[5] After some success bringing the Cursillo movement to a network of college groups, Clark and Martin experienced the charismatic renewal, which they began to write and teach about.

[6] Cardinal Leo Joseph Suenens was a supporter of Clark, Martin, and other early leaders of the Catholic charismatic renewal.

[4]: 84  In response, within the same year Clark and Yocum founded the Servants of the Word, an ecumenical celibate brotherhood[2][8][4]: 84  of men who committed to lifelong service of Sword of the Spirit communities around the world.

[2] Russ Bellant reports 100 members of the Servants of the Word, including Clark, in 1988, and describes the brotherhood as a "quasi-religious order".

[9] Throughout the 1970s, Martin, Clark, and other leaders traveled internationally, sharing about the charismatic renewal, and planting the seeds for intentional communities.

Thomas J. Csordas, an anthropology professor, states, "Clark's course made minutely explicit prescriptions for proper comportment, gender-appropriate dress, child-rearing practices, and the domestic division of labor.

In addition, it identified global trends presumed to threaten the community mission of building the Kingdom of God—Islam, communism, feminism, and gay rights.

[11] Russ Bellant reports that Fr John Bertolucci (a leader of the Catholic branch of Sword of the Spirit) and Ralph Martin each received support from Tom Monaghan for their respective TV ministries during the 80's.

Fr Patrick Egan, who was the Domino's corporate chaplain is also reported as involved with the Sword of the Spirit via the Word of God Community, and the Christ the King parish.

[12] Martin effectively renounced the rigid vision that guided the training course,[13] while Clark, though conceding the course had been awkwardly implemented, believed that its principles were sound and worthy of continued adherence.

[4]: 90–91 Meanwhile, throughout the 1990s, a number of Sword of the Spirit member communities were censured by Catholic bishops for excessively authoritarian practices.

[13][14] Similarly, the People of Hope, a Sword of the Spirit community in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, was strongly criticized by Archbishop Peter Leo Gerety and his successor Theodore McCarrick.

[30] Civil lawsuits were entered against the Sword of the Spirit and Servants of the Word leadership following the conviction of Jamie Treadwell for sexual abuse of children, and further allegations of sexual abuse of children against Ed Conlin,[31] both who were members of Servants of the Word at the reported times.

[31][32] Sword of the Spirit and Servants of the Word leadership admitted to knowing of previous allegation concerning these individuals dating back decades.

[38] According to Bacouni, the Sword of the Spirit "is not solely aimed at education of the mind but rather at bringing the faithful to a personal relationship with Jesus, a discovery of their call and mission, and to a deeper communion with the Church.