Learning from the Past and Envisioning the Future of the Protestant Spiritual Formation Movement

What is the “spiritual formation movement”? Is it still going? How would we know, and what difference would it make?

Almost two years ago, we developed a plan to address these questions. With funding from the Global Spiritual Formation Project and Westmont’s Martin Institute, a group of leaders was gathered in the pages of a supplemental issue of the Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care, released this week. Together, these leaders recollect the past and imagine the future of what God may be up to in his call for his people to be holy as he is holy.

After an introductory essay and an article offering a social-historical analysis of the Protestant Spiritual Formation Movement, representatives of eight organizations reflect on their organization’s role in the movement. The organizations included are: Regent College, The Upper Room, Renovaré, Leadership Transformations, Inc., Transforming Center, Apprentice Institute, Biola University’s Institute for Spiritual Formation, and InterVarsity Press. These retrospective essays are followed by seven prospective essays—the authors involved are James K. A. Smith, Mae Elise Cannon, Rich Villodas, Sammy Alfaro, Vilma “Nina” Balmaceda, David C. Wang, and E. Trey Clark.

The purpose of the supplemental issue is to reflect on the past, attend to the present, and lean into the future of the Protestant Spiritual Formation Movement. Our central conviction is that God’s people cooperate better with the movement of his Spirit in our local times and places as we broaden our perspective and attend to the Spirit’s work across time and place. We understand the Protestant Spiritual Formation Movement as an ongoing movement of God’s people seeking to faithfully respond to the movement of God’s Spirit.

We invite you to view the entirety of the special issue here.

Steve Porter, on behalf of the Editorial Team

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