Ruth Haley Barton has been a student, a practitioner, a teacher and a leader in the area of Christian spirituality and spiritual formation for twenty years. A trained spiritual director and retreat leader, she is the author of numerous books and resources on the spiritual life, including: Sacred Rhythms, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, and Invitation to Solitude and Silence.

Ruth holds a Doctor of Divinity from Northern Theological Seminary (Lombard, IL), along with a Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College (IL) and Master's studies at Loyola University Chicago Institute for Pastoral Studies.

Ruth travels widely, teaching and consulting with leadership teams in the areas of leadership transformation, corporate discernment, and spiritual community. She has served on the pastoral staff of several churches, including Willow Creek Community Church. Ruth has taught at the Wheaton College Graduate School, Denver Seminary, Northeastern Seminary and Mars Hill Graduate School and is a senior teaching fellow for the Renovare Institute. She has recently joined the faculty of Northern Seminary as an adjunct Professor of Spiritual Transformation.

The breadth of Ruth's study and learning in a variety of settings contributes to the strength of her teaching and writing. While she values all that she has gained from the teachers and institutions in which she has studied, this does not imply endorsement of everything taught in these environments. Ruth's teaching and writing have been most profoundly shaped by her commitment to "examine the Scriptures to see if these things are so." (Acts 17:11)