Spiritual Direction

This program is offered through the C. John Weborg Center for Spiritual Direction and is designed for mature Christian leaders and ministers who would benefit from training and supervised experience in the ministry of spiritual direction.

Admission to the Certificate in Spiritual Direction means joining a creative learning community. A maximum of 20 students are admitted to the program each summer and continue to work together in a cohort for the duration of the program. The certificate has special admission requirements, and admission to a degree program does not guarantee admission to the certificate.

While students may be enrolled in a degree program and this certificate concurrently, not all certificate courses may apply toward degree requirements. CSD courses will first apply to spiritual formation requirements and then general electives not already fulfilled. In cases where the degree program is the MACF or MACM, CSD courses may then apply toward available MNST (but not CEDF) electives.

Outcomes

Learning Outcomes for the Certificate in Spiritual Direction:

  • Identify the history and cultural distinctives of spiritual direction in the Christian tradition.
  • Recognize the movement of God in one’s own life (discernment) with a growing capacity to listen deeply for the same in others.
  • Embrace the call and commitment to the ministry of spiritual direction prepared to engage the church and the world with its gifts.

Certificate Requirements

The Certificate in Spiritual Direction is anchored in three intensive summer courses taken over two years. During the intervening two years, students take two practicum courses, for a total of 15 semester hours of academic credit.

Year One:

SPFM 7501Foundations of Listening & Discerning

3

SPFM 7502Listening & Discerning Practicum I

3

SPFM 7501: Intensive.

SPFM 7502: Online.

Year Two:

SPFM 7503Spiritual Directing: Listening to the Movement of God With Another

3

SPFM 7504Spiritual Directing Practicum II

3

SPFM 7503: Intensive.

SPFM 7504: Online.

Year Three:

SPFM 7505The Ministry of Spiritual Direction: Listening to God in the Church and World

3

SPFM 7505: Intensive.