Season 2: Episode 1 | Choosing to Walk Together
Many of us are carrying a lot of baggage regarding Christian community. Ruth has often commented that it is one of the most over-promised, under-delivered aspects of the Christian life—which means that Christians who have been deeply involved in church are often the most cynical and disillusioned. In Season 2 of the Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast, Ruth and Steve will discuss how to cultivate communities where people regularly and routinely experience spiritual transformation. In episode 1, Ruth shares how God led her to the story of the Emmaus Road as a biblical model for transforming community. She unpacks the three nuanced ways of talking about community: Christian community, spiritual community, and transforming community, and also describes what Christian community is not—with a rich discussion of the role community plays in navigating liminal space.
Listen to other episodes from Season 2 Access past podcast seasons
In this podcast:
- Episode 6 | Transformation Through Self-Knowledge and Self-Examination
- Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton
- Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation (Chapter 6) by Ruth Haley Barton
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Steve mentioned “six rules for transforming community” and alluded to one of them – don’t give advice. Is there a resource available where you outline what your six rules for transforming community are and why those are the ones that are important to you?
Alex Can you give me a time stamp of when this comes up in conversation? It is not ringing a bell. This season is based on the book Ruth wrote Life Together in Christ, but I don’t remember six rules. Let me know and I would be happy to dig a little deeper.
I found it- I was a little off on the “six rules” – it was in Steve’s “TC6” that he refers to starting at 9:10 and how the group had very specific rules, one of which was not giving advice. What are the others, and why did those particular group rules emerge as important parts of the transforming community?
Ah yes. I would point you to Ruth book, Pursuing God Will Together, as she writes about community covenants and their purpose and value. I think it will best answer your question.