Marjorie J. Thompson

Marjorie is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church USA. She received her B.A. in religious studies from Swarthmore College, and her M.Div. from McCormick Theological Seminary. Following a post-graduate pastoral internship, she became a Research Fellow at Yale Divinity School where she studied Christian spirituality with Henri Nouwen and did independent research in ecumenical traditions of prayer.

Before moving to the Nashville area, Marjorie served the First Presbyterian Church of Stamford, Connecticut, as Associate Pastor for education and small group life. For the first ten years in Nashville, she developed a ministry in spiritual formation comprised of teaching, writing, retreat work, and spiritual guidance.

Rev. Thompson has served as adjunct faculty for several seminaries, including McCormick, Auburn, Wesley, and Vanderbilt Divinity School. For several years she directed the foundational program for Stillpoint (Programs in Spiritual Direction and Contemplative Prayer) in Nashville. She has also taught for The Upper Room’s Academy for Spiritual Formation.

Her first book, Family, the Forming Center, published by Upper Room Books in 1989, was reprinted in a revised and expanded edition in 1996. Her Second book, Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life, was published by Westminster/John Knox Press in 1995, with a 10^th Year Anniversary Edition in 2005. Her writings have also appeared in several books and journals including Weavings.

In 1996, Marjorie took a position with The Upper Room as Director of the Pathways Center for Spiritual Leadership, later called Pathways in Congregational Spirituality. In this capacity, she served as chief architect of a major new resource in spiritual formation for small groups called Companions in Christ. Marjorie has authored chapters for several volumes in the Companions Series, including The Way of Forgiveness, The Way of Blessedness, and Exploring the Way. She has maintained a strong editorial hand in virtually all the Companions family of resources.

After thirteen years of serving with Upper Room Ministries, Marjorie has retuned to free-lance work in retreat leadership, teaching, and writing. In her free time, she enjoys tending deck flowers, practicing yoga, and tickling the keys of her baby grand piano. On holidays, she has been spotted hiking and kayaking. Marjorie lives with her husband, John, and her mother-in-law, Bab, in the woods of Tennessee, delighting in a light-filled log home she helped to design.