Who: 12-20 INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS WITH INTEREST IN SPIRITUAL FORMATION
When: April - August 2026 / Retreat: 14 - 19 June 2026
Where: At HOME (Every Other Monday from 6 April) and On LOCATION IN GERMANY
How Much: 1000€ (Subsidized, EARLY BIRD), 1380€ (after 1 MAR)

What is entailed?
Metamorphosis is a course in spiritual theology, which means it will mix both theory and practice and help students in lived theology. It will feature two tracks to support students with different needs. One track (the ideas track) will be for church leaders or those eager to read and discuss. Another track (the action track) will be for those with less need for sorting through theory and more need for trying out things in life. We anticipate that the retreat setting will ground our time together in prayer, reflection, silence and, hopefully, the presence of God. This means that we will set aside our phones and wifi connections.

Who is invited?
All Christian believers, both lay and church leaders, from around the world who are strongly interested in spiritual formation and theology and who desire a more personally transformational approach to life with God. While our teachers have their own distinctive theology (Sanctus is, on the whole, orthodox and biblical), we invite students from a wide range of Christian confessions and cultures. For Metamorphosis, there are no academic prerequisites, however the more one has already read and experienced in theology and formation, the more one will benefit from this course. This is not a retreat for those needing only rest and quiet, but an unhurried, thought-provoking encounter with God and other disciples in his kingdom.

What is the purpose?
The course aims to inspire confidence and competence in spiritual formation and theology so that participants can lead a transformative spiritual life and induct others into it.

• Connect biblical and theological understanding with theories of how people change to become more like Christ.

• Understand and personally experience some of the practices which have helped Jesus’s disciples since the first century.

While five months (+ five days in person) is not a long time, we hope that students will engage with ideas and practices that are foundational for a long and full spiritual life. The retreat setting, enhanced by living together and giving up our phones, is an essential part of the course.

Where will the retreat be held?
We will have our in-person retreat at the beautiful and spacious Triefenstein Monastery, an active Protestant monastery in northern Bavaria. We have reserved enough space for all Metamorphosis students to have a single occupancy room.

Who should come?
If you have read a few books on spiritual formation and theology and want to be in a teaching setting devoted to the topic with experienced ministers and scholars - come learn with us.

If you have begun practicing in the way of Jesus, experimenting with a few things like sabbath or study or solitude and want these to accompany you for a lifelong journey - come be outfitted for the journey with us.

If you are inspired by the lives of spiritual giants like Dallas Willard, Eugene Peterson or George Müller, Teresa of Avila or some other spiritual example and want to intelligently imitate their lives - come learn from them with us.

If you want to combine a faithful life with God with high-level thought about God - come seek Him with us.

If you have been following Sanctus and Michael Stewart Robb for some time and would like to step in further and meet other friends of Sanctus - come be with us.