The Urban Sanctuary Urban Institute

Where does one go to mature in spiritual things? Where does one go to develop a stronger spiritual character and a deeper faith that endures?  A church is a good place to go to start a relationship with Christ or to participate in evangelism -- winning others to Christ.

The Urban Sanctuary has developed an Institute for Spiritual Formation (The Urban Institute) that is more experiential than academic, more relational than formal ...

But it is rare to find a church that excels in bringing the saints to maturity.  Beyond camps or short workshops and seminars, the seminary or Bible College is possibly the other venue that comes closest to carrying out spiritual formation, but the focus often is slanted towards the forming of the mind rather than the spirit. Most spiritual formation programs at seminaries are still academic in nature and are generally focused towards those studying for formal ministry. They are also a rather formidable place for non-academically inclined people to go for spiritual formation.

The Urban Sanctuary has developed an institute for spiritual formation that is more experiential than academic; more relational than formal and open to anyone, not just those called to formal ministry. We want it to be accessible to any lay person who is willing to embark on a disciplined journey of spiritual formation. Yet we also want to make the institute relevant to people studying theology and anyone who falls somewhere between those two ends of the spectrum.  Our hope is that anyone, regardless of  life-style, academic goals, and family situation, will find our Urban Institute a place to focus on maturing in Christ.