US and draws on the experience of the Christian church across all denominations throughout Christian history. Renovaré's team is ecumenical, composed of members from a wide variety of Christian denominations including Anglican, Baptist, Church of God, Lutheran, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Quaker. The ministry is international with affiliates in the USA, Canada, Britain, Ireland, Korea, and Brazil.

Renovaré's stated ministry is to lead people toward a balanced vision of faith, and to encourage development of practical strategies for spiritual growth with classical activities such as prayer, Bible reading, worship, meditation and fasting. They state that;

"Renovaré is Christian in commitment, ecumenical in breadth, and international in scope. We seek to resource, fuel, model, and advocate more intentional living among Christians and those wanting a deeper connection with God. We have been a foundational presence in the spiritual formation movement for over 20 years.".[1]

History

Renovaré was founded by Quaker theologian Richard J. Foster in 1988.

After publishing Celebration of Discipline [2](ISBN 0060628391) in 1978, Foster was invited to a number of churches and conferences to speak on Christian spiritual formation and spiritual disciplines. He was encouraged by people's interest in the subject, but concerned at an apparent lack of substantive teaching in the area (particularly in Evangelical churches in the US). In 1986, he withdrew from public ministry to explore how a more systematic and intentional renewal movement might be formed. This led to the foundation of Renovaré in November 1988. Dallas Willard was one of the early members of the team.

Over the following years, Renovaré held a number of conferences about spiritual formation around the US. In 1994 the ministry relocated its offices from Friends University in Wichita, Kansas (where Foster had been teaching) to Denver, Colorado. International activities started in 2002 with the founding of Renovaré Britain and Ireland; this was followed by the establishment of Renovaré Korea in 2004, and Renovaré Brazil in 2008.

In the summer of 2008, Foster retired as Renovaré’s president (although remaining a member of the Board and Ministry Team). Christopher Webb, an Anglican Franciscan and a member of the Board of Renovaré Britain & Ireland, was appointed as the new president.

In early 2012 the Renovaré Board approved the "restructuring of the leadership" which resulted in the appointment of Rachel Quan as Executive Director.[3] In July 2015 Chris Hall became the new Renovaré president. [4] [5]

Activities

Renovaré publishes print and online resources, including books, articles, messages and podcasts.[6] They also run retreats and spiritual formation groups.

The Renovaré Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation runs a two-year online and in-person school. [7]

Criticisms

Renovaré has been criticised by other Christians for perceived misreadings of the Bible, use of meditations and non-Christian writings and over-reliance on the work of Thomas Merton. [8]

International Conferences

In addition to conferences around the US, Renovaré has held a series of International Conferences attended by delegates from around the world, including:

References
  1. "Christian Spiritual Formation Resources, Education, Events". Renovaré. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  2. Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth; San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1978
  3. "Homepage".
  4. Homepage, Retrieved 2023-30-07
  5. "Homepage".
  6. Official podcast
  7. Institute homepage
  8. Whatever is Pure website
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