Our Story

The Spiritual Transformation Project was founded in 2017 by Mike Clawson, an activist, author, and scholar based in Austin, Texas. Mike finished his PhD from Baylor University that same year, specializing in the ways religion has been evolving in the twenty-first century. He has previously been a youth pastor and church planter in the Chicago suburbs, and was the National Cohorts Coordinator for Emergent Village for seven years. Mike lives with his two children, Emmaline and Aidan, and regularly teaches courses as adjunct faculty at both Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest.

STP is a growing network of churches, activists, artists, non-profits, social entrepreneurs, and various other practitioners engaged with spiritual, social, and emotional health centered primarily in Central Texas. Our hope is that through collaborative events aimed at fostering productive partnerships and the sharing of valuable practices and ideas, we can bring about much-needed transformation for a more just, compassionate, and spiritually enlivened city, state, and world.