Continue learning about Transforming Community®:

• Overview
• Retreat Leadership
• Retreat Topics & Dates
• Fees
• Testimonials
• Travel Information
• Application
• FAQ


• Certificate in Spiritual Transformation

Frequently Asked Questions

Please click the questions you are interested in and the answers will appear below.

• How can I find out what teaching takes place at a Transforming Community retreat?

  • On the Leadership Transformation web page, click on Retreats Topics & Dates. Next to each date is a link to that retreat's schedule, complete with teaching session topics.

• What is the usual process for becoming a member of the Transforming Community?

  • A person begins by filling out an online application. Within two weeks after is processed, you will receive an invitation to join the community you have applied for, or you will be informed that you are placed on a waiting list, or you will be informed of the of reasons the Transforming Center has not extended an invitation. If you've received an emailed invitation, the next step is to pay the non-refundable registration fee. Finally, ahead of the first retreat, you will receive an email from Ruth Haley Barton, discussing aspects of planning for retreat, along with an email from the Transforming Center registrar, Dalene Strieff, providing detailed information on attending the first retreat.

• Why do you use two retreat centers for the Chicago area communities?

  • The Marytown Retreat and Conference Center in Libertyville, IL, has sufficient meeting rooms, prayer and teaching space for us to have all group activities there. However, they have about half the private sleeping rooms we need. Fortunately Cardinal Stritch Retreat house, Mundelein, IL (about ½ mile away), has graciously allowed us to use their spacious housing as overflow.

• How do you place people in housing?

  • Since our meals, teaching sessions, and fixed-hour prayer are held in Marytown, we fill those rooms first based on when a person pays their registration fee to enter the Transforming Community. Bon Secours (the retreat center we use for the East Coast community) has sufficient rooms for everyone to stay there.

• What is the difference between the Certificate in Spiritual Transformation received through the Transforming Center and one received through Northern Seminary?

  • You will receive the Certificate in Spiritual Transformation through the Transforming Center when you complete the requirements for the two-year experience: attendance and full participation at all retreats, participation in group spiritual direction while on retreat, completion of During the Quarter assignments including required readings, written reflections, and practice of the disciplines in between retreats. The Certificate in Spiritual Transformation awarded jointly through the Transforming Center and Northern Seminary has the same requirements; however, for an additional $200 per retreat ($1600 total), you will receive an academic certificate awarded jointly by Northern Seminary and the Transforming Center. Your certificate will be awarded at Northern's commencement ceremony along with the other degrees being awarded.

• I have read some of Ruth Haley Barton's books and would like to experience her teaching. Will that happen in the Transforming Community?

  • Yes. Ruth is the primary teaching and leader for the Transforming Community experience. She is joined by Rory Noland as the Transforming Center worship leader and by others who have been through the Transforming Community themselves and continue to experience transformation in their own lives. You can view our list of possible teachers on the Transforming Leadership page by clicking on Retreat Leadership.

• May I volunteer at a Transforming Community retreat?

  • The Transforming Center has a deeply held value that those who serve on retreat have completed (or are in the process of completing) the two-year Transforming Community experience. Upon completion we welcome (and rely upon!) the assistance of our alumni at our retreats; please inquire.

• Your communities seem to have a good mix of men and women. What informs your perspective on men and women in community?

  • The Transforming Center is committed to achieving a balance of men and women in each of its communities because we have learned over the years that such balanced communities lead to the richest experiences for our participants. Accordingly, in accepting applications, we reserve half of the available spots for men and half for women. Once all the available spots for the men or the women have been filled, we close the application process for whichever group is full until two weeks before the first retreat and put remaining applicants within that group on a waiting list. If two weeks before the first retreat, the remaining open spots have not been filled, we will open those spots to those on the waiting list.

• May I commute to a Transforming Community retreat?

  • For various reasons commuting does not facilitate the needed rhythms and environment for a person seeking to be a part of the Transforming Community. The first night we practice complete silence until Morning Prayer and this can rarely be done well in a commuting situation. This holds true for Monday afternoon solitude as well. Additionally, all aspects of our retreat rhythms (fixed hour prayer, solitude and community, teaching and reflection) "hold" the participants in a way that provides for deep rest, uninterrupted focus, and a fully-orbed learning process that engages body, mind and soul. There are some situations in which commuting works, but usually it is reserved for participants who have already been through the two-year community previously.

• I notice your office is located in Wheaton. Is that where the Illinois retreats are held?

  • The retreats are not held at the retreat center that houses our offices in Wheaton because they do not have enough sleeping rooms to accommodate us. You will need to make your travel plans to arrive in Libertyville/Mundelein.

• What airport should I fly into?

  • O'Hare airport (ORD) is the closest to the retreat centers. Sometimes the airfares flying into Midway (MDW) can be advantageous; however, you will need to plan additional time for ground transportation and the taxi/limo service will be more expensive. Please see Travel Information for more details.

• Does the Transforming Center or the retreat centers provide transportation from the airport to the retreat?

  • No, but we do allow time at the first retreat for participants to locate others who would enjoy sharing a ride. We encourage those participants to share contact information in order to make coordinating plans for subsequent retreats. Bon Secours (East Coast retreat center) does have a shuttle service and you are free to make arrangements with them directly. Please see Travel Information for suggestions on taxi and limo services.

• Isn't your retreat fee a bit pricey?

  • When compared with other conference-type events that do not include room and board, our all-inclusive rate is actually quite reasonable. The retreat fees include everything you need while on retreat: a private room and bath, five hot meals (no continental breakfasts!), healthy and plentiful refreshments throughout the retreat, all retreat materials, plus a beautiful reception on Monday night. And that's in addition to the five teaching sessions, 8 worship services, spiritual guidance for your solitude times, and group spiritual direction. We think this is a great value.

• I work for a church that does not have a large budget for professional development. How can I afford the Transforming Community?

  • We are sensitive to this reality, which is why we offer a deeply discounted rate ($495 rather than $695—a $1600 discount over the two years) for pastors and leaders of not-for-profit organizations. We also know that even with the discount, it is still more than many leaders have allotted for continuing education in their budgets. Some pastors have asked family or friends to consider investing in this experience because they recognize the value of their pastor/family member being able to stay in ministry for the long haul. Others have gone to their elder board to ask for a special consideration for two years. We are available to talk with your personnel committee, elder board, or potential donors to discuss the long-term benefits to a church for a pastor or elder to attend the Transforming Community.

• When are the fees due?

  • After the registration fee is paid, the individual retreat fees are due one month ahead of each retreat.

• May I pay fees a year at a time?

  • Yes. Many churches and organizations prefer to write one check from a person's yearly allowance for education. That is perfectly acceptable. Please indicate on the check the name of the program participant.

• May I work with a monthly payment schedule?

  • We are willing to work with you to accomplish a monthly payment schedule so that 1/3 of each retreat fee is paid each month for 24 months. Please contact the Transforming Center office to discuss.

• Your site mentions required reading. How many books are required between retreats? May I receive the reading list ahead of time to begin reading? Can I purchase the books through another source or do I need to purchase them through the Transforming Center?

  • Each retreat has sufficient processing of its own without concern for what lies ahead! Assignments are given at the end of a retreat in order to support the recent teaching throughout the quarter. We would actually prefer that you not read ahead which is why we do not distribute the complete reading list at the outset. There is a book table at all retreats which carries all Transforming Resources™, required reading, recommended reading, and general products that are helpful to your spiritual transformation process.

• Exactly what happens at a Transforming Community retreat?

  • A spiritual retreat by its very definition is an opportunity for you to get away, to be in God's presence alone, and give God your full and undivided attention for an extended period of time.

    Jesus indicates that it's possible to gain the whole world and to lose your own soul. If Jesus were talking to us as Christian ministry leaders today he might even tell us that it's possible to gain the whole world of ministry success and lose your own soul. A spiritual retreat is an opportunity for us to spend uninterrupted time in God's presence allowing him to replenish our souls and even reclaim our souls if we feel we've lost touch with them. On a retreat we give God full access to our souls so that he can strengthen us for the work he has called us to do.

• How is a Transforming Community retreat different from other retreats?

  • What it is not--The language of retreat has been compromised both in secular settings and also in Christian settings. Oftentimes what gets labeled "retreat" is actually an event that is full of programming, stimulation, networking, and more teaching and content than the human soul can process all at once. You might even have multiple people staying in a room together so that you don't have any time alone, you don't sleep well, and you go home more exhausted than when you came!

    What a Transforming Community retreat is--In the realm of the spiritual life, a retreat is a time that's set apart for God and God alone. On retreat we slow down and enter into a different rhythm of spiritual practices than what we are normally able to experience in our daily lives. These rhythms are intended to help us settle into a different way of being present—with God, with ourselves, and with others. When you attend your first Transforming Center retreat, we will gather in the evening for teaching and orientation, and then we will share a meal together. After dinner, there will be another teaching session along with a guided meditation that helps us to settle into God's invitation for us to be on retreat. The evening ends with Night Prayer and we enter into the Great Silence which enables us to be quiet and rest in God's presence right off the bat.

    The next morning we'll start our day with Morning Prayer. We'll have more teaching and input, and then Mid-Day Prayer and lunch followed by four hours of solitude, silence, and rest with guidance provided. Because you have your own room, this is a rich opportunity for you to rest in God's presence with uninterrupted privacy; for many, this is a new experience and it is a highlight of the retreat. We will emerge from solitude and gather as a group for Evening Prayer, have dinner together, and then have an evening teaching session that also incorporates time for questions and conversation. Most people experience this day as a wonderfully replenishing rhythm of teaching and quiet reflection, prayer, solitude, and community with other leaders. We close the day with Night Prayer and a beautiful reception intended to give us the opportunity to celebrate God's presence with us during the day and our presence with each other. On Tuesday morning we "turn the corner" and focus on the impact of what we have experienced on our life in leadership within the communities we are a part of. The retreat concludes with a leaving service that gives you an opportunity to "gather up" what God has done in your heart over the last couple of days and plan for re-entry.

    It is a fully-orbed experience that is meant to be deeply replenishing and to help you to strengthen the truest part of yourself—your soul.

• Why is it important for pastors and Christian leaders to have this kind of quiet place to come and meet with God?

  • The calling to be in Christian leadership is complex in ways that other professions are not because a Christian leaders's spiritual life is all mixed up with their vocational life, their work, their community and even their family life. Sometimes pastors lose track of their own spirituality as something that is very personal and not just public. Although success can be satisfying in many ways, pastors need to pull away from life in the public view at times and attend to their own relationship with God in privacy. On retreat, it's not about preaching a sermon or preparing to lead others or even networking with colleagues. It is an opportunity to allow ourselves to receive spiritual guidance and to give ourselves over to just being a soul in God's presence.

• What would you say to pastors who think they're too busy to take that time away?

  • If you think you're too busy it's probably time for you to go on retreat! If you are too busy to go on retreat, chances are you are consumed with your work and your ministry in a way that prevents you from being able to hear and respond to Jesus' invitation to you to "Come away with me and rest awhile."

    In the midst of great busyness and much human need, Jesus said that to his own disciples in the New Testament. "Come away with me and rest awhile." (Mark 6:30) If we hear that invitation from Jesus and we say to him, "No, I'm too busy," then we are probably in desperate need of a retreat. We are in desperate need of finding ourselves in God's presence again and seeing our ministry flow out of the relationship that we're cultivating with God himself.

• I've never been on a retreat before. What will happen when I first get there? How will I know where to go and what to do?

  • First of all, when you arrive at the retreat center, you can expect it to be beautiful. We try very hard to hold our retreats in beautiful places where you can rest your soul in God. When you arrive, there will be someone there to greet you. They will take you to your own private room with private bath, and will point out other important locations (teaching room, chapel and dining hall) along the way. You will want to take note of chapel space, in particular, because hopefully your soul will feel drawn to spend time there in worship and intimacy with God—perhaps even before the retreat officially begins.

    You can expect good food and good fellowship with people who are ministering in the same kinds of arenas that you are, yet it is not a networking experience and you can rest in that. As far as schedule, we try to begin around five or six on Sunday evening. (Please visit our website to confirm the specific start time for a particular retreat; the schedule will also be sent to you with your registration materials and it will also be included in the packet that is given to you when you arrive.) We begin on Sunday evenings so as not to take you away from your church or your family on the weekend. We want you to be able to carry out your responsibilities in your church and then pick up your bag and head out the door to drive or catch your flight. We end at 1:00 on Tuesdays, so you can be back in your own setting by Tuesday afternoon or Tuesday evening.

• All of the Transforming Community retreats address the practices found in Sacred Rhythms and the themes found in Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership. What is the significance of these themes?

  • Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership comes out of ten years of teaching, leading retreats and doing spiritual direction with pastors and Christian ministry leaders, but actually it started before that. It started with my own journey as a leader and coming to a place in my own life where I began to realize that I was losing my own soul in ministry. I saw that it's possible to be very successful, to look very successful, to have a lot of good things going on, and yet to be slipping away from your connection with God—the Person who actually called you into ministry in the first place.

    Those of us who are leader types take on leadership roles because we really want do to something good in the world. We really want to make a difference. But the truth is that sometimes the work becomes more important than the Person of God himself. It happens very subtly. We work around the clock. We burn the candle at both ends, and eventually we wake up one day and realize how depleted we are. We realize that our own spiritual practices are missing and that we have lost that private place with God for ourselves because we're giving everything we know to other people.

    When that happens it's very disturbing to notice that we have been serving God, but have lost touch with the God we are serving, and we are missing the intimacy that used to be there. What used to be a joyful, passionate pursuit has become something that is merely for public consumption. The practices described in Sacred Rhythms are the key disciplines that help us to discover and rediscover, regain and maintain a healthy, growing relationship with God. Integrating those practices into our lives in leadership (as addressed in Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership) helps us to keep seeking God in fruitful ways in the crucible of ministry and to be sustained for the long haul.