Urban Institute Program Description

Courses:

Basic Program - Year 1 (For Everyone)
Extended Academic Program - Year 1 (For those seeking seminary credit)
Basic Program - Year 2
Enhanced Program - Year 2

Basic Program - Year 1 (For Everyone)

New Format for 2011-2012 to accomodate distance students!

Our Basic Program is for everyone taking the Urban Institute. It features spiritual direction, spiritual friendship, a spiritual formation small group and an introduction to each of the four stages of spiritual formation. The program consists of :

4 weekend spiritual formation small group retreats
Spiritual direction (twice a month September - June)
Regular (at least bi-weekly) Online interaction, discussion and some course work (September - June)
Regular informal get-togethers with spiritual friends (Triads) (October - June)
Spiritual Formation Conference (March)

There is a logic to the model of spiritual formation offered by the Urban Institute which is presented in the following four stages.

Stage 1: Learning to Listen and Draw Close to God

The core of your spiritual formation will be the relationships that you develop with God, your spiritual director, your sacred companions and your own soul. The teaching part of this adventure will be minimal and not nearly as important as the relational growth that will occur. Therefore this time of spiritual formation can develop at whatever pace fits (i.e. you can take longer than the short time envisioned and you can keep those relationships going long after the teaching time is done) even though the teaching time is done in a ten month time frame.

Stage #1 begins with a weekend retreat (September) that will be an introduction to the disciplines of hearing God. You will begin some reading and journaling exercises that will be designed to increase your attunement to God speaking into your life. The primary focus of the weekend retreats will be spiritual formation small group interaction, so you will be introduced to your group at the retreat and have your first four group meetings over the weekend. Each Spiritual Formation Small Group will be led by an experienced leader. You will also be introduced to your spiritual director, and those students who are not local will have their first spiritual direction meeting during the weekend.

Soon after the first retreat you will begin the online portion of the program which will focus on teaching and interaction with the material and each other. Online interaction will be required weekly or bi-weekly. Your spiritual direction meetings will also begin following the retreat. Students who are not local will have their spiritual direction sessions via Skype. Local students will schedule appointments with their director at the Urban Sanctuary. In preparation for the second stage, Triads will also begin meeting after this retreat.

Time requirements

1 – 2.5 day retreat (Friday evening to Sunday afternoon)
Spiritual Direction meetings
Regular Online interaction
Regular meetings with Triad
Personal time for reading, journaling and praying

Stage 2: Learning to Listen and Draw Close to other Sacred Companions

In this second stage you will be introduced to the concept of what Sacred Companions can bring into your life. You will have met with your Spiritual Formation Small Group at the first and second retreat, and you will have met with your Triads for a couple of months, so you will have begun learning to talk at a soul level with each other. You will learn to pray for others, battle for their souls as you talk and as you pray, listen well to feedback as well as give it and tell the deepest story of your soul. It is our hope that the relationships you form in the Small Groups and Triads will become life-long relationships. As mentioned above, the Spiritual Formation Small Groups are a more formal time led by by an experienced leader. They also only involve students in the Urban Institute. Triads are smaller groups of spiritual friends that get together informally. Members of your triad do not need to be attending the Urban Institute.

Time requirements:

1 – 2.5 day retreat (Friday evening to Sunday supper) Late Fall
Spiritual Direction meetings
Regular Online interaction
Regular meetings with Triad
Personal time for reading, journaling and praying

Stage 3: Learning to Listen and Draw Close to Your Own Soul

In this stage the focus will be on the battle between your flesh and spirit natures. The teaching will focus on that battle as will your times of spiritual direction. Various suggestions of strategies to battle the flesh will be given to you that will include activities with your spiritual director, triad, spiritual formation small group or as you take some time for solitude. There will also be a conference hosted by the Urban Sanctuary. You are registered for the conference and will be expected to help with various duties at the conference. There will also be reading assignments during this stage that will be discretionary in terms of the amount of time you spend trying to accomplish them.

1 – 2.5 day retreat (Friday evening to Sunday supper) Winter
Spiritual Direction meetings
Regular Online interaction
Regular meetings with Triad
Personal time for reading, journaling and praying

Stage 4: Listening to God through knowing your calling.

Your focus will change finally to the calling that God has given to you and the confirmation that God gives to you through the companions He has placed in your life. There should also be discussions about what you will need to do to prepare you for the calling God has given you and the resources that you will need to use in your preparation. The focus of the teaching and your spiritual direction will be on calling. You will be introduced to a practice known as a clearness committee, which you may assemble to help you discern your calling. At the end of this stage we will organize a celebration of your accomplishments and invite folks who know you to celebrate with you.

1 – 2.5 day retreat (Friday evening to Sunday supper) Spring
Spiritual Direction meetings
Regular Online Interaction
Regular meetings with Triad
Personal time for reading, journaling and praying

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Extended Academic Program

For students seeking seminary credit for their work in the Urban Institute

The Urban Sanctuary has partnered with Taylor Seminary to offer the Urban Institute for seminary credit for students who would like to apply their experience towards a seminary program. In addition to the Basic Program detailed above, those taking the Extended Academic Program will also be required to complete about 2000 pages of reading and several papers during the year. A complete syllabus for the Extended Academic Program is available from the Urban Sanctuary.

In the Taylor Seminary Catalogue, the first year of the Urban Institute is listed under two courses:

SF 513: Spiritual Formation Models - Part 1 (Stages 1 & 2 of the Basic Program)

A survey of various spiritual formation models and an in depth examination of the first and second steps in the model used by the Urban Sanctuary. The majority of the time will be spent on the discernment of God's voice in prayer and in the feedback of others. It also provides a practical foundation and rationale for a structured approach to spiritual formation and provides th etools to evaluate historical and contemporary illustrations of spiritual formation models with the goal of training spiritually formed disciples of Jesus Christ .Three credits.

SF 514: Spiritual Formation Models - Part 2 (Stages 3 & 4 of the Basic Program)

A survey of various spiritual formation models and an in depth examination of th ethird and fourth steps in the model used by the Urban Sanctuary. Special attention will be given to the practical implications of mortifying th eflesh and the integration of the student's deepest desires with the calling of God in the student's daily life. Historical and contemporary spiritual formation models will be evaluated in the light of th egoal of training spiritually formed disciples of Jesus Christ: Prerequisite: SF 513. Three credits.