Written from an ecumenical standpoint as a practical aid for moving those experienced in individual spiritual direction toward group practices

This book responds to the movement to expand spiritual direction beyond the classic on-with-one model. Group spiritual direction has the potential to offer the rich experience of individual spiritual direction to a much wider audience, yet very little has been written to provide guidance for starting such groups.

This book responds to that challenge. It outlines ways that a diverse and ecumenical group of spiritual directors worked to initiate groups in multiple contexts. It examines the many variables-among directors, directees, even meeting spaces-that affect and enliven this ministry. And it summarizes pitfalls, success, and discoveries.

AN OPEN PLACE

Morehouse Publishing

Contents

Chapter One

MARLENE KROPF AND DANIEL SCHROCK

Getting started is the first big step. Directors who expand their ministry from individual to group direction will discover that in order for groups to flourish, several issues need careful attention. This chapter considers the role of the director, the role of the participants, a process for structuring group meetings, and ongoing support for group directors.

THE ROLE OF THE DIRECTOR

Starting a group and selecting participants. In general, the leader has two options for finding people to participate in group direction: to invite specific persons who might be ready for such a group, or to extend an open invitation to anyone who might be interested. People who do well in group direction tend to have a sense of God's presence in daily life, capacities to listen to others and to reflect on their own life, and a desire to mature their own relationship with God and others.

Preparing the place. The leader will want to prepare the meeting place, whether in a church building, in a home, or at some other location convenient to the group's members. Above all, the space should foster quiet prayerfulness and allow everyone to be seated comfortably in a circle, taking into account any disabilities. Room temperature should be adjusted to a comfortable level. The leader can create a visual focus in the center with an object that evokes a prayerful spirit, such as a candle or bowl, stones or flowers. A simple arrangement at the center often works better than a complex one. As participants enter, the leader may also wish to have soft, contemplative music playing.

Preparing one's self. If a leader comes to the meeting place at the last minute and feels internally rushed or distracted, that sense of being scattered can adversely affect how the group functions. Conversely, if the leader arrives well before others, ensures that the room is set up appropriately, and takes five to fifteen minutes to prepare inwardly, the group will have a better chance of working well together. Some leaders employ centering prayer for their inner preparation, while others take a slow, contemplative walk on site. The options are many. Any prayer practice can be a good choice as long as it ushers the leader into a contemplative awareness of the presence of God before others arrive.

Shepherding the group's process. Meeting by meeting, the leader is primarily responsible to shepherd the group's unique purpose and process, which makes group direction different from other small groups in church life. The core purpose is to listen to God on behalf of each other, so that God can summon group members into the insights, emotions, movements, courage, and maturity that God desires. The process, described in more detail below, serves this purpose. Neither the leader nor anyone else hands out advice, tries to "fix" problems, or determines a specific outcome. Instead the leader's role is to keep the group's purpose clear and to trust that God will work through the process to achieve what lies close to the Divine heart.

THE ROLE OF THE PARTICIPANTS

Participants in group direction have at least two roles: to limn and to listen.

Limning. One primary role for members of direction groups is to limn their lives. Limn means both to describe in words and to depict through painting or drawing. At root it means to illuminate something. When they bring something to the group for spiritual direction, participants generally use words to describe their situation, experience, or question. Limning allows for the possibility that participants could also bring something visual or musical to the group that expresses the ineffable aspects of experience which words alone may not be able to capture. Perhaps a painting or photo graph will evoke what words cannot express. A potted plant or bowl of pebbles may open up a new dimension for both speaker and hearers. The poetry and music of a song might help everyone to understand more deeply. In group direction, art can help to explore the mysterious ways of God.

What can participants bring to the group for spiritual direction? The simple answer is anything, as long as the intention is to discover what the presence and activity of God might be in it. Possibilities include experiences from one's inner life of prayer, one's relationships with others, one's roles in systems and structures, or one's interactions with creation. Perhaps participants will want to focus on a major decision or life transition they are facing. Maybe a new inkling of something just beginning to dawn on their awareness asks to be explored. Surprising experiences, joys, and laments can also be appropriate. Any of these can be rich material for noticing and responding to God's loving initiatives.

Listening. A second role for members of direction groups is to join each other in listening for God. Here are some tips for listening well.

1. Listen in three directions. While one member of a direction group speaks, the other members attempt to listen in three directions. At the most elemental level, they listen to the person who is speaking about some aspect of her or his spiritual life. Second, they listen to the community—to the other members of the group who articulate what details, desires, and patterns they notice in the speaker's narrative. Third, they listen for the gentle murmurs and rustlings of the Holy Spirit. In practice, this listening in three directions does not happen in a rigid sequence like a mathematical formula, but bobbles more like a ball floating on a stream. Just as a ball moves up, down, and around on the surface, shifting this way and that way while continually moving with the current, so does one's listening shift frequently among person, community, and Spirit, while moving toward the destination that God desires. Attempts at multilayered listening may seem confusing and messy at first, but with patient practice they get easier.

2. Listen for desires. For centuries, Christian writers have pointed out that desire is the engine of our life with God. God has desires for us and we in turn have desires for God. Desire is what impels God toward us, and us toward God (see Isa. 49:14–16a, Ps. 42:1, Matt. 5:6). Desire helps us consent to God, follow Christ in discipleship, love others, fulfill our vocation, and join with God's mission in the world. Desire attracts us into practices such as group spiritual direction. To be sure, some lesser desires are disordered and tainted by sin, such as those for fame, wealth, or privilege. Yet beneath these lesser desires lie deeper, more authentic desires implanted in us by God, such as those for love, wholeness, or justice.

During spiritual direction, group members sift through the sand of lesser desires to discover the deeper, authentic, God granted desires that are like the pearl of great price (Matt. 13:45–46). They help each other not only to notice and name these desires, but also to celebrate them. They encourage each other to pursue these God-given desires because that pursuit ultimately takes them to the heart of God. Indeed, when someone's desire for God meets God's desire for them, they become united in abiding friendship with God (see John 15:1–15). For this reason, pursuing authentic desires is not selfish. Desire draws group members outside of themselves toward God and others, making them into missional people.

3. Listen for spiritual movements and patterns. These movements and patterns will not always be obvious, yet they are likely happening in the lives of most participants. Do the images, emotions, or ideas the speaker uses seem to fit into patterns? In what ways might the person be moving toward God or away from God? Others in the group may perceive spiritual movements that the person may not yet see. However, these perceptions should always be offered gently and tentatively to the person, as possibilities to consider. Phrases such as "I wonder whether" or "Might there be" or "What if" are good ways to do this. It is wise to avoid all attempts to label, define, or fix.

GROUP DIRECTION PROCESS

A good process is critical for the ongoing health and vitality of spiritual direction groups. The following guidelines have been gleaned from the groups that were led by writers of this book.

The goal is a spacious, hospitable, prayerful structure that welcomes each individual but also ensures that the group will thrive. Each participant needs to feel as though there is adequate space for their prayer, sharing, and interaction with the group. At the same time, the group's focus and integrity must be respected for the sake of the growth of all members toward maturity in Christ.

Group spiritual direction typically includes a structure of four parts:

1. Arrival and greeting

2. An opening spiritual formation exercise

3. Time for sharing individual reflections and responses

4. A closing blessing

Because spiritual direction groups often meet on weekday evenings (though some may meet in the morning or afternoon), most participants live within the time constraints of the workaday world. A two-hour or two and one-quarter hour block of time seems to work well for many groups. If a group meets for ninety minutes or less, it will be difficult for more than one person to share their experiences in a session.

A weeknight schedule for group spiritual direction might be as follows:

6:45 pm Gathering, greeting, opening ritual or prayer 6:55 Lectio divina 7:25 Spiritual direction 1 8:10 Brief break 8:15 Spiritual direction 2 9:00 Closing blessing

Arrival and greeting. Whenever groups meet, both the physical and emotional spaces are important aspects of welcome. The group leader will plan to arrive early enough to make sure the physical space is prepared and to be able to greet each participant. At the first meeting, coffee, tea, or cold drinks can be available (the group can then decide how and whether they want to continue this practice).

After each one has been welcomed, participants settle into their places and may spend a few brief minutes catching up with each other's lives. For example, they might respond to prompts such as:

• Tell us in a couple of sentences how you are coming to our gathering tonight.

• Choose one word (or a couple of adjectives) to describe what the past month has been like for you.

Then having agreed in the group covenant on a time to begin, the group responds to the leader's invitation to shift their attention to the spiritual direction session at the appropriate time.

Using the same brief opening ritual at each session creates stability and inspires expectancy. The ritual can be as simple as an opening prayer that is connected to the evening's chosen scripture text or the current season of the Christian year. Or the prayer can be an invitation to silence and receptivity such as the words of Psalm 46:10: "Be still, and know that I am God."

Some may choose to sing or listen to a prayer chant or another song, such as a Taizé refrain, or one of the chants on Philip Newell's fine recordings.

A simple opening ritual that works well for evening groups is a Trinitarian candle lighting resource:

We light a light in the name of the God who creates life (a candle is lit), in the name of the Savior who loves life (a second candle is lit), in the name of the Spirit who is the fire of life (a third candle is lit).

Opening spiritual formation exercise. Since the purpose of direction groups is spiritual formation and transformation, an important element in each session is a common practice of prayer or meditation. Because not all members of the group may have had prior experience with personal spiritual practices, the group can become a laboratory for learning contemplative prayer. The primary purpose of the opening spiritual formation exercise, however, is centering the group's attention on God's presence, not learning a variety of new spiritual practices.

Many groups have found that meditating on sacred texts (or lectio divina) is a fruitful way to begin. Participants are shaped by the words, stories, and images of scripture as they ponder them together and listen to each other's reflections. Because the Spirit of God continues to comfort, challenge, and convict through the Word, it is essential to create space for listening and responding to God's voice in scripture.

Such a practice bears two fruits because the kind of careful, attentive listening evoked in lectio divina is the same type of listening required in group direction. Paying attention to patterns and movements, as well as interior nudges, images, or questions, is the foundation for noticing and responding to God's call and action in our lives.

Thus the time invested in an opening spiritual exercise is time well spent because it expands the group's capacity for spiritual discernment. Most groups devote at least a half hour to scripture reflection, with some groups spending the remainder of the opening hour—after greeting each other—to this form of prayer.

Choosing an appropriate text for meditation is a significant element of the leader's preparation. A time-honored method is simply to select from among the Sunday lections for the week. In this way, directors will assure a balance of kinds of scriptures and seasonally appropriate material. This approach also undergirds and supports the worship life of the congregation.

A variation of lectio divina is a format known as "Dwelling in the Word," a thoughtful reading of scripture with spaces for silence, reflection, and conversation. Often the same scripture text is used month after month in this approach, and the group discovers depths of insight that emerge over time and in varying circumstances.

Another approach for the opening exercise is to follow a daily office—a ready-made prayer format that includes praise and thanksgiving, confession, petition and intercession, and scripture meditation. Many resources for a daily office are available, such as:

Philip Newell. Celtic Benediction: Morning and Night Prayer. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000; also Celtic Prayers from Iona. New York: Paulist Press, 1997.

Praise God: Common Prayer at Taizé. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1977.

Take Our Moments and Our Days: An Anabaptist Prayer Book [2 volumes: Ordinary Time and Advent to Pentecost]. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2007, 2010.

Macrina Wiederkehr. Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day. Notre Dame, IN: Sorin Books, 2008.

Another option is to choose a book of the Bible (such as the Psalms) as the focus of meditation, selecting relevant passages for each meeting. Still another possibility is choosing a biblical character and meditating on a series of stories from a particular character's life and experience of God.

Whether or not the leader participates personally in the scripture reflection process may be a matter of individual preference. What must always be remembered, however, is that the leader's first task is to tend the process. If a leader has difficulty keeping track of time or guiding the movements of the session, it may be wise for the leader to abstain from responding. On the other hand, a leader can model contemplative ways of listening and responding by participating. For example, if a group struggles to maintain a contemplative rhythm, a leader can encourage spaces for silence or offer more reflective responses.

Within the first year, direction groups will typically develop a good grasp of lectio divina and begin to reap the benefits of such prayer. In fact, participants may choose to continue to meditate on the same text until the group meets again, or they might choose other texts as the focus of their personal prayer.

An example of lectio that may be appropriate in the second year is visio divina, or contemplative gazing, which prays with (but not through or to) a carefully chosen image. As in group lectio divina, selecting an image for prayer can also be a significant part of the leader's preparation. For groups who want to explore this way of praying in the second year, we recommend beginning with images of Christ or Mary, though other images, sensitively selected, may also work well in subsequent years.

Spiritual direction. The third element of a typical group direction process—and the lengthiest—is the presentation of reflections and the group's response to them. If the group is listening to two reflections each time they meet, a short break will be needed after the first reflection and response. Because spiritual direction groups do not gather primarily for fellowship, the break is not a time for extensive conversation. Rather, it is a time to get something cold or hot to drink (prepared in advance) or to walk or stretch for a few minutes. Because too much talking can hinder the flow of the group's contemplative process, some groups choose to take their break in silence.

Although there are a variety of models for presentation and response, the following description is one possibility. After a brief time of silent prayer on behalf of the presenter, the group listens attentively as a presenter offers a ten- to twelve-minute reflection on some significant experience of the past month. At first, participants may wonder if what they share is "spiritual enough." Leaders can assure them that whatever feels significant will be spiritual and that the group's responsibility is to help them notice and respond to the faith dimensions of the experience. Again, leaders can model such responses if the group seems hesitant or ill-equipped to respond.

After the reflection is offered, the leader pauses to ask if there are any questions of clarification. This is not a time for discussion or response but rather an opportunity for clearing up any confusion. In the beginning, groups may have difficulty refraining from discussion or asking "curious" questions. Leaders need to be prepared to remind participants if they stray from the focus. The group's ability to listen contemplatively will be strengthened if this focus is kept clear.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from AN OPEN PLACE Copyright © 2012 by Marlene Kropf and Daniel Schrock. Excerpted by permission of Morehouse Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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