Friday, May 23, 2025

Group Spiritual Tending

Introduction to Group Spiritual Direction

Group spiritual direction is a sacred practice in which individuals gather to support one another’s spiritual journeys through deep listening, reflection, and shared wisdom. Unlike traditional spiritual direction, which is typically one-on-one, group spiritual direction fosters a collective process of witnessing and discernment where participants witness and hold space for each other’s experiences of their sacred.

Core Elements of Group Spiritual Direction

While approaches vary, most group spiritual direction models share common elements:

  1. Grounding and Centering/ Establishing Focus – Sessions begin with a grounding practice, such as silence, prayer, poetry, chant, or mindful breathing, to create a space of openness and sacred presence. This may include a specific prompt for reflection.

  2. Sacred Listening and Sharing – Participants take turns sharing their spiritual experiences, questions, and challenges. Others listen deeply, resisting the urge to advise or fix, instead responding with open-ended or clarifying questions, affirmation, or witnessing.

  3. Themes and Noticings – In some groups, after everyone has shared, the group reflects on recurring themes or invitations from the Spirit/deep self. This time is not for problem-solving but for noticing patterns, offering encouragement, and holding space for each person’s unfolding journey.

  4. Rotation of Sharing – In some groups, only a few members share deeply in each session, ensuring that time and attention are given to each individual over the course of multiple meetings.

  5. Closing Ritual – Sessions often conclude with a prayer, blessing, chant, or moment of silence to honor the sacred space that has been co-created.

Image from Unsplash+

Benefits of Group Spiritual Direction

  • Communal Discernment: The presence of multiple perspectives can help participants recognize the movement of the sacred in their lives in ways they may not perceive alone.

  • Mutual Support: Participants offer one another spiritual companionship, fostering deeper connections and accountability in their spiritual lives.

  • Accessible and Affordable: Compared to individual direction, group settings can be more financially accessible while still providing deep spiritual engagement.

  • Richness of Diverse Experiences: Engaging with the spiritual journeys of others from different backgrounds and traditions can broaden one's own understanding of the holy.

Other Ways to Do Group Spiritual Direction

While this post focuses on the practice of group spiritual direction, there are other forms of group spiritual companionship that serve distinct purposes. Each of the following approaches shares some commonalities with group spiritual direction—deep listening, discernment, and sacred presence—but has its own unique focus and structure. These topics are explored in greater depth in their respective posts.

Discernment Groups

Discernment is an integral part of spiritual companionship, both individually and in groups. Some groups form specifically for discernment work, whether for personal spiritual decisions, communal reflection, or vocational clarity. These groups may draw on models such as:

  • Quaker Clearness Committees, in which a small group listens deeply to a participant’s spiritual or life question without offering advice, instead responding with clarifying questions.
  • Ignatian Communal Discernment, based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, which helps groups prayerfully listen for divine guidance in decision-making.

(See also this upcoming post on discernment.)

Photo by Ivan Samko (Pexels license)

Spiritual Companionship for Community Trauma

Group spiritual companionship can be a profound source of support for those navigating collective grief, crisis, or trauma. Some groups form specifically to help communities hold space for the spiritual impact of traumatic events, including:

  • Circles for grief and lament
  • Spiritual companionship groups in response to social or environmental crises
  • Support spaces for those experiencing intergenerational or systemic trauma

These groups require trauma-sensitive facilitation, deep ethical grounding, and an awareness of power dynamics.

[See also this post on Trauma-informed spiritual  direction]

Supervision Groups

While group spiritual direction focuses on personal spiritual growth, group supervision is a professional practice that supports spiritual companions in their work. Supervision groups provide space for spiritual companions to:

  • Reflect on their experiences accompanying seekers
  • Receive feedback and ethical guidance from peers
  • Engage in contemplative self-examination of their vocational practice

Supervision integrates many elements of group spiritual direction but centers on the care of the spiritual companion, rather than the seeker.

[See also this post on supervision.]

Institutional and Workplace Spiritual Companionship

In some settings, group spiritual companionship takes place within organizations, such as:

  • Chaplaincy programs in healthcare, prisons, or military contexts
  • Workplace spiritual reflection groups
  • Faith-based leadership teams engaging in shared discernment

These institutional contexts shape the way group spiritual companionship unfolds, often requiring adaptations in confidentiality, accessibility, and structure.

(For more on institutional applications of spiritual companionship, upcoming post on Spiritual Companionship in Organizations and Institutions.)

Dancers in Turkey, photo by Musa Emin Özdemir (Pexels)

Key Distinctions from non-spiritual direction Models

  • Not Therapy or Coaching: Group spiritual direction is not a space for fixing problems or offering personal advice. It focuses on attending to the sacred and deepening spiritual awareness.

  • Not a Traditional Support Group: While deep emotions may arise, the emphasis remains on spiritual growth rather than emotional processing or problem-solving. (See the upcoming post on using spiritual direction in peer support groups)

Getting Started with Group Spiritual Direction

For those interested in forming or joining a group, a typical first meeting may include:

  • Welcoming and introductions
  • Grounding practice
  • Sharing  expectations for the group
  • Spiritual pilgrimages/autobiographies
  • Deep listening without feedback or advice
  • Identifying the next meeting’s sharers

  • Closing ritual

Groups may be structured or open-ended, guided by a facilitator or peer-led, and may follow a particular faith tradition or be multi-spiritual. The key is a shared commitment to spiritual companionship and deep, sacred listening.

Group spiritual direction offers a profound way to experience the presence of the divine in community, cultivating a space where seekers can grow together in faith, discernment, and love.

Beloved, you are whole, holy, and worthy,

Rev Amy

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Try it!

Sample Group Spiritual Direction agenda (1-1.5 hour for 4-6 people)

  • 15  minutes: Welcome and introductions (Names)
  • 7 minutes: Grounding/Centering (prayer, reading, silence, chant, all of the above, etc.)
  • 5 minutes: Review the agenda, housekeeping
  • up to 10 minutes each: Sharing. No cross-talk. In future meetings the topic for sharing can be pre-set or open. For the first meeting, share your spiritual pilgrimage, understanding of the nature of your ministry/life mission, how you see the group nurturing your spiritual journey, hopes/fears/expectations for the group.
  • 5-10 minutes: (after EVERYONE has been heard) Time for reflections on themes which have surfaced, or specific noticings (not advice!) or witnessing (not feedback!) or curious questions.
  • 2 minutes: Ending ritual (prayer, chant, blessings, prayer, all of the above, etc.)
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For Further Exploration 

Books

Rose Mary Dougherty, Group Spiritual Direction: Community for Discernment A foundational text on group spiritual direction, covering structure, process, and theological reflections. https://www.amazon.com/Group-Spiritual-Direction-Community-Discernment/dp/0809140110

 J. Brent Bill, Sacred Compass: The Way of Spiritual Discernment Offers a practical and contemplative approach to spiritual discernment, helpful for understanding its role in group settings. https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Compass-Spiritual-Discernment-Discover/dp/1557255787

Christine Luna Munger, Calling Companioning: How to Find and Offer Authentic Spiritual Guidance Examines the practice of spiritual companionship, with insights into both individual and group settings. https://www.amazon.com/Calling-Companioning-Authentic-Spiritual-Guidance/dp/0814668418

Articles & Online Resources

• Shalem Institute: Resources on Group Spiritual Direction https://shalem.org/programs/group-spiritual-direction/

• Spiritual Directors International: Group Spiritual Direction Resources https://www.sdicompanions.org/resources/group-spiritual-direction/

• Contemplative Outreach: Guidelines for Centering Prayer and Group Spiritual Direction https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/centering-prayer-group-guidelines/

• Overview of Group Spiritual Direction (Small Groups) https://www.smallgroups.com/articles/2009/what-happens-in-group-spiritual-direction.html

• Christian Peer Supervision Model (Franciscan Spirituality Center) https://www.francisspctr.com/peer-supervision

• Christian Peer Groups for Spiritual Vitality (Christian Reformed Church) https://www.crcna.org/pastors-spiritual-vitality-toolkit/gathering-peer-group

• Shalem Institute and Center for Contemplative Spirituality Video (Start at 3:15) https://youtu.be/b9GfFuPwd2M

Christian Traditions

• Quaker Clearness Committees – A communal discernment practice where a small group listens deeply to a participant’s spiritual or life questions without giving advice. Resource: Parker Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life. https://quaker.org/legacy/qfp/qfp7-08.html

• Ignatian Communal Discernment (Jesuit Tradition) – Based on The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, this process helps groups listen for the movements of the Spirit in decision-making. Resource: Timothy Gallagher, Discerning the Will of God: An Ignatian Guide to Christian Decision Making

• Anabaptist Mutual Spiritual Companionship – Many Mennonite and Brethren communities practice mutual spiritual support groups that emphasize deep listening and shared discernment. Resource: J. Nelson Kraybill, Spiritual Companions: An Introduction to Anabaptist Pastoral Care

Multi-Faith and Interspiritual Practices

• Shura (Islamic Consultation & Discernment) – In Sufi and other Islamic traditions, shura is a communal discernment process rooted in humility, deep listening, and seeking divine guidance. Resource: Fadhlalla Haeri, Sufi Spiritual Direction: Principles and Practices

• Jewish Mussar Groups – Mussar is a Jewish ethical and spiritual practice involving group reflection, accountability, and personal growth. Resource: Alan Morinis, Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar https://mussarinstitute.org

• Buddhist Kalyāṇa-mittatā (Spiritual Friendship) Groups – Many Buddhist communities emphasize kalyāṇa-mittatā, or spiritual friendship, where practitioners meet for reflection, mutual encouragement, and deep listening. Resource: Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching

Indigenous and Earth-Based Traditions

• Council Circles (Indigenous & Earth-Based Traditions) – Many Indigenous cultures use circle gatherings for communal discernment, where deep listening and non-hierarchical sharing create sacred space. Resource: Christina Baldwin & Ann Linnea, The Circle Way: A Leader in Every Chair

• Pagan and Wiccan Spiritual Reflection Groups – Some Pagan traditions practice spiritual sharing circles where participants share their spiritual experiences and insights without cross-talk or correction. Resource: Judy Harrow, Spiritual Mentoring: A Pagan Guide

This Heart of Spiritual Direction series is ©2025 Amy Beltaine, all rights reserved. You may freely reprint any blog post, website, or print resource. Simply include the following attribution, and if you print online, make the link at the end live:

Article ©2025 Amy Beltaine, all rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. This article and hundreds of others, along with other free resources are available at http://www.AmyBeltaine.info


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