Nov. 9, 2009
Mennonite Spiritual Directors Reflect on God’s Heartbeat of Love
By Dan Schrock
Wendy Wright, who teaches theology and spirituality at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., led the group at the Mennonite spiritual directors retreat in reflecting on John 15:12-17 and the theme of friendship in Christian theology.
The first-ever U.S. retreat for Mennonite spiritual directors took place Oct. 26-28 at the Jesuit Retreat House in Parma, Ohio. Wendy Wright, who teaches theology and spirituality at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., led the group in reflecting on John 15:12-17 and the theme of friendship in Christian theology.
The purpose of Christianity, according to Wright, is to help the hearts of humanity “beat in rhythm” with the heart of God. “Our hearts were originally created to beat with God’s heart, but sin has made our hearts arrhythmic,” she said. “The church’s ministry of spiritual direction, along with other ministries such as worship, formation, service and witness, recalibrates our hearts to beat in unison with God’s heart of love.”
The meetings were planned to nourish the growth of spiritual directors, strengthen their sense of community with each other and expand their understanding of the ministry of spiritual direction. A total of 46 directors gathered from 10 states and one Canadian province.
“The growth of spiritual direction among Mennonites can be traced back to the pioneering work of Gene and Mary Herr,” said Marlene Kropf, who teaches spiritual formation at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Ind., and serves as minister of worship for Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership. In the 1970s the Herrs began leading discipleship units for Mennonite Voluntary Service and offering contemplative retreats. They also established The Hermitage, a retreat center in Three Rivers, Mich.
In the 1980s, AMBS and Eastern Mennonite Seminary in Harrisonburg, Va., began offering spiritual formation courses and eventually created training programs for spiritual directors. These programs provided directors for pastors and other leaders, but now they also provide directors for spiritual formation groups in local congregations. The LifeSpring programs in Ohio and the Kairos School of Spiritual Formation in Pennsylvania also offer training.
About 115 trained people appear in the current version of the Mennonite Spiritual Directors list.
Mennonite Church Canada maintains its own list of directors.