Table of Contents

Introduction: An Inconvenient Truth
1. Between the Now and Not Yet: Choosing to Walk Together
2. And Jesus Himself Came Near: Welcoming the Stranger
3. And They Stood Still Looking Sad: Choosing to Listen Rather than Fix
4. But We had Hoped . . . Gathering on the Basis of Shared Desire
5. The Women of Our Group have Astounded Us: Men and Women in Community
6. Was it Not Necessary that the Messiah Should Suffer? The Nature of the Spiritual Journey
7. He Explained to Them the Scriptures: Finding Our Story in His Story
8. Were Not Our Hearts Burning Within Us? Discerning the Presence of Christ
9. Then They Told What had Happened on the Road: You are Witnesses of These Things
Appendix A
Appendix B

About the Author

Ruth Haley Barton (Doctor of Divinity, Northern Seminary) is founder and president of the Transforming Center, a ministry dedicated to strengthening the souls of pastors and ministry leaders, equipping them to cultivate communities of spiritual transformation that discern and do the will of God. Over the last fifteen years Ruth has developed the content and process of the Center?s two-year Transforming Community® experience. Along with the Transforming Center team, she has guided hundreds of pastors and ministry leaders through this experience, which has profoundly influenced this book. A sought-after teacher, preacher, retreat leader and spiritual director, Ruth has served on the pastoral staff of several churches. Trained at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation and the Institute for Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago, she also serves as adjunct professor of spiritual formation at Northern Seminary. Ruth is the author of numerous books and resources on the spiritual life, including Invitation to Solitude and Silence, Sacred Rhythms, Longing for More, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership and Pursuing God's Will Together. She is also the coauthor of An Ordinary Day with Jesus: Experiencing the Reality of God in Your Everyday Life (Willow Creek Resources), and author of an online resource titled eReflections, spiritual guidance via email.

Reviews

"Jesus' call for us to be transformed is clear, but how does that happen? Barton emphasizes that we are transformed in community, providing an alternative to the individualism of our age. Hospitality, listening to one another and to Christ in our midst—these are the practices by which we submit to the transforming power of Christ."
*Relevant Magazine, January-February 2015*

"Life Together in Christ is a delightful book to read—spiritually encouraging and uplifting, and a viable and strong source of guidance for creating community dedicated to spiritual growth, maturity and the kinds of loving, transformational spiritual power that can, then, change the world. It belongs on the bookshelf of every ministry professional and in every church library. For individuals feeling led to create a growing, thriving church community, there could be no better resource. Life Together in Christ is itself a transformational experience rooted in Gospel story and values and, well utilized, has great potential to bring new life to church, family and community life."
*Michelle Wilbert, Englewood Review, Advent 2014*

"Transforming community emerges as we embrace a shared commitment to the attitudes, practices and behaviors that open us to Christ in our midst. Reflecting on the story of the two disciples who meet Christ on the Emmaus Road, Ruth Haley Barton offers this interactive guide for small groups of spiritual companions who are ready to encounter Christ in transforming ways on the road of real life."
*Light Magazine Canada, January 2015*

"Life Together in Christ is fresh, useful, biblically smart, and rooted in sound theology. . . . As a pastor thinking about how to use Life Together in Christ, I envision employing it as the basis for a sermon series on the Road to Emmaus, linked with small groups of the same theme, perhaps during the Easter season. I could also see using some of the chapters on their own for small group use. Whichever way I end up using it, I am certain that I will."
*Sarah Scherschligt, Presbyterian Outlook, February 2, 2015*