Renovaré

Renovaré (from the Latin "to renew" or "to restore") is a Christian non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals and churches to become better Christians by engaging in "intentional Christian spiritual formation." Renovaré encourages people to develop a balanced vision of Christian faith and witness which draws on the experience of the whole church - across all denominations, and throughout Christian history - and to develop that into a practical strategy for spiritual growth, drawing on classical religious activities, such as prayer, Bible reading, worship, meditation, fasting, and silence. The ministry is international in scope (with affiliates in the USA, Britain, Ireland, Korea, and Brazil) and is ecumenical in character; Renovaré's ministry team draws together members of a wide variety of Christian denominations, including Anglican, Baptist, Church of God, Lutheran, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Quaker.

Purpose statement

Renovaré (US) is a nonprofit Christian organization headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, and active worldwide. We seek to resource, fuel, model, and advocate more intentional living and spiritual formation among Christians and those wanting a deeper connection with God. A foundational presence in the spiritual formation movement for over 20 years, Renovaré is Christian in commitment, ecumenical in breadth, and international in scope.[1]

History

Renovaré was founded by Quaker theologian Richard J. Foster in 1988. After authoring 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 USA). In the Fall of 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.

Over the following years, Renovaré held a number of conferences about spiritual formation around the United States. In 1994 the ministry relocated its offices from Friends University in Wichita, Kansas (where Richard had been teaching) to Denver, Colorado. International activities began to emerge in 2002, with the founding of Renovaré Britain and Ireland; this was followed in with the establishment of Renovaré Korea in 2004, and Renovaré Brazil in 2008. In the summer of 2008, Richard Foster retired as President of Renovaré (although remaining a member of the Board and Ministry Team), and Christopher Webb (an Anglican Franciscan, and member of the Board of Renovaré Britain & Ireland) was appointed to take up the role.

In early 2012 the Renovaré Board "approved the restructuring of the leadership" which resulted in the appointment of Rachel Quan as Executive Director and the termination of the position of President.[3] Christopher Webb returned to Britain and the Board appointed Nathan Foster, Richard's son, as Director of Teaching Ministries.[4]

International Conferences

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

  • 1991: Lake Avenue Congregational Church, Pasadena, CA
  • 1999: George Brown Convention Center, Houston, TX (focusing on Dallas Willard's book The Divine Conspiracy ISBN 0060693339)
  • 2005: Adams Mark Hotel, Denver, CO (focusing on the Renovaré Spiritual Formation Bible ISBN 0060671076)
  • 2009: Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio, TX. The conference focused on Eugene Peterson's book The Jesus Way (ISBN 080282949X).
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References
  1. http://www.renovare.us/WHOWEARE/WhatisRenovar%C3%A9/tabid/2475/Default.aspx, retrieved October 2011
  2. Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth; San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1978
  3. http://www.renovare.us/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=vozJ_Tgxq-Y%3d&tabid=2780
  4. http://www.renovare.us/WHOWEARE/PressRoom/tabid/2780/Default.aspx
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