Group Spiritual Direction
Introduction to Group Spiritual Direction
Group Spiritual Direction gathers four people with intention and care into a confidential, non-judgmental, facilitated series of meetings to speak of their lives and their work, to be heard and known, to receive understanding and care, to notice the touch and presence of The Holy in their joys and sorrows, grief and growth. Group Spiritual Direction allows participants to directly encounter the life-giving love of God and find themselves grounded in community with colleagues, deeply encouraged, and empowered to share God’s love more profoundly.
Groups are made up of one trained spiritual director and four participants.
Groups meet monthly online or in-person as participants choose. Times and days may vary in order to accommodate the participants availability; all members will be present except in case of emergency.
Groups may enjoy an initial in-person meeting at a mutually agreed upon time and location that includes an opening group exercise, each participant offering an introduction to their life and spiritual journey, a meal (either before or after), and closing liturgy. If an in-person meetup/meal is not possible, the group will begin more simply.
Each regular session will include a brief Gathering and check-in; a Centering practice such as Lectio Divina; and two Offerings in which a participant speaks for 10-15 minutes about a matter of significance in their life or work then receives a brief response. (Details below.)
Sessions will last two hours and will meet approximately monthly February - June, take July & August off, then finish up September - November in the fall. Groups may choose to gather again the following year or to end the group.
Group Direction Agreement (Sample)
The purpose of this spiritual direction group is to allow rostered leaders in the SWWA Synod of the ELCA to come together in confidential, non-judgmental, facilitated groups to speak of their lives and their work, to be heard and known, to receive understanding and care, to wonder and recognize the touch and presence of God in their joys and sorrows, grief and growth. We hope this experience will allow participants to directly encounter the life-giving love of God and find themselves deeply encouraged and empowered to share it more profoundly.
As a member of a spiritual direction group, I commit myself to the following:
I will regularly and punctually attend group direction meetings, informing the leader if an emergency or illness prevents my attendance. I will prioritize this time so that it is as focused and free from distraction as possible.
I will engage in the contemplative group direction process, sharing my own story with a desire to hear how others perceive God’s work in my life; I will listen to the stories of other participants with reverence and compassion, seeking to perceive God’s presence in their stories and to offer my own response.
I will entrust other participants to their own journey with God and embrace freedom from any need to fix, advise, or direct their way.
I will keep in confidence all that is shared in the group. I will not inquire after what is shared in the group outside the group, though I am free to share my own story with others as I wish, as they are free to share theirs. When asked about this group, I will speak only of my own experience.
I will participate in group evaluations of our process, offering counsel or correction as needed. I will speak directly and promptly with the leader if I have concerns or questions about the process.
I will uphold the members and leader of this group in prayer.
The Gift of Group Spiritual Direction
Words from the Wise
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“The purpose of group spiritual direction is to provide a place where individuals can experience what it means to be listened to and loved by others, so that they can learn to listen more attentively to God in their daily lives and be used by God to spread God’s grace and love throughout the world.”
Alice Fryling, Seeking God Together: An Introduction to Group Spiritual Direction. (Downers Grove, II: InterVarsity Press, 2009), 8.
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“In the ‘sheltered enclaves’ of the groups, the steady practice of communal, contemplative prayer cultivates … ‘sacred consciousness.’ People become more aware of God in their lives and are better able to weave spiritual narratives. They discern the movement of God’s grace in the lives of others, even if the shape it takes looks different from their own personal experience. The participants’ definitions of prayer broaden, as does their understanding of where God is present in everyday life.”
Susan S Phillips, “Together in Prayer: The Art and Gift of Group Spiritual Direction,” Journal of Christian Ministry 9 (2020), 17
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“What draws people to the group is a reciprocity of desire, God’s desire and their desire. Having been touched by God’s desire, they want to make their desire for God the determining factor of all of their choices, and they recognize that they need some help to do this. This shared desire gives the group its coherence as well as a shared commitment to be there for one another in that desire. The group’s primary task is to make the shared desire explicit and to hold one another in it.”
Rose Mary Dougherty, “Group Spiritual Direction: What Is It?,” Shalem Institute, January 1, 1995.
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“In group direction, people discover they are not alone in their questions, doubts, or need to articulate their faith. While their spiritual path is unique, it may parallel the path of another from time to time.”
Teresa Blythe, Spiritual Direction 101: The Basics of Spiritual Guidance (Berkeley: Apocryphile Press, 2018), 71.
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“Spiritual direction is, in reality, nothing more than a way of leading us to see and obey the real Director — the Holy Spirit hidden in the depths of our soul.”
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“Spiritual direction helps people deepen their relationship with the spiritual aspects of their humanity and accompanies people on a journey toward freedom and peace. Conversations with a trained Spiritual Director guide clients in reflecting on the movement of the Spirit in their lives…
“Group spiritual direction usually takes place in groups of four plus a trained spiritual director. In group spiritual direction, all of the members of the group participate in the reflection and discernment process. Through group spiritual direction, in addition to deepening one’s own personal relationship with the divine, people create community through the processes of deep listening and authentic sharing.”