In the Bible, Paul says of his pastoral ministry, “I magnify my office” (Rom. 11:13, KJV). Pastor, do you magnify your office? Paul’s example and instruction is not just for professional church pastors — though it’s especially for them! — it’s for all of Christ’s ambassadors. So let me re-ask the question: Bible teacher, small…
In Dr. Bobby Clinton’s study of 3,500 leaders for Christ it was found that only one-third of leaders finished well. Many drop out (usually due to burnout). Some have a moral failing. The majority plateau (fade into a slow fail). In the Bible this same pattern holds true. Out of 49 leaders featured in the Bible only 13 of…
An understanding of how spiritual and psychological development generally progresses is crucial to personal faith and the ministries of spiritual direction, pastoral care, and Christian counseling. But many Christians, even pastors and leaders, have not studied this. In The Divine Conspiracy Dallas Willard shares some key thoughts on a developmental model of spiritual formation in…
To grow spiritually and become more loving like Jesus Christ we need to understand the stages of our development and how to resist the temptations that thwart our progress.
The people around you need a spiritual leader who helps them connect with Christ. In our TLC retreat program we teach this to pastors and ministry leaders.
This pastor’s wife didn’t feel safe in church but Soul Shepherding’s TLC spiritual formation retreats helped her share intimacy with Jesus among friends.
This questionnaire assesses your spiritual and psychological journey using the LIFE in CHRIST developmental stages we teach on our TLC retreats for pastors.
These right-brained approaches to understanding your spiritual journey are refreshing and helpful aids to Christian formation and spiritual direction.
You can earn a certificate in “Spiritual Formation and Soul Care Ministry” from Soul Shepherding, Inc by completing our two-year TLC training program. TLC stands for “To Love Christ” because our focus is cultivating intimacy with Jesus in our personal lives and ministries of leadership and caring. Through apprenticeship to Jesus we’re learning to bring all that…
TLC3: Spiritual Direction Verbatim This spiritual direction verbatim was originally written on March 4, 2005 for a “Christ’s Ambassadors Spiritual Formation Group” I was leading. It is an example of how to write up a word-for-word (as best as you can recall!) account of a spiritual direction session. This is a common tool for spiritual directors…