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Your guide to the terms, definitions, and lingo we use on our website and during our retreats.
Spiritual Formation
Spiritual formation refers to the process by which a person's interior life is shaped and molded to be like Christ (Gal. 2:20, 4:19, Eph. 3:16-17). Just as Christ reflected the image of God perfectly (John 12:45), so we are called to be conformed to his image (Rom. 8:29). Robert Mulholland defines it this way: "Spiritual formation is a process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others" (Invitation to a Journey).
Spiritual formation is often thought of as a set of practices or disciplines. Yet that is not the full story. Spiritual practices are a means of intentionally engaging in relationship with God so that our presence and responsiveness to God and his interactions grow to resemble those of Jesus Christ.
Ultimately, the goal of spiritual formation is to cultivate obedience to Christ and his Word so that we learn to live life as Jesus would if he were in our circumstances. Spiritual formation is important because it engages us in practices that allow us to join God in his work of soul transformation, growing our awareness of the loving presence of God and our responsiveness to that love.
To find out more, see also our article on spiritual formation.
The Bible forms the basis of the spiritual life for us as disciples of Jesus. First and foremost, it introduces us to the triune God, in whose image we were created and are being re-formed. As we accurately appropriate the contents of the Bible, enter its worldview, and live in interaction with God, available to us through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, we move toward transformation and conformity to the image of Christ.
Secondly, the Scriptures outline spiritual-formation principles that provide the basis for healthy spiritual disciplines. As Paul says to Timothy, it is profitable to make the man of God adequate and equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Looking at Scripture, we find many practices that are either commanded (such as meditating on God’s word) or modeled (following the example of Christ by spending time in retreat with the Father). The Bible also provides a framework that can help us approach these suggested practices with discernment.
For more on the role of Scripture in the spiritual life, see our article Handling God's Word.
Understanding the role of feelings and emotions in the spiritual life is vital to having a healthy walk with God. Both Jesus and Paul, for instance, understood that feelings and emotions are signposts of the spiritual life that mark our progress to Christlikeness (Matt. 15, 23, Rom. 6-8, Gal. 5, Col. 3:1-17, Eph. 4:17-24, etc.). At the same time, however, emotions are not the final word in the spiritual life.
While the spiritual life is not grounded on emotion, our feelings can indicate areas in our lives needing transformation. Likewise, they can reveal heart attachments that keep us from conforming to Christ‘s image and imitating Him. Awareness and appropriate understanding of emotions and the role they play is essential to sanctification.
The Bible addresses the interior life more than three thousand times in Scripture, indicating that the "heart" (which in the biblical world meant the mind, emotion, and will) is more central to spiritual formation than behavior. That's because the heart motivates or propels our actions. Current brain science also indicates that emotions and thought are not independent of one another, but are in fact intertwined. Therefore, it is essential to engage the whole of our interior space, including our emotions, in the process of spiritual formation.
Crucially, as disciples of Jesus we must focus on what God is doing in and through our emotions rather than quickly trying to resolve any emotional issues. Remember: spiritual formation does not seek our happiness (a calm emotional state), but rather our holiness (a right relationship with God). As a we conform more and more to the image of Christ, our emotional experience will align more and more with the Word of God (John 10:10).
From a biblical perspective, spiritual formation is integral to both evangelism and mission. First, spiritual formation emphasizes obedience to the biblical witness, which automatically fosters kingdom expansion (Acts 1:8, 8:4, 9:15-22, 11:19-21). Second, as we grow in the love of God and in eternal life (i.e., knowing God; see John 17:3), we are compelled to invite others into life with Christ. At its core, then, spiritual formation is not only about evangelism and mission, but also about multiplying disciples, since the experience of a reconciled relationship with God is so rich.
Spiritual Direction
Finding its roots in Scripture, Christian spiritual direction fosters obedience to Christ through the Spirit’s loving interaction with a person in light of biblical norms. Since the Bible provides us with a way of understanding life with God and seeing the Holy Spirit as life’s true director, both director and directee practice surrender to the Spirit’s leading throughout their time together.
The human spiritual director’s role is to provide an atmosphere of safety and love in which attention may be given to the Holy Spirit for obedience to his word and to life in the kingdom of God. At the same time, the directee brings the circumstances of their life (interior, exterior, and historical) that are then opened up in the presence of God for his loving interaction and direction.
See also our article on spiritual direction.
See too our article on the definition of spiritual direction.
All spiritual directors associated with GEM subscribe to the ESDA’s Code of Ethics. Generally, spiritual directors listed on the GEM Spiritual Life site are members of the ESDA. Should you desire a spiritual director outside of GEM’s context, please feel free to search for qualified spiritual directors on the ESDA’s website.
"An ethical spiritual director is always seeking to have healthy and appropriate relationships with others, including God, oneself, one’s directees, and others in the community and the world. Love is our highest calling and command (Matthew 22:36-40) and all other ethical considerations should flow from this main principle. However, in any personal interaction where one person possesses training and experience in an area that another does not, there is an imbalance of power that makes both parties vulnerable to risk: the risk of abusing that power and of being abused. By outlining the following ethical guidelines, we seek to help spiritual directors to behave appropriately in their ministry, to recognize and to be prepared for ethical situations that may arise, and to consider the condition of their own deceptive hearts (Jeremiah 17:9) as they seek to practice this ministry of love."
-From the ESDA's Code of Ethics
Spiritual direction differs from other helping professions because it takes people from “normal” living to kingdom living by helping them recognize the Spirit’s leading. The trajectory of spiritual direction for the directee is practiced or lived Christlikeness through paying attention to the Holy Spirit’s leading.
Gary Moon says, “For the most part, spiritual directors work with individuals who are already living close to the middle of the normal curve, but desire to become abnormal—abnormally loving, peaceful, joyful, abnormally aware of God, and his loving presence. In spiritual direction, the goal is to accompany directees on a journey toward normal kingdom living—far from the center of the world’s normal curve.”
Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls by Gary W. Moon and David G. Benner (p. 23)
