The spiritual journey is intensely personal, and yet it is not individual. From the Bible we know that God calls us to live the Christian faith together. Isolation -- from either God or one another -- is antithetical to Christian life. We, the church, the body of believers, are called to be the body of Christ.

As we grow together in faith, we need leaders who can serve as spiritual guides on the journey. Upper Room Ministries® seeks to strengthen and nurture spiritual leaders in their understanding of the Bible and in their own faith journeys. These efforts build on 25 years of ministry through The Walk to Emmaus and The Academy for Spiritual Formation. In the past decade we have intensified our efforts in this area by establishing the Pathways Center for Spiritual Leadership, publishing books for spiritual leaders, and sponsoring conferences to train retreat leaders.

At the core of this ministry of developing spiritual leaders is The Academy for Spiritual Formation. This two-year experiential program in Christian spirituality brings groups of sixty leaders together once per quarter for study, worship, and in-depth discussion of crucial topics related to spiritual formation. The groups meet for five-day sessions that mirror a monastic rhythm of study, prayer and reflection. Many of the people who have participated in the Academy over the past twenty years say it is among the most significant experiences of their lives.

To be successful, the Academy program requires certain things: small group size; intensive, multi-day sessions; opportunities for people to step apart from their daily lives; individual and group study and reflection over the course of a long period of time. Upper Room Ministries is committed to offering a high-quality, affordable program to religious leaders, both clergy and lay. We are seeking support for scholarships so those who are seeking this transformational experience can be afforded the opportunity to attend.

Upper Room Ministries is seeking essential financial support to offer The Academy for Spiritual Formation to faith leaders from around the country.