When should I seek spiritual guidance?

Spiritual guidance, or spiritual direction, is a particular type of Christian formation, standing alongside other practices such as participation in worship, small groups, Sunday School, family life and friendships. You can meet with a director short term to work with a specific decision or experience, or in a longer-term, on-going relationship.

You might choose to meet with a spiritual director

•     when you want to nurture a new sense of God in your life
•     when you face a decision and want to discern God’s leading
•     when you wonder why God feels distant
•     when you want to explore new ways of praying
•     when you are in a time of transition, change or loss
•     when you want a regular setting for reflecting on your spiritual journey
  
•     when you are in leadership in ministry inside or outside the congregation

 Spiritual guidance is not a substitute for psychotherapy or financial counseling. Its focus is on the directee's relationship with God in all aspects of daily life, from mountaintop spiritual experiences to specific struggles and confusion. If you are struggling with depression or other clinical problems, you will want to draw on mental health service professionals. You may choose to meet with a director in conjunction with healing work with a therapist.

(list developed collaboratively by Sally Weaver Glick, Vera Smucker Shenk, and Carmen Horst for printed brochure)