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Listening, sharing and discerning as one body
Groups and organizations also use the services of a
spiritual director. In this case, the director considers the entire group--not individuals in the group--as the directee.
The focus is always on the group as one body seeking God's desire. Organizations bring in spiritual directors for many reasons. They may be facing a critical crossroads and need help with discernment. A spiritual director could lead the group in a discernment process or sit on the sidelines and offer help as needed as the group follows its own process for decision-making. They may want a spiritual director to sit in on meetings to give observations and reflections about where the director notices spiritual energy and life (or lack thereof). The spiritual director may also lead the organization in prayer, meditation or special reflections. The field of organizational spiritual direction is fairly new and is currently being used by many church boards and faith-based organizations. The organization and the spiritual director usually draw up a covenant or contract and agree upon what is expected ahead of time. Teresa has experience working with organizations both in discernment processes and "sitting on the sidelines" to offer reflection and observations. She has worked with a youth advisory council, a church redevelopment committee, a retreat center team and denominational regional gatherings. NEWS ABOUT ORGANIZATIONAL SPIRITUAL
DIRECTION! Teresa Blythe, spiritual director for the Leadership Team of First Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC) in Tucson, received a grant from the Congregational Discernment Project at George Fox University to assist church leaders in using discernment practices in the daily life and business of the church. Blythe is one of fifteen pastoral, educational and denominational leaders from all over the U.S. to receive a Discernment Leadership Initiative Program grant. The $1700 awards are for regional events to promote communal discernment. Discernment is the spiritual practice of prayerfully considering how God is leading in a particular situation. Communal discernment involves doing the work in a group with the goal of reaching unity or consensus. The grant was used to invite Southern Arizona pastors, educators and church leaders from a variety of denominations to workshops on communal discernment where ideas and resources were shared. For more information about the Discernment Leadership Initiative Program in Tucson, contact Teresa Blythe at (520) 290-6734 or teresa@teresablythe.net.
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