Haven

Make a Referral

We are always grateful for friends who refer friends to the Transforming Center! Our alumni are always our best source of referrals because they are uniquely qualified to identify those who are ready to embark upon a journey of leadership transformation. We hope this information will be helpful to you as you discern if a leader in your sphere of influence would be a good referral to Haven. 

Haven FAQs

Many of you may want to talk about Haven with people in your circle but are having a hard time knowing what to say.

Is it the same as my experience? How will it be different? How is it all going to work?

We want to help! Below are some questions we have heard and want to help you answer! We always love a good referral from our Alumni, thank you in advance!

Haven was created to provide a new experience of Transforming Community by utilizing digital tools to offer a more accessible ministry offering. Each gathering of Haven will follow the content structure and progression of Transforming Community, but with new ways to engage through both in person and online gatherings.

  • No — you will not be on zoom for 24 hours straight
  • Yes — there will be solitude (off of zoom)
  • Yes — there will still be space to chat with people over meals or during breaks 
  • Yes — there will be prayer and worship (we will keep our fixed hour prayers, they will just be shorter.)
    • There are prayer practices that can be held very well in an online space.
    • We will use music in meaningful ways to help us open to the presence of God and each other.
    • The community will take turns bringing voice to some of our favorite prayers.
  • Click here to view a sample schedule
  • Are teaching sessions live or video?
    • Ruth’s teaching sessions will be shared by video for the online gatherings.
    • We will not engage all of the teachings during the 24 hours. Some teaching sessions will be shared before the online gathering as preparation, some will be viewed in real time together and some will be shared afterwards.
    • The digital access to Ruth’s teachings allows us to craft the best possible schedule for our time together online without sacrificing any of the content.
  • Yes! This experience will have group spiritual direction.
  • Yes! Groups will be formed in a similar way to Transforming Community but this time each group will have facilitation provided by one of the Haven Ministry Community members.
  • Spiritual Direction Groups will meet for their more structured time together outside of the online gatherings. Times for each group will be determined once the group is formed.
  • Spiritual Direction Groups will meet in-person at each of the 3 retreats as USML.
  • During the online gatherings, participants will have the chance to connect with their Group Spiritual Direction groups and as well as with other smaller groups of community members using the “breakout room” feature.

The Digital Capture Project gave us the opportunity to capture Ruth’s teaching on film and now we can make that content available digitally to those participating in Haven.

Each of the teaching sessions will be made available to Haven participants before, during and after each gathering. They will remain accessible throughout the 18 month experience.

The in-person retreats will be very similar to the retreats you experienced in Transforming Community. We will retain our commitment to rhythms of fixed hour prayer, large group teaching sessions, smaller group connections and 4 hours of solitude on the second day.

Since participants will only gather 3 times in-person, we have adjusted the schedule a bit to make more space for rest and community connection.

No — since this is a pilot, we will not be offering academic credit or a certificate.

Yes. Given the nature of this experience, it will be important for participants to use the time between gatherings to take what they are learning through Haven and integrate their experience into their lives and leadership at home.

Guidance for this time will be given and resources will include teaching videos, recommended readings and small group connections.

While Haven is different from your Transforming Community experience, you can be confident that this community will benefit from the same values and experiences we all hold dear. We are excited to see God work in new ways through an experience that removes some of the obstacles leaders face when considering joining us... We can’t wait to see what God will do in and through this new community!

We encourage alumni to refer someone from within their circles that might be ready for an invitation to Haven.

 

Perhaps it is a leader who...
  • is already a member of your staff or a team — shared language and experience is incredibly helpful. 
  • is running so hard you're concerned they will burn out — give them the opportunity to cultivate sustaining rhythms before you did! 
  • has an experience of gender, race, or sexual identity that would enrich the lives of others in the next Haven. 
  • is cultivating a life of ministry — even if it is outside of a traditional church setting. 
  • has been deconstructing their faith and are in need of a safe place to re-build.
Fill out my online form.

What makes a good referral?

  • Pastors and leaders who are currently in active leadership roles* that allow them to directly influence the direction of their churches and/or ministry organizations.

    *To be clear, we will continue to consider lay leaders who hold significant positions of leadership in their congregations and/or in their respective professions and thereby possess the potential to shape the direction of their churches or ministry organizations.
  • We continue to hold a high value in maintaining a gender balance. As you may have noticed in your community, having an equal (or close to that) balance of men and women within our community is one reason that our community experience is so rich! In many application pools, we receive many more applications from women than we do men (especially early on), this is one of the factors we consider in our discernment process.
  • Diversity Value beyond Gender Balance. We strive to have our communities reflect the rich diversity of God's Kingdom. To that end, we strongly encourage Christian leaders from every walk of life, every race/ethnicity, ministry context, age, ability, experience, socio-economic background, education level, geographic location, and faith journey to apply for this transforming journey.

How can I help a leader explore this transforming experience?

Here are some things we have noticed from years of accepting applications that will be helpful to consider in your conversations…

The podcast can be a great entry point for those not yet familiar with the Transforming Center.  Each season explores resources, themes and practices that are congruent with the Haven experience. Here are some  seasons we recommend starting with:

Many pastors and leaders experience a lack of resources (time & money) This is especially true for younger leaders and those living & serving in communities with limited resources. It could be helpful to...

    • Considering contributing financially to a leader
    • Help them think through ways of raising money (through professional development funds in their churches or workplace, grants, crowdfunding)
    • Explain your process of making time and space for such a commitment, ask them about their barriers and concerns, etc.

Men often apply much later in the application process than women which means we have to waitlist great women applicants until we can achieve the desired gender balance. Here's how you can help:

    • Men – keep talking openly to other men in your life about your time in Transforming Community. Your willingness to share your experience is the most influential factor for men considering applying.
    • Women – think about the men in your spheres of influence and what might draw them to this experience. If they are interested, encourage them to apply early.