REL 255: Spiritual Formation for Ministry

Historian and Iona Community member Rosemary Power tells the story of the small Hebridean island of Iona and its remarkable spiritual influence over fifteen centuries. Beginning with the earliest Stone Age settlements, she combines new translations of early Gaelic and medieval Latin prayers with original research to chart: the founding of the abbey in 563AD six centuries of monasticism: food, lifestyle, work and the pattern of daily prayer architecture, the high crosses and early art medieval Iona: the nunnery, women's lives, and catering for pilgrims post Reformation Iona: the rebuilding of the Abbey, the lives of the resident population and what visitors from the 17th century onwards experienced

Many involved in this movement have quoted Dietrich Bonhoeffer's conviction that the church must recover ancient spiritual disciplines if it is to effectively engage the powers that be. Melodies of a New Monasticism adopts a musical metaphor of polyphony (the combination of two or more lines of music) to articulate the way that these early Christian virtues can be woven together in community. Creatively using this imagery, this book draws on the theological vision of Bonhoeffer and the contemporary witness of George MacLeod and the Iona Community to explore the interplay between discipleship, doctrine, and ethics.

This new edition of Norman Shanks' book (previously published by Hodder & Stoughton) is an outstanding introduction and guide to the spirituality, concerns and activities of the Iona Community, by a former Leader of the Community. A new chapter has been added to bring the book up to date. What is it that interests so many people in the work of the Iona Community and draws thousands of visitors each year to the tiny island of Iona? Apart from its magical beauty and sense of timelessness, one reason is to imbibe the spirituality of the Community. Norman Shanks shows how the Community, in its work on Iona and elsewhere, has developed an integrated vision which is rooted in everyday living.

The services and resources in this book reflect the Iona Community's commitment to the belief that worship is all that we are and all that we do, both inside and outside the church, with no division into the "sacred" and the "secular". The material draws on many traditions, including the Celtic, and aims to help us to be fully present to God in our neighbour, in the political and social activity of the world around us and in the very centre and soul of our being. This new edition has been extensively revised and rearranged and includes much new material developed by the resident group on Iona.