Leading a Transforming Community: Foundations, Practices, and Strategies for Opening to God Together

by Ruth Haley Barton

Cultivate and Catalyze Spiritual Transformation in Your CommunityMany Christian communities long for deeper spiritual growth but find themselves stuck, not knowing how to move forward together. If you are a leader seeking to guide your community toward genuine, God-centered transformation, this book provides the vision and tools you need.In Leading a Transforming Community, spiritual formation thought leader Ruth Haley Barton shares insights from over twenty-five years of guiding leaders through the Transforming Center. She casts a compelling vision for what is possible when a community gathers around the presence of Christ with the shared goal of spiritual transformation.This seminal work is an essential resource for pastors, small group leaders, and leaders of all Christian communities who believe that change and transformation should be the norm, not the exception.Leading a Transforming Community will equip you and your team with Biblical and theological foundations for spiritual transformation in community;Shared attitudes, practices, and experiences to do together as a group;Real-life examples and stories from fellow leaders; andPractical, intentional strategies for opening to God as a community.
This book shows how spiritual transformation is central to the message of the gospel and the mission of the church. With Leading a Transforming Community, learn to cultivate a community of spiritual transformation that discerns and does the will of God together, and in turn empowers others to do the same.Also Leading a Transforming Community Study GuideWhen your group uses the Leading a Transforming Community Study Guide alongside Leading a Transforming Community, you'll get a six-session practical framework to help you apply the book's teachings, complete with questions, prayers, and group practices.

Genres: Theology, Faith

264 pages, Hardcover

Published October 13, 2026

About the author

Ruth Haley Barton (Doctor of Divinity, Northern Seminary) is founding president/CEO of the Transforming Center, a ministry dedicated to strengthening the souls of pastors and Christian leaders, and the congregations and organizations they serve. For over twenty years, she has ministered to the soul care needs of pastors and leaders based upon her conviction that the best thing we bring to leadership is our own transforming selves. Trained at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation and the Institute for Pastoral Studies Loyola University Chicago, Ruth is a seasoned retreat leader and spiritual director. A sought-after speaker and preacher, she has served on the pastoral staff of several churches and teaches frequently at seminaries and graduate schools. Ruth is the author of numerous books and resources on the spiritual life, including Invitation to Solitude and Silence, Sacred Rhythms, Longing for More, Pursuing God's Will Together, and Life Together in Christ. She continues to share her thoughts and perspectives on soulful leadership through an online resource called eReflections as well as a podcast entitled Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership.

Reviews

[Afrika · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a participant in Transforming Community 20, I came to know Ruth Haley Barton as a trusted teacher and mentor whose life reflects what she teaches. Her wisdom, honesty, and care have shaped my own spiritual journey.

Leading a Transforming Community offers a hopeful invitation to leaders and communities longing to follow the loving, self-giving way of Jesus. At a time when so many faith communities are struggling with what faithful leadership looks like, Ruth’s voice is a breath of fresh air.

I warmly recommend this book, along with the study guide, for those who want to explore its invitations together and put them into practice.

[Grant Klinefelter · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Thank you, RHB.