Read to be
Text
.Journey through four soul-shaping, Christ-centered books.
Runs through May 2023
Final book, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth, starts March 27.
Membership Includes
Books for 2022-23
Chosen by the Renovaré Book Club Selection Committee




Meet the Facilitators
Facilitators provide exclusive audio and written content and participate in a members-only Q&A webinar.

Carolyn Arends
Overall Facilitator

Trevor Hudson
Seeking God

Justine Olawsky
Orthodoxy

Richard J. Foster
Learning Humility

Brenda Quinn
Learning Humility

Bob Fryling
Learning Humility

Tina Dyer
The Narrative of Sojourner Truth

Grace Pouch
The Narrative of Sojourner Truth
Past participants say
The most meaningful thing about the Renovaré Book Club was...
A Safe Space to Go Deeper
The Internet can be a scary place sometimes, especially when it comes to discussing close-to-the-heart topics. The Renovaré Book Club strives to create a space where people ask without fear, seek understanding, and honor one another even if there is disagreement.
You can choose to participate in a private online community, an In-Person or online small group, or no group at all and simply follow along and enjoy the resources. It's up to you.

Meaningful Small Group Discussions
Members may optionally join a small discussion group run by a volunteer coordinator. These video or in-person groups typically meet once a month at different times.
In-person meetings are hosted by volunteer coordinators. Renovaré connects coordinators with members but does not oversee groups.
View Times & LocationsJoin the 2022-23 Renovaré Book Club
FAQ
General
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.
Membership includes reading schedule with email reminders, study guides, podcasts, essays and a members-only discussion forum where you can interact with other members and the Renovaré team members leading the sessions. Membership also includes access to volunteer-led meet-up groups — virtual or in-person — in select areas.
Timing (Start Date, Ship Dates)
Our 2022 – 23 season officially began on October 3, 2022. You may join any time during the season and have access to the bonus features of all four books (articles and podcasts, as well as discussion board conversations).
Due to the event-like nature of the Book Club, memberships are not returnable/refundable. Thanks for your understanding and for your support of the work of Renovaré.
Once you join, you will have perpetual access to this season’s resources and access to the discussion forums throughout the summer. We leave everything accessible on the Book Club dashboard through early September.
Once we archive all of the resources, we send members a link to access them going forward. We do not preserve the discussion boards past the summer.
Books
We have two membership options:
- With-Book Membership (available through Oct 2022): Renovaré sends you the first book of the season, Seeking God by Trevor Hudson; members must then purchase or otherwise obtain the other three books of the 2022 – 23 season.
- Membership Only: Members must purchase or otherwise obtain all four books of the 2022 – 23 season.
Books may be borrowed from your local library, purchased at your local bookseller, or purchased using Amazon or CBD links on the Book Club purchase page (links support Renovaré).
Readers often find it easier to use the recommended editions, as page numbers and other details can be edition-specific. The weekly reading assignments themselves do tend to match with chapter breaks. Also, as none of the books for the 2022 – 23 season is a translated work, the edition will not matter as much.
Note: We are also aware that our readers are increasingly using ebook versions of the texts, and we will do our best to make the reading assignments make sense for the digital versions of our chosen editions as well.
With-book memberships only include the first book, Seeking God. You will receive an email notification when your book ships, which will begin after September 19th.
We will ship the books via USPS media mail and members will receive a tracking number in their email notification. Most US addresses will receive their books within 7 – 10 days.
All other books of the season must be sourced by members. Please visit your local bookseller or library to obtain them or see our books page to learn more about ordering books online.
Local Meet Ups
**UPDATED INFORMATION FOR 2022 – 23 COMING SOON**
We have been greatly encouraged by the local communities, led by our wonderful member-volunteers.
In 2022 – 23, our volunteer hosts will have the option of hosting an online-only meet-up (open to members across the globe) or a local in-person meet-up. Renovaré publishes the list of volunteers and the meet-up times and days but does not have a direct role in hosting the groups.
That said, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Your membership fee covers the study guide, podcasts, essays, weekly reminders, and access to the online community. Meet-ups, whether virtual or in-person, are a free bonus to the Book Club made possible by volunteers. Because of that, Renovaré cannot accept responsibility for individuals’ experiences — whether as host or participant — in a Book Club group.
- You must be a member of the Book Club to connect with a local host. We have assured our hosts that their information will only be made available to those who belong to the Book Club. Once you join, you will receive a special link to the coordinators’ names and email addresses so you can connect with them.
- Dates and times of meet-ups are set by hosts and are published on the Book Club website for your convenience.
New volunteers are signing up to lead all the time, so do continue to check the listings as we draw nearer to the start date. If you would like to volunteer to lead a group online or in-person, please use this Group Coordinator Application Form.
We expect our Book Club members to treat one another as Jesus would, with the highest level of honor and respect. Any sort of abuse or harassment will not be tolerated — whether in-person or online.
Thank you!
A map is available at renovare.org/bookclub/locations. You must be a member of the Book Club to contact local volunteer hosts about meet-up times and locations. You will receive a special link that has host contact information in your welcome email once you join the Club. Thanks!
How The Book Club Works
Each year the Renovaré Book Club Selection Committee, which includes Carolyn Arends, Richard Foster, and other Renovaré team members, meets and chooses the titles for the Book Club. Dozens of new and classic books are considered and carefully narrowed down to four choices. This is an independent selection process — no publisher can pay to have its book included.
Each session has a facilitator (either the author or an expert on the book) who will help you grow as you read each title. They provide bonus articles and podcast messages about the book, but they do not engage on the discussion forums. You will have an opportunity to post a question for the facilitator that might be included in each session’s third and final podcast/webcast, which is driven by members’ questions.
Our Renovaré staff works together to moderate the discussion board and engages as they are able.
Finally, our regional virtual and in-person meet-up groups are coordinated by volunteer Book Club members.
All resources and discussion are through a special Book Club members website. Members receive their login information via email within a half an hour of joining the Book Club.
The Renovaré Book Club can fit just about any schedule. We read each book over six weeks but include a prep week at the start and a wrap-up week at the end, so there is plenty of cushion. The reading “assignments” are not more than 50 pages per week.
At the beginning of each book, our members receive an outline of the proposed reading schedule. Every Monday, we send out an update that includes:
- A reminder of that week’s reading assignment
- A supplementary resource (usually an article or a podcast) from that book’s facilitator
- (Sometimes) optional bonus resources for members who want to go deeper
- A discussion question for those who wish to engage in online discussion.
All of the resources, once posted, are available all season. There are no “live” online discussions (members can post at any time), and you may engage as much or as little as you would like online.
Members who participate in a virtual or in-person meet-up led by a volunteer coordinator will gather once-a-month at a time and day determined by the volunteer.
We do not have a flat-fee licensing system for our current Book Club. We do offer an expanding collection of Book Club materials from previous Book Club books that you may purchase for your group. You may find them here: Interactive Book Study Guides
Other Questions
Justine Olawsky is glad to help. Email her at [email protected]renovare.org.