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Gary W. Moon, executive vice president/provost and professor of psychology and spirituality at Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta, will be the first director of the Martin Family Institute and Dallas Willard Center for Spiritual Formation at ���ϰٿ�. Moon also serves as director for the Renovaré International Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation and as editor-in-chief for Conversations: A Forum for Authentic Transformation.

“Dr. Moon is a man of great spiritual depth and wisdom who will help make ���ϰٿ� a leader in the discipline of spiritual formation,” says President Gayle D. Beebe.

Moon has authored several books, including “Apprenticeship With Jesus: Learning to Live like the Master” and “Falling for God: Saying Yes to His Extravagant Proposal.” He has co-edited “Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls: A Guide to Christian Approaches and Practices.” He has developed Curriculum of Christlikeness, a DVD-based series for small groups based on the work of Curt Cloninger, Richard J. Foster and Willard.

“I believe history will judge the life and writings of Dallas Willard to be among the truly exceptional contributions of our generation,” Moon says. “It’s precisely because of the high value I attribute to the work of Dallas Willard that I will work to promote the ideals of this new endeavor.”

“The purpose of the Willard Center is preparing a new generation of Christian leaders to articulate the philosophical, theological and biblical rationale for developing an interactive relationship with Christ,” says Trustee Patty Martin, who along with her husband, Eff, made a significant pledge to ���ϰٿ� to establish the institute and center. In the future, the Martin Family Institute plans to develop additional centers focused on world Christianity and the role of Christianity among the religions of the world.

Moon earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Georgia. He earned a master’s of divinity and doctorate in clinical psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Moon serves on the advisory board for the American Association of Christian Counselors as well as the editorial boards for The Journal of Psychology and Christianity and Marriage and Family: A Christian Journal. He conducts research concerning the theoretical and practical integration of psychology and theology, and has published or presented more than 100 professional and popular papers.