The Dance of Spiritual Formation in Two Communities: In the Church Participating in Missio Dei and in Facilitated Contemplative Evocative Group Supervision for Spiritual Directors

Abstract

In this research project Portfolio, the author articulates the importance of community in spiritual formation in three ways. First, the author shares autobiographical details that reveal her transformation from unbelief to surrender to God’s love, in and through the community of faith. God’s love sustains her in remaining in her local church to participate in missio Dei (God’s mission) in community despite relational challenges. Second, the author proposes a spiritual formation model, in the context of the full gospel story, to explain that Christians are invited to participate in missio Dei and are formed into Christlikeness in the process. Christian faith should have a communal perspective and be futureoriented. Christians are pilgrims journeying together to the new creation. She developed a process named “BLESS” to help Christians handle relational challenges in their church community so that they can continue be part of the local church to participate in missio Dei. Third, the author describes a research project that she conducted in which she examined the impact of group companionship on spiritual directors’ spiritual and professional lives. To do so she arranged contemplative evocative group supervision, facilitated by a certified spiritual director supervisor. This research project confirmed that group companionship in facilitated contemplative evocative group supervision brings spiritual and professional growth. This manifests in enhanced awareness of God’s presence as well as self-awareness for the spiritual directors and more welcoming spaces to better serve their directees.