04/20/2026
The Renovare Institute for Spiritual formation was founded by Richard Foster, who wrote the book Celebration of Discipline in the 1970’s.
As a two year CoHort meeting in Seattle twice a year in residence for a week. In between our residencies, we read, we pray, we write papers and meet monthly for classes and as small groups on Zoom.
The curriculum revolves around what Foster labeled the Six Streams of Christianity: The Contemplative stream, the Evangelical Stream, the Holiness Stream, the Charismatic Stream, the Social Justice stream, and the Incarnational Stream. Now each of our church attendees will probably identify themselves as swimming in one of those streams. I as a Methodist might see myself in either the Holiness or Social Justice stream. My Baptist brothers and sisters might see themselves swimming in the Evangelical Stream. My Pentecostal friends more likely swim in the Charismatic stream. If you come out the Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Anglican and Lutheran tradition you more than likely swim in the Contemplative stream. Finally if you come from a Quaker, Mennonite or Amish you might swim. In the Incarnational Stream. Now there is variety and diversity in each of these streams so your church might swim in more than one of these streams, but your identity is most likely tied to one of them. The other factor is that each of these streams have potential strengths as well as potential handicaps. Realizing that we can grow not through merging into one bureaucratic monster, but in listening, praying and supporting one another.
The end of May I make my final trip to Seattle for the fourth residence. These two years has been a transitional and transformational time for this 79 year old preacher. Carol has passed into glory, I have moved and am back into pastoral ministry seeking and praying for an awakening within God’s kingdom people.
