Renovaré
June 19-21, 2025 · LaGrange, Georgia

Three days for being renewed by Jesus in the company of his friends.

RēGathering 2025 has sold out.
Add your name to the wait list.

Join Waitlist
↓ Or scroll to learn more
Share
Renovaré

“I just like being in the room with Renovaré people.”

We hear that a lot.

And who exactly are Renovaré people? 

They're people who are utterly dependent on Jesus,

who are more interested in what we have in common than in what divides us,

who haven't given up on the Church 
(even if they sometimes feel out of place in a church),

who believe Spirit-empowered transformation is better than self-help,

who want to find the beauty that every Christian Stream has to offer,

who long to learn to listen well to God and each other,

who don't need to convince or fix one another,

who are teachable—

people who are seeking continual renewal.

If that resonates, RēGathering is for you.

It's a three-day event that's part conference (great sessions + workshops), part retreat (a restorative pace), and part family reunion (with family you enjoy).

A place where three hundred followers of Jesus gather to “taste and see” the Kingdom of God through conversation, workshops, worship, prayer, meals, silence, and laughter.

It is a space to…

...receive—not just from good teachers but from the Teacher.
...recenter our scattered minds and souls on Jesus.
...reacquaint with a soul friend and make a new one.
...remind one another of the beauty of the Trinity.
...reflect, regroup, and be renewed.

Hope to see you this June in Georgia!

The Renovaré Team

When & Where

When

June 19-21, 2025
Thursday afternoon through Saturday evening

Where We’ll Meet

First United Methodist Church
401 Broad St, LaGrange, GA 30240
One-hour from the Atlanta airport (ATL)

Where To Stay

There are a wide variety of lodging options in LaGrange. Here are a few nearby hotels that we recommend:

Closest (7-minute walk)
Courtyard LaGrange
25 W Lafayette Sq, LaGrange, GA 30240
(706) 668-5600

Nearby (10-Minute Drive)
Hampton Inn LaGrange near Callaway Gardens
100 Willis Circle, LaGrange, GA 30240
(706) 845-1115

Wingate by Wyndham LaGrange
103 Wingate Terrace, LaGrange, GA 30241
(706) 521-6820

  • A block of rooms has been reserved under Renovaré Group for June 19–21, 2025. Guests can book one of the 25 available king rooms at a rate of $119 per night (plus taxes, totaling $141.85). To secure a reservation, please call the property at 706-298-5270 and provide a credit card before the June 13, 2025 cutoff date.

Downtown LaGrange
Courtyard
First United Methodist

Schedule

June 19-21, 2025

Thursday afternoon through Saturday evening

Thursday, June 19

  • 3–5 PM Arrival / Registration
  • 5–7:00 PM Welcome + Dinner (Onsite dinner included)
  • 7–8:30 PM Opening Session/Plenary

Friday, June 20

  • 8–8:30 AM Morning Prayer
  • 9 AM–12 PM Conversations and Plenary Sessions
  • 12–1:30 PM Lunch–Pre-paid box lunch or restaurant
  • 1:30–2:45 PM Workshops
  • 2:45–7:00 PM Retreat Activities and Dinner On Your Own
  • 7:00–8:30 PM Plenary Session

Saturday, June 21

  • 8–8:30 AM Morning Prayer
  • 9 AM–12 PM Workshops and Plenary Sessions
  • 12:00–1:30 PM Lunch–Pre-paid box lunch or restaurant
  • 1:30–5:00 PM Retreat Activities
  • 5:30–7:00 PM Dinner (Onsite dinner included)
  • 7:00–8:30 PM Final Plenary and Celebration

Contributors

Workshops

Select from these workshops at check-in
Jonathan R. Bailey Nathan Foster Vivianne Foster Richella Parham

Conversation: Spiritual Formation Q and A: Catching the Vision of Becoming Like Jesus, Together

Jonathan R. Bailey & Nathan Foster & Vivianne Foster & Richella Parham

Are you new to Renovaré? New to the phrase “spiritual formation”? Or looking to refresh your understanding of key words and concepts related to being a disciple of Jesus?

 Join host Richella Parham, author of A Spiritual Formation Primer, and panelists Nathan and Viv Foster, and Jonthan Bailey for a warm introduction to spiritual formation. 

This conversation will also be helpful for those hoping to carry the vision of spiritual formation back to church communities that might not be familiar with the vocabulary of “formation.” 

Our panel will answer questions like:

  • In ordinary, everyday language, what exactly is spiritual formation?
  • How does God's grace fit into spiritual formation? Is it just "works righteousness" by another name?
  • What are “spiritual disciplines”? 
  • What does community have to do with formation?
  • How does someone get started on the journey of spiritual formation in Jesus?

We will provide lots of time for audience questions! 

Christopher A. Hall Jeremy Chambers Tiffany Clark Drew L. Dixon

Conversation: Being the Body: Metaphors for Life Together

Christopher A. Hall & Jeremy Chambers & Tiffany Clark & Drew L. Dixon

Join host Drew Dixon and panelists Chris Hall,  Jeremy Chambers, and Tiffany Clark for a conversation exploring several great metaphors for the Church—Body, Bride, Boat, Building, and so on. The panel will discuss questions like: 

  • How do metaphors cast a vision for local church membership?
  • What is the fruit of spiritual formation in community?
  • What does unity look like in a local church? What does it look like in the larger Church?
  • What practical steps can we take to better be the Body?

This conversation will include a time of audience Q and A, so bring your questions!

Monty Harrington Miriam Dixon Katelyn J. Dixon

Conversation: Healing Church Wounds: Strategies for Repairing Life Together

Monty Harrington & Miriam Dixon & Katelyn J. Dixon

Join host Monty Harrington and panelists Mimi Dixon and Katelyn J. Dixon for a conversation about the reality of hurt in church relationships, how to experience God's healing, and how to be Spirit-empowered agents of repair. The panel will discuss questions like:

  • What are some common forms of wounding in the context of life together in the church?
  • Is unity possibly after church hurt? What are the steps to healing?
  • Is it possible to guard your heart while also being open to reconciliation?
  • How can church members be agents of healing and repair for others who’ve been wounded?

We will provide ample time for audience questions, so bring your own wonderings and join our conversation.

Brian Kang Siang-Yang Tan Monica Paredes Chambers James Catford

Conversation: Learning from the Church around the World: Global Perspectives on Life Together

Brian Kang & Siang-Yang Tan & Monica Paredes Chambers & James Catford

Host James Catford and panelists Monica Paredes-Chambers, Siang-Yang Tan, and Brian Kang will share “postcards” and insights from their experiences being part of the Church outside of North America, covering topics like: 

  • What encourages you about the Church outside of North America?
  • Do people elsewhere use the term “spiritual formation” to express the process of growing to be like Jesus?
  • Who are some of the non-American voices and ministries that have been part of your formation?
  • What can American Christians learn about following Jesus and being his Body from brothers and sisters in other parts of the world? 

This conversation will include a time of audience Q&A, so bring your questions!

Ron Mackey Rebecca DeYoung Andrew Arndt Grace Pouch

Conversation: The Next Generation and the Church

Ron Mackey & Rebecca DeYoung & Andrew Arndt & Grace Pouch

The air is heavy with concern for young people—their mental health, their sense of belonging, their distance from the Church. And with that concern comes a mixture of myth and truth about how to respond. What do kids really need? How can the community of faith really welcome young people in a way that roots them in the reality of God, their own belovedness, and the goodness of the Way of Jesus? 

In this conversation, host Grace Pouch will speak with panelists Andrew Arndt, Rebecca DeYoung, and Ron Mackey about what they are seeing and learning in their unique spheres of influence as parents and leaders in fields of ministry, education, and camp leadership. 

There are no easy answers here, but our panel will discuss questions like:

  • What helps kids to form roots in community?
  • How is character formed? What are some essential ingredients for the formation of virtue?
  • What hinders or helps form a child’s sense of belonging and identity?
  • What are some of the biggest barriers to children’s spiritual development in today’s world and how might we overcome those?
  • What can the Church learn from those beyond its walls who understand children’s needs?

This conversation will include a time of audience Q and A, so bring your questions!

Brian Morykon Carolyn Arends

Conversation: Singing for Our Lives: Corporate Worship and Formation

Brian Morykon & Carolyn Arends

Teachers of Christian spiritual formation have long argued that, in the words of James K. A. Smith, “worship is the heart of discipleship.” And yet, worship—especially the corporate worship we experience when we “do Church”—can sometimes be the engine of more dissension than transformation. In this session, geared towards both worship leaders and worship participants, host Carolyn Arends and panellist Brian Morykon will explore:

  • How does music serve as a formational gift to communities?
  • How do we fruitfully navigate matters of preference and taste?
  • How can corporate worship help congregations move from consumers to participants?
  • What postures and approaches “set the table” for worship that both honors God and shapes our hearts?

This conversation will include a time of audience Q and A, so bring your questions!

Nathan Foster Vivianne Foster

Workshop: A Place to Stand: An immersive time with the Renovaré Covenant

Nathan Foster & Vivianne Foster

Join us as we revisit the roots of Renovare’s values and vision for life with God. Whether you’re new to the movement, or have clocked some time with us, come let your heart be awakened to the beautiful simplicity of this statement— offering us a place to stand in the midst of our divisive world.

Lingering with the rich invitation of the Covenant, you’ll have the opportunity to discover how it names your deepest desires, and join the thousands who’ve gone before you in making this promise to journeying the path of a deeper Christlikeness.

Jonathan R. Bailey

Workshop: Cultivating a Rule of Life

Jonathan R. Bailey

The spiritual life is a journey, not a sprint. How do we sustain a deep, transformative friendship with God over the long haul? How do we, in Eugene Peterson’s words, cultivate a long obedience in the same direction?

For centuries, Christians have turned to a Rule of Life—a framework for following Christ that has helped a wide variety of Christian communities to sustain and deepen their life with God.

In this interactive workshop, we will: 

  • explore the origins of a Rule of Life, savoring St. Benedict’s enduring insights,
  • begin (or update) your own living “Rule”—a plan that evolves with you in different seasons of life, and
  • have a live conversation about how this could work in congregational life

By the time you leave, you’ll have everything you need to begin the rhythms of your Rule and to introduce the concept to your church family.

Miriam Dixon

Workshop: Pastoring a Different Kind of Community

Miriam Dixon

“The disappearance of community,” writes Professor Stanley Hauerwas, “has led to a plethora of human and social problems... We need more than new structures. We need a spirit-filled life that is capable of combating the corrosive ideologies of our age. Only when the church lives out its original calling, as a contrast community and foretaste of God’s coming reign, is there hope for the world… This is what being the church is all about.”

This workshop for pastors and ministry professionals will explore: 

  • What might it look like to shape and pastor a “contrast community and foretaste of God’s coming reign?” 
  • Where do I start?
  • What are the characteristics of a transformational community? 
  • What are the characteristics of a pastor who leads this kind of community? What do we do so that God can use us to “transform the church into a sanctuary for spiritually formed lives?” (S. Joseph Kidder)

This opportunity is before us, the door is wide open, and the Spirit of God is on the move! 

Siang-Yang Tan

Workshop: REST: Experiencing God's Peace in a Restless World

Siang-Yang Tan

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?" Jesus invites us to come to find rest in him: "Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthew 11:28-30, MSG)

In this world that seethes with turmoil, genuine peace seems unattainable. In this conference, Dr. Siang-Yang Tan will:

1) show us how we can transform stress into rest by God's grace;

2) help us understand what is the true nature of rest;

3) challenge us to experience rest through nine key disciplines;

4) Appreciate the true meaning of eternal rest through the salvation of Christ

Jeremy and Monica Chambers

Together within the Missio Dei : A gentle invitation for the whole people of God

Jeremy and Monica Chambers

Jesus calls us friends and invites us to co-labor with him in the great harvest (John 4). But what exactly is our part in this Missio Dei, and how do we step into it?

In this workshop, we will:

  • learn to recognize the missional invitation by its fruit: gentleness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
  • consider the importance of community for shared labor and shared joy in the mission,
  • and examine some small but potent actionable steps that anyone can take into the Missio Dei.

Join us as we embark together into the harvest fields to discover the “good works, which God prepared beforehand” for us!

Tina Dyer

Workshop: Loving Well in Challenging Conversations

Tina Dyer

Anchored in the words of Jesus in John 13:35—“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”—this workshop will help participants grow their capacity to stay present, open, and loving in the midst of difficult conversations. 

This workshop is for those seeking to cultivate the Christlike ability to love well—especially when it’s hard. Together, we will:

  • Reflect on Psalm 19:14: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."
  • Explore the concept of "presence" (how we show up and interact with those around us).
  • Practice three ways to open space in a conversation for truth, grace, and transformation.
Justin Campbell Margaret Campbell

Workshop: Eternal Life Now: With God and Each Other in Community for the World

Justin Campbell & Margaret Campbell

The Way of Christ is life lived in and from communion with the Trinity and in community with each other. We are the EKKLESIA: the assembled called-out ones of Jesus. And we are called to be the light of the world.

How might the life of God prevail, not only in us and among us, but also through us for the world? There is much to be done; but first let us consider the prayers of Relinquishment, Repentance and Request.

  • RELINQUISHMENT: How might we relinquish ourselves to God so that we are formed in an inner listening stillness to live in attentive allegiance to Jesus without ceasing?
  • REPENTANCE: How might we join Daniel in repentance that the Church be renovated to the glory of God and for the good of people?
  • REQUEST: How might we exercise the power of the request in the Kingdom of the God so that God’s authority and power advance to hold complete sway on earth as it is in Heaven?

Come and imagine what God would do as, through discipleship to Jesus, the image of God is renewed in us and our vocation as stewards of the creation is restored to us.

Richella Parham

Workshop: The Surprising Blessing of Confession for Life Together

Richella Parham

“Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29)

Communicating with one another feels risky in a world rife with division and mistrust. Some of us have learned to use words as weapons. Some of us have been deeply wounded by words. How can we experience life together as the Body of Christ if we can’t even talk to each other?

This interactive workshop will explore the ancient spiritual discipline of confession—but not in the way you might expect!
Participants will:

  • reflect on the potential for words to “give grace”
  • refresh our view of God, self, and other people to support healthy conversation
  • step into the “how to” of confession that builds up community

Come be surprised by this overlooked but wonderful discipline for life together.

Katelyn J. Dixon

Workshop: The Beauty of Belonging Together

Katelyn J. Dixon

Is it possible to find a redeemed vision of belonging in the Church after wounding and betrayal?

In this workshop, Katelyn will share her own story of wrestling with what it means to belong in a world and Church culture that is in a sifting, shifting season.

Through Story, Scriptural exploration, and small group engagement we will: 

  • reimagine our picture of belonging as being at home in God’s love
  • discover how embracing belonging as Identity, Practice, and Invitation root us in healthy community, and
  • explore practical ways to help others rebuild belonging, even and especially on the other side of deconstruction.

Together we will listen for God’s invitation to each of us personally and to all of his dear ones—the beautiful invitation to belong to Him and to one another.

Julian Davis Reid

Workshop: Listening to Rehearsal: The Note of Sabbath

Julian Davis Reid

This Notes of Rest workshop examines the evolution of the practice of Sabbath over the course of Scripture. As life circumstances changed for the people of God throughout the Old and New Testaments, so did their approach to Sabbath rest. So is it with us: the Spirit invites our rest practices to change as our seasons of life change. 

Through this interactive workshop with music and conversation, Julian will lead the group in a discernment process about how God is inviting our communities to reassess our rest practices in this season for the sake of those affected around us.

David Kim Beth Laury

Workshop: Enriching Your Community with Streams of Living Water

David Kim & Beth Laury

So you've read Richard Foster’s Streams of Living Water ... now what? Foster's image of Streams gives us a beautiful picture of the great Christian traditions, each with its source in the life of Jesus. 

Many leaders can identify the stream that represents their community but wonder how to help their church find “more of God” in the other great Christian traditions. Is it possible to honor the distinctives of your church's roots and create space for other traditions to be experienced, too? 

We say yes! 

Drawing on their involvement in Renovaré's Churches in Renewal Cohort Learning Experience (CIRCLE) and their own church experiences, David Kim and Beth Laury will host this interactive and idea-based workshop where we will ponder and discuss the Streams in community. 

This workshop is for you if you are a church lay leader or ministry professional desiring to:

● identify your community’s tradition and take stock of the strengths and perils 

● envision how to experiment with new streams in your community

● bring greater balance and fullness to your own life with God

● hear and share ideas with other church leaders

Come join us as we consider why the Streams paradigm enriches life together in the local congregation and hely you envision how your church can drink more deeply from all the streams.

Drew L. Dixon

Workshop: Experiencing a Listening Group

Drew L. Dixon

In a time of widespread noise, distraction, and isolation, our souls yearn to know and be known.

This workshop is for everyone who longs:

● to be lifted by friends into the presence of Jesus

● to be heard and prayed for

● to participate in the healing work of listening to others

● to process how God is inviting us deeper into life with him

The Renovaré Listening Group process integrates wisdom from the historical Church, Quaker spirituality, Alcoholics Anonymous, and mental health best practices. Transformation and healing unfold through unhurried silence and deep listening to God, one another, and our own hearts.

Come experience the listening process first-hand and explore the core principles that make these groups powerful pathways for healing and wholeness in our lives and communities.

Nathan Foster Rebecca DeYoung

Retreat Time Event: Live Recording of Renovaré's Life With God podcast

Nathan Foster & Rebecca DeYoung

In this special live audience recording, Nathan Foster will interview Renovaré Ministry Team member and author of Glittering Vices and Vainglory, Rebecca DeYoung. Space is limited to 90 registrants. Check back here to secure your tickets. 

Register

Renovaré RēGathering

June 19-21, 2025

$385

Ticket includes all sessions and workshops, and dinner on Thursday and Saturday evenings.

Join Waitlist

Questions? Please see the FAQ below. If you don't see an answer there, email [email protected]

FAQ

Your ticket includes entry to all plenary and breakout sessions, as well as two evening meals — Thursday and Saturday. Friday and Saturday lunches will be available for purchase in advance before the event.

If you desire to can­cel, you may do so up to six weeks pri­or to the date of the event (May 8, 2025) and receive a full refund minus a $25 can­cel­la­tion fee. No refunds will be giv­en after Thurs­day, May 82025.

First United Methodist Church LaGrange is an hour from the Atlanta Air­port (ATL).

Atten­dees are respon­si­ble for their trans­porta­tion to and from First United Methodist Church in LaGrange.

No, lodg­ing is not includ­ed. We rec­om­mend one of the area hotels list­ed above. You might also try AirBnbVRBO, or Price​line​.com.

Founded by Celebration of Discipline author Richard J. Foster, Renovaré is a Christian nonprofit that creates resources and kindles communities which help people become more like Jesus. Learn more about Renovaré.

Monty Harrington, Renovaré’s Event Coordinator, is happy to answer any questions about the event. Email him at [email protected].