HIGHLIGHTS
A 6 minute AI NotebookLM audio “Deep Dive” summarizing the
“Global Movement Report” by Joseph Crocker, July 22, 1974.
The 1960’s were a time of great destruction and creation in the world. Movements for civil rights, women, peace, environment and youth whipped up a great storm of change. An evolving global spirit movement was birthed in the midst of this wild wind.
The Institute programs focused on creating signs of renewal in local communities, churches and social structures globally. They saw the key factor was the emergence of a new consciousness, a new spirit that would enable the emergence of transformed social structures. They saw themselves as a Global Spirit Movement and were sometimes referred to as the Guardians, the Blue Shirts (in India), Global Servant Force, Structural Revolutionaries, the League, the Invisible College and the New Church.
This Spirit Movement Collection provides a glimpse of a movement of thousands of people from many countries who threw themselves into releasing social and personal transformation in many shapes and forms to live, encourage and create new ways of being. These documents give all those who care now and in the future permission to chase after windmills occasionally, to dream the impossible dream with oddball characters like Don Quixote, and to forge a just and sustainable society.
This movement invites everyone to live creative, conscious and caring lives and shares methods and approaches for doing just that.
adapted from Jeanette Stanfield’s Forward to Chronological History of EI and ICA, 1952-1988.
Distinctions of Spirit Movement from other social movements
Keys to success of Spirit Movement
“History is created by ‘selves’ who have models, work together corporately to get it into history and thus alter the direction of history … inviting others to follow.”
~~ Brian Stanfield
Building and Sustaining a Global Movement
Parish Leadership Colloquy (PLC)
RS-I: A 44-hour weekend designed to provide 20th century theological education to laypersons within local churches for the sake of their care for the communities around them and the world.
Academy
The Academy: An intensive residential eight-week curriculum of religious and cultural studies and life methods (intellectual, social and spirit), for building a renewed church and society.
Innovations
Several innovations of the basic curriculum of the Ecumenical Institute have been developed through the years that speak to more inclusive audiences. Some of the innovations are listed below.
- Artful Retreats and Spirit Exercises
- Interior Mythos Journeys
- Profound Journey Dialogue (PJD)
- Realistic Living
- Shaping an Intentional Life of Service (SAILS)
Guardians
Guardians: a caring group of business and professional laypersons who contributed their wisdom, business acumen, professional expertise, time and financial support to the work of this growing new movement.
Local Church Experiment (LCX)
The Local Church Experiment: An extensive six-year experiment of corporate pastorates to train and renew congregations for ministering to social needs within their parishes.