Spiritual disciplines (Foster, Renovaré)

Domain XIII · Contemplative & religious disciplines · Richard J. Foster

What it is

This is a modern Protestant spiritual-formation movement and its teaching, not a therapy. Foster, a pastor educated at George Fox University and Fuller Theological Seminary, is credited by Renovaré with bringing ancient Christian practices back to many contemporary evangelicals and other…

Format

• Twelve disciplines in three groups (Foster). Inward: meditation, prayer, fasting, study. Outward: simplicity, solitude, submission, service. Corporate: confession, worship, guidance, celebration. Foster does not present these as a fixed sequence of stages; they are a repertoire.
• Six streams (Foster, Streams of Living Water; Renovaré). Contemplative: the prayer-filled life. Holiness: the virtuous life. Charismatic: the Spirit-empowered life. Social justice: the compassionate life. Evangelical: the Word-centred life. Incarnational: the sacramental life. Renovaré presents…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Groups. A Spiritual Formation Workbook gives guidelines for starting a Renovaré Spiritual Formation Group, study plans for the first nine sessions, and a questionnaire to map the way ahead. Today Renovaré also runs Fellowship of the Burning Heart Listening Groups: members commit to the Covenant, the group's core values and a monthly meeting (a one-year group is described), following a set Order of Meeting with…
• Renovaré Institute. A two-year cohort (up to 45 students) leading to a certificate in Christian Spiritual Formation: four mandatory one-week residencies, online coursework (roughly a book a month and an article a week), reading notes, exercise journals, papers, a final project, small groups of 5–6 meeting monthly by video, and required spiritual direction for the last 18 months. It states it is not a programme for…
• What it is. This is a modern Protestant spiritual-formation movement and its teaching, not a therapy. Foster, a pastor educated at George Fox University and Fuller Theological Seminary, is credited by Renovaré with bringing ancient Christian practices back to many contemporary evangelicals and other Protestants; Renovaré describes itself as "a community of Christians seeking continual spiritual renewal in Christ."…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• confidentiality creep; collaborators who oppose treatment. Working: aligned support.
• overload; intense experiences on retreat (see B5). Working: formation supports wellbeing.
• using the map as a new checklist to fail. Working: the client finds a gentler, more varied rhythm.
• the Covenant treated as a vow that must be perfectly kept. Working: less guilt, steadier practice.
• celebration felt as another obligation; anhedonia (assess depression). Working: some pleasure returns.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.