What Does Group Spiritual Direction Look Like?

You've probably heard of book clubs.

Bible studies.

Small groups.

Prayer groups.

Retreats.

Maybe you've even heard of spiritual direction.

But group spiritual direction?

What is that?

At its simplest, group spiritual direction is a small group that gathers intentionally to listen for the presence and movement of God in the lives of its members. It is a practice of paying attention.

A spiritual direction group isn't primarily a study group. It isn't a therapy group or a support group. It isn't a seminar or workshop. And it isn't a place where we give one another advice. While those things can all be valuable, group spiritual direction offers something different: the opportunity to be deeply listened to as you describe the actual journey of your spiritual life.

Your milestones.

Your detours.

Your questions.

Your joys.

Your griefs.

Your relationships.

Your doubts.

Your longing.

Your ordinary Tuesday afternoon.

What can you bring to talk about?

Almost anything.

A decision you're wrestling with.

A difficult relationship.

A surprising joy.

A grief.

A spiritual practice that has gone dry.

A new idea that won't leave you alone.

Something that happened at work.

Something that happened in prayer.

Something you read or heard.

Something you can't explain.

A question about God.

A question about yourself.

A photograph.

A poem.

A piece of music.

The question isn't whether the subject is “spiritual enough.”

The question is: What might this experience reveal about the presence and activity of God in my life?

We listen in three directions

When someone shares, the rest of the group practices listening in three directions.

We listen to the person.

What are they experiencing?

What emotions, desires, images, questions, or experiences are present?

We listen to the community.

What are we noticing together?

What catches our attention?

What connections or patterns emerge?

And we listen for the Spirit.

Is there a gentle nudge?

An image?

A question?

A sense of resonance?

A place of tension?

We don't necessarily know what any of these things mean, we simply notice. We offer what we're noticing tentatively, without assuming we know what someone else's experiences means or what God might be saying to them.

We listen for desire

Spiritual direction also invites us to pay attention to our deeper desires.

What are you longing for? Not just what you want to accomplish. Not what you think you should want. What do you actually long for?

Perhaps love.

Rest.

Belonging.

Healing.

Wholeness.

Justice.

Courage.

Connection.

God.

Our desires can be complicated. But they can also become places where we discover something about the ways God may be drawing us toward life.

We listen for movement

Sometimes we begin to notice patterns.

Toward God.

Away from God.

Toward life.

Toward fear.

Toward freedom.

Toward isolation.

Toward love.

These movements aren't always obvious when we're living in the middle of them. Sometimes another person can notice something in our story that we haven't yet seen. They don't tell us what it means. They simply offer what they've noticed.

“I noticed…”

“I wondered…”

“I sensed…”

And then we listen.

A place for complicated faith

This is one of the reasons I'm particularly interested in group spiritual direction. Many people I know are carrying complicated relationships with Christianity. They may love Jesus while struggling with the church. They may value Scripture while wrestling with how Scripture has been interpreted or used. They may be questioning beliefs they once took for granted. They may be trying to discern which parts of their inherited faith are life-giving and which parts need to be reconsidered. There is room for that here. You don't have to arrive with everything figured out.

You don't have to know exactly what you believe. You don't have to be spiritually impressive.

You do need to be willing to listen.

Perhaps you've been looking for this without knowing its name

There is a line from Genesis that I return to often:

“Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”

I think spiritual direction can be a practice of discovering that.

Maybe God is already present in the middle of your ordinary life. Maybe there are things you're noticing that deserve more attention, desires you've been too busy to hear, questions you have been carrying alone.

Maybe what you need isn't another answer, perhaps you need a place to listen.

That's what group spiritual direction is about.

If something in this description resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you.

I'm interested in connecting with people who are curious about group spiritual direction, whether you're ready to particpate or simply want to learn more. If you'd like to explore the possibility of joining a group, or hear about future opportunities, please get in touch.

You can reach me at ferventfolk at gmail dot com

You don't need to have your faith figured out before you reach out, you can simply begin with a question.