ABOUT SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
OUR VISION
To assist in the process of sacred listening so that the Holy Spirit's work can be discerned at a deeper level.
WHAT WE DO
We serve the Pastors, Staff and Spouses of the Pacific Southwest Conference Churches and ministries.
OUR COMMUNITY
We are trained and Covenanted Spiritual Directors who follow the ethical guidelines of the ECC and the Association of Spiritual Directors International. All our directors are trained, background checked, have references, ongoing training, and ongoing supervision.
WHAT IS SPIRITUAL DIRECTION?
Spiritual direction is a ministry of listening, discernment and prayer in a confidential setting of encouragement and compassion. Through this ministry one finds a spiritual companion who can listen to the stories of your life and help discern the presence and work of God’s spirit. Though we believe God is always calling us and leading us, sometimes we need a “soul friend” to help us to recognize God’s voice and respond to his presence. This companion intentionally sets aside the concerns of his or her own life to listen and attend to the experience of God in the life of the other. The ministry of spiritual direction is the ministry of being such a listener and a friend.
The underlying assumption of spiritual direction is that God acts in every area of our lives. God is present in our marriages and families, our work and working relationships, our leisure and our quiet times. God is there in our doubt as well as our certainty, in our weakness as well as our wholeness. To receive the gift of this ministry, we need to accept God’s presence in all areas of our lives. We need to commit ourselves to be as honest as we are able about our Christian life, and be willing to trust in the transforming power of God’s love.
Spiritual direction is the gift of “holy listening”. It is a gift given by someone who is willing to hear how it really is with us, who believes and trusts that God is directing us from within our lives, and who reflects God’s own listening, loving presence with each of us. The goal of spiritual direction is that those who enter into direction would grow close to God and become more the persons God created us to be in Jesus Christ. This is the prayer and the hope of this ministry of spiritual direction in the Pacific Southwest Conference.
WHO ARE SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS?
PSWC Spiritual Directors are clergy and lay professionals who have completed certified training programs in Spiritual Direction. We desire to serve in our local areas, sometimes over teleconferencing systems, in sacred and highly confidential sessions of seeking and listening to the Holy Spirit interacting in one's life. All our directors are trained, background checked, have references, ongoing training, and ongoing supervision.