Group Spiritual Direction
Level 1 Workshop
For Those Who Want to Learn or Deepen the Practice of Group Spiritual Direction
Would you like to expand your capacity to listen to God on behalf of others?
September 18-20, 2026
Registration deadline is September 9, 2026 at 5:00 pm EST.
Schedule
Friday, September 18, 2026, 12:00 – 6:00 pm EDT
Saturday, September 19, 2026, 12:00 – 6:00 pm EDT
Sunday, September 20, 2026, 1:00 – 6:00 pm EDT
Free Info Session
Join us on Zoom to discern about the rightness of this workshop for you. Register in advance by clicking on a date below.
If you are feeling drawn to navigate life from deeper presence with God, you are invited into an experience of spiritual community with others who are longing for the inner connection and transcendent clarity that can be nurtured by the practice of Group Spiritual Direction (GSD). GSD is a unique spiritual practice of collective prayer, steeped in stillness and listening that opens a door to the space where divine guidance can arise and shape our inner lives.
This workshop encompasses three days and will be offered live on Zoom with our knowledgeable and dedicated GSD staff. The first part of our time each day will be spent in large group presentations utilizing experiential exercises. The second part will be spent in small listening groups with experienced facilitators. The groups will follow the Group Spiritual Direction process that Shalem teaches, which is based on the book Group Spiritual Direction, by Rose Mary Dougherty. All of this will be woven in prayer and the experience of community!
As a participant in this Workshop, you will be invited to:
- learn the framework of the Shalem Model of Group Spiritual Direction and observe the practice of Group Spiritual Direction through a live “real play” small group session.
- participate in presentations and experiences integrating the core themes of prayerful listening, intercessory prayer, spiritual community, and discernment.
- experience the process of Group Spiritual Direction each day in a small group with a seasoned facilitator; deepening your contemplative grounding for this prayer practice through authentic sharing and faithful listening.
- immerse yourself in our virtual spiritual community as you learn the contemplative grounding that is the heart of this ministry.
- practice this listening/ sharing process which aids depth, trust, and healing and discover the ways this process is transformational.
- consider participating in follow-up opportunities to deepen your practice, including joining a follow-up community of practice session and/or an ongoing 6-month group.
Because both the teaching presentations and small groups are foundational to the group spiritual direction practice, it is essential that participants commit to participating fully in the entire workshop.
To prepare for this workshop we encourage you to review the resources that will be made available to you in the Workshop Dropbox. To honor the sacredness of our shared space, we invite you to consider preparing a quiet, private, sacred space that will support your prayerful participation in this workshop.
We hope you will join us in this in this space of learning, shared trust and belonging.
“I attended the in-person GSD workshop in 2017, and it felt like coming home. This process has been such a gentle and grace-filled container for growth in my prayer life, and in my relationships. All of the foundational elements of Group Spiritual Direction can be applied to other contexts, so that we are not simply learning a format, we are receiving a new way of being.”
-Sarah Forti
CORE LEADERS
The core leaders of this workshop have each practiced and facilitated Group Spiritual Direction for many years and enjoy sharing it with others! They will be supported by additional experienced small group facilitators.
Sarah Begg
Sarah followed their curiosity to Shalem in 2021 and now serves on the GSD program Leadership Team. They have been a facilitator for Shalem’s Crossing The Thresholds program,…
the Episcopal Diocese of Central and Western MA’s Loving the Questions discernment program, as well as other on-going groups.
They are particularly interested in interfaith dialogue and supporting the use of inclusive language to create authentic deep listening spaces. Their spirit finds joy in holding space for others, gathering in a variety of worship communities, and in sharing their love of liturgical music with others.
Amy Duncan
Amy serves as the Co-Director of Shalem’s Group Spiritual Direction Program. She finds joy in being a spiritual companion and group facilitator and is dedicated to creating spaces of community where all can be held in radical welcome as God’s Beloved. She is committed to ongoing spiritual enrichment with other spiritual seekers and wisdom teachers…
She obtained her certificate in Spiritual Direction through Stillpoint: The Center for Christian Spirituality and received additional training there in Group Spiritual Direction and Peer Supervision. She is a 2024 graduate of Shalem’s Transforming Community: Leading Contemplative Groups and Retreats program and is delighted to be active in Shalem’s Group Spiritual Development program. Amy is the author of The Light Between Us: Praying In Times Such As These.
Sarah Forti
Sarah Forti, co-director of Crossing the Threshold: Contemplative Foundations for Emerging Leaders, is a graduate of the Young Adult Life and Leadership program, and the Group Spiritual Direction workshop…
She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, has an MDiv from George Fox Evangelical Seminary, and studied at Wesley Theological Seminary. She serves in parish ministry with the Episcopal Church, and is also a staff person in Shalem’s Group Spiritual Direction workshops.
Angela Hooks
Reverend Dr. Angela Hooks is the creator and spiritual director of Heartbeat Formation, LLC, and a group facilitator with Shalem and The Center for Contemplative Leadership at Princeton Theological Seminary. She earned her PhD in English Literature from St. John’s University…
an MFA in Creative Writing from Manhattanville College, an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and is a graduate of Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Development. Her autobiographical narrative “What’s That in Your Hand: A Diary?” was published in Spiritus: Journal of Christian Spirituality, Fall 2024, and her article about mystic and nun Thea Bowman is forthcoming in Christian Century March 2024. Angela has authored Make it Happen- A Journal to Identify and Actualize Your Goals (2021) and Diary as Literature: Through the Lens of Multiculturalism in America (2020). She also publishes a monthly newsletter, Heart Matters. Angela, former co-coordinator of (Re)Emerging Scholars and Practitioners of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality, now serves on the board of directors at large for the Society (SSCS). Whether leading a small group, a retreat, learning, or a preaching event, Angela curates a space and a place to explore and practice spiritual freedom through intersections of Christian spirituality, creativity, movement, personal growth, and storytelling.
Leonard McMahon
Leonard McMahon is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care, Spirituality, and Political Theology at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. He holds a doctorate in political theology from the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley, an MA in Religious Studies from UC Santa Barbara, and an MDiv from Harvard Divinity School…
His work explores the relationship between theology and democratic citizenship. Through his consultancy, Common Ground Dialogue (https://www.cgdialogue.org), he works to bring diverse citizens into deeper conversation for the sake of our democracy.
Nan Weir
Nan serves as Co-Director of Shalem’s Group Spiritual Direction Program. She is an architect and small group / retreat leader who is dedicated to creating sacred space and deepening spiritual community. She is a graduate of our Transforming Community Program, Facilitating Group Spiritual Direction, and Soul of Leadership long-term programs…
Nan has been practicing and teaching Group Spiritual Direction (GSD) for more than twenty years.
COST & REGISTRATION
Registration deadline is Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at 5:00 pm EDT.
Tier I $225.00. This tier provides an opportunity to participate in the workshop at a reduced cost.
Tier II $275.00. This tier reflects the true cost of providing the workshop experience for one participant.
Tier III $325.00. This tier provides an opportunity to support the participation of another participant.
If you have any questions regarding registration or the workshop, please contact the workshop coordinator, Erica Van Lunen, at erica@shalem.org.
Cancellation Policy for the Group Spiritual Direction Level 1 Workshop: Cancellation on or before September 16, 2026, refund of registration cost, less $25.00. No refunds after September 16, 2026.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
If you have questions about Group Spiritual Direction, contact Erica Van Lunen (erica@shalem.org).