Christos Center for Spiritual Formation

Christos Center for Spiritual Formation nurtures spiritual awareness and trains Spiritual Directors.

Christos Center is a welcoming community of individuals who practice and teach contemplative spirituality. Christian and ecumenical, we serve people of all denominations, as well as those with no affiliation. Christos is a place to forge deep connections with God and others. God’s grace toward us and in us is the foundation and cornerstone of all we do.  With locations in the Twin Cities, Chicago and worldwide through distance learning, Christos is a place for people to enter the quiet and ponder the deeper questions of life through prayer and reflection. 

Our particular focus is on experiencing God’s presence through the Christian traditions of silence, solitude, prayer, retreat, pilgrimage, and spiritual direction. These practices help us to recognize and be open to what God is doing. By cultivating our inner lives in this way, we are changed for the better. We can then actively share God’s love in the world and nurture the souls of others. 

Here at Christos, we host a variety of workshops, prayer experiences, and group learning opportunities including Ignatian Retreat to bring learners into a deep, connected relationship with God. We also offer a two-year training program in spiritual direction called Tending the Holy. Through this program, we prepare individuals to prayerfully listen and help others notice and respond to God’s call.

Our Goal: $40,000 ($20,000 from donors plus an additional $20,000 from a match) 

For Give to the Max Day 2023, we are pleased to announce a $20,000 match from a group of Christos friends and supporters.  This means for every dollar you give Christos during the 2023 Give to the Max Day campaign (up to $20,000), we are able to access the same amount from the match! This match can be accessed whether you donate online or through on offline donation such as a check mailed to our office. 

In the next year, your gifts will enable us to:

• Increase program scholarships:  We want to remove the financial barriers for people in ministry and others on fixed incomes to take part in our spiritual director training, Ignatian Retreat program and ministry soul care workshops so that they can nurture the souls of others.  Scholarships provided by Christos continue to be in demand, and we turn no one away. 
• Support our 2023-25 Tending the Holy Spiritual Direction cohort (the largest ever!), Ignatian Retreat learners plus other students and participants with technology tools, staff support from new roles such as Alumni Coordinator and Discernment Coordinator, and by recruiting Christos alumni spiritual directors and promoting the availability of our new Spiritual Director directory. 
• Expand our marketing efforts and technology to reach more spiritual seekers, as the scope of our work has increased geographically.  This includes enhancing communications to those in faith communities;  continued funding for social media promotion and search engine optimization, plus updated equipment and software to record and broadcast programs, workshops, prayer experiences and retreats. 
• Create a building repair fund for our 1990s era main business center in Lino Lakes, Minn., which requires maintenance and improvements to the building and grounds. The building serves as our organization's headquarters, and also serves as a retreat center and meeting place for those looking for contemplative stillness as well as programming. 
• Support our most important asset: our staff and those in daily contact with our seekers and learners. Funding will sustain our talented staff by providing more employee development opportunities and help retain the people who embody the heart and soul of Christos.