Angela H. Reed

Quest for Spiritual Community

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Many churches recognize the importance of the genuine spiritual hunger in our time and are attempting to bridge the gulf between traditional religious institutions and the contemporary spiritual quest by revitalizing and retooling ancient spiritual practices. This book suggests that it is possible to relish the spiritual quest while honoring tradition and theological inquiry through practices such as spiritual guidance. It presents a sociological analysis of contemporary spirituality, case studies of congregations with spiritual guidance ministries, and reflection on historical practices and Protestant theological roots to explore the strengths and pitfalls of nurturing the contemporary spiritual quest in the average congregation. The resulting vision for congregation-based spiritual guidance incorporates practices that attend to person, community, and mission.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury 3PL
• Seitenzahl: 202
• Erscheinungstermin: 25. April 2011
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 229mm x 152mm x 11mm
• Gewicht: 301g
• ISBN-13: 9780567038838
• ISBN-10: 0567038831
• Artikelnr.: 31081054

Autorenporträt

Angela Reed is Assistant Professor of Practical Theology and Director of Spiritual Formation at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University. She holds a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary and has experience in spiritual direction and pastoral ministry.

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction:
The introduction will discuss the widening gulf between religion and
spirituality in contemporary culture.
 
Chapter 1: Understanding the Contemporary Spiritual Search: Spirituality
for Communities in a Culture of Individuals
The first chapter will provide a description of the contemporary spiritual
quest for congregations and their leaders who are frequently ill-equipped
to understand the spiritual environment in society around them. Seminaries
generally provide students with many more tools to read Scripture, church
history, and theology than to "read" contemporary culture. The sociological
frameworks of Wade Clark Roof, Robert Wuthnow, and Christian Smith offer
insights into the contemporary cultural milieu and provide direction for
recovering ancient practices of spiritual guidance for the current context
in a manner that is rooted in the communal formation of the congregation. 
Chapter 2: Hearing their Stories: Spiritual Guidance Practices in
Congregations
Every chapter will contain the threads of a few stories woven throughout
(see the introduction for an example of this.) However, the second chapter
will explore the stories of the congregations and seminaries included in
the empirical research more fully, highlighting specific dimensions of the
impact of spiritual guidance training and practice on congregations and
their leaders. Several significant findings will be discussed including:
the shaping of pastoral identity, ongoing self-care and personal formation
of pastors, parishoners developing a language for spirituality and
experiencing God in new ways, personal and communal discernment, the
movement from personal formation to missional conviction, etc. This chapter
will begin to explore practical insights from those reclaiming spiritual
guidance practices. Ultimately, the chapter will consider how spiritual
guidance practices impact the congregation's ability to create meaningful
responses to the quest culture.
Chapter 3: Historical Models of Spiritual Guidance: Uncovering Practices of
Soul Care for Persons and Communities
The third chapter will provide a brief introduction to the development of
spiritual guidance practices in recent history, especially with reference
to the Protestant context. The chapter will then consider an historical
exploration of spiritual guidance in a few specific contexts - snapshots of
spiritual guidance at work in communities where it may be least expected.
These snapshots will include the role of the anamchara (or soul friend)
rooted in Celtic spirituality, the anchorite Julian of Norwich, the early
Anabaptists who practiced the ban, and the secretive seminary community
guided by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The result is a discussion of the
possibilities of spiritual guidance which challenges the contemporary
culture's emphasis on individualistic spirituality. The historical examples
point to the possibilities of spiritual guidance practices which nurture
both individuals and communities.
Chapter 4: A Protestant Theology of Spiritual Guidance: Insights from
Jürgen Moltmann and Miroslav Volf on the Trinity and Christian Community 
The theological discussion in the fourth chapter lays the foundation for a
Protestant theology of spiritual guidance. Moltmann is a pivotal figure in
his development of the social doctrine of the Trinity. His discussion of
God's presence in creation fits hand-to-glove with spiritual guidance
practice. The description of human relationships which most fully reflects
God as Trinity (persons-in-relation) sets the stage for spiritual formation
in community. Volf (Moltmann's former student) explores voluntary
association in the Christian congregation and works intentionally to
counter individualistic tendencies in Protestant ecclesiology. The result
is a vision for Christian practice that attends to the personal spiritual
quest while remaining accountable to theological convictions about
community and mission. A Word on Method: This chapter draws on traditional
systematic theologians, however the focus on spirituality lends itself to
approaching the ideas in a way that is creative and engages tools such as
story and metaphor. At times it will also be important to point to practice
(based upon earlier chapters) and then reflect on theological implications
(a true practical theological method).
Chapter 5: The Pastor as Spiritual Guide: Becoming a Spiritual Leader of a
Congregation
The fifth chapter discusses the possibilities of the role of pastor as
spiritual guide. In the empirical research, pastors were virtually
unanimous in their opinion that spiritual guidance has become a lens for
all that they do in ministry. For many, training in spiritual guidance has
been one of the biggest influences in the way they go about the work of
ministry. The bulk of the chapter will offer suggestions for providing
spiritual guidance through various pastoral tasks including preaching,
leading worship, teaching, pastoral care, administrative leadership, etc.
Lay leaders will be addressed as well.
Chapter 6: Toward a Congregation-Based Model for Spiritual Guidance:
Pragmatic Suggestions for Churches Seeking to Address the Contemporary
Spiritual Quest
While the fifth chapter concentrates on congregational leadership, the
sixth chapter gives attention to the congregation as a whole. A model for
congregation-based spiritual guidance will be explored more fully. After
reading this chapter, congregational leaders should have a sense of how
they might start to develop a ministry of spiritual guidance in their
contexts. Variations of the model will be considered and possible pitfalls
when implementing spiritual guidance practices will be addressed. Practical
issues such as approaches to spiritual guidance that attend to males and
females, spiritual guidance for individuals and groups, and spiritual
guidance for families will be included. These issues are based upon the
understanding of the congregation as a primary home for spiritual formation
amid a culture in which spiritual experiences are often fleeting.
 
Conclusion:
In addition to providing a brief summary of key arguments, the conclusion
will offer some reflections on key issues seminaries might consider in
their attempts to give greater attention to spiritual formation and
guidance in the curriculum and in community life. In my perspective, the
spiritual formation of seminarians is critical for the ongoing health and
growth of the church.