John R. Mabry was raised in a moderate Southern Baptist church and later attended California Baptist College where he completed a Bachelor's degree in English Literature. After becoming disenchanted with the Baptist Church, Mabry found a home in the Episcopal Church and later the Catholic Church and United Church of Christ. He has a master's degree in Creation Spirituality from Holy Names College and a doctorate in Philosophy and Religion from the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Mabry has served as editor for Creation Spirituality Magazine and Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Direction. He was the managing editor of Pacific Church News (the diocesan magazine of the Episcopal Diocese of California).

He is currently serving as senior pastor of Grace North Church (Anglican-rite Congregational) in Berkeley, California. He is also the Director of the Interfaith Spiritual Direction Certificate Program at the Chaplaincy Institute and teaches courses in world religions and comparative theology at Sofia University and Santa Clara University.

He sings with two progressive rock bands, Metaphor and Mind Furniture.

Read For:

  • Guidance on determining a personal faith style
  • Insights into the value and challenges of interfaith spiritual direction
  • Accessible mapping of mysticism