Application Deadlines
Early Bird Deadline: March 1, 2020
Regular Deadline: April 1, 2020
Program Dates
July 2020 to September 2021
First Residency: August 13-20, 2020
Second Residency: July 5-12, 2021
Program Components
Two Residencies with At-Home Work
Much of the work of Going Deeper: Clergy Spiritual Life and Leadership happens at home within the context of one’s ministry. The program is anchored by two eight-day residencies, which include presentations on contemplative prayer and leadership, fellowship with peers, worship, and spacious time for rest, reflection, and renewal. These residencies take place at Bon Secours Retreat Center just north of Baltimore, Maryland.
At-home work includes:
- Readings focused on contemplative presence and spiritually grounded leadership;
- Personal spiritual practice supported, if possible, by a spiritual director or spiritual direction group and, where helpful, by keeping a spiritual journal;
- Periodic reflections, deep listening and caring support with a peer group of participants;
- A visit to an innovative, risk-taking church of your choosing;
- Creation of a listening group of laity from your congregation for spiritual deepening and mutual support;
- At least two days of solitary retreat time;
- A final integration paper that allows you to look back with God over your experience throughout the program in order to learn what has been of value to integrate into your life and leadership.
Residencies include:
- Fellowship and stimulus of other contemplatively-minded clergy;
- Rest, renewal and guided silent retreat;
- Presentations with individual and small group reflection on various themes central to discovering how to live and lead from the spiritual heart, such as:
Nurturing Spirit-led leadership in yourself and with your faith community
Personal and congregational ways for discernment based on deep listening
Experiencing new and ancient practices of contemplative prayer
Dealing with conflict and anger from a contemplative heart that holds compassion and courage in equal measure
Listening for the Spirit’s shaping of the future of the church
Collegiality with spiritually motivated congregants and other clergy
Touching the Holy across faith lines
Engaging social action with a contemplative heart
Presence to God in worship
Discernment as spiritually grounded decision-making;
- Inspiration drawn from the lives of past and present spiritual leaders;
- Honest spiritual community and the beginnings of a network of mutual support and practical learning.
A Certificate of Completion is awarded upon completion of all program requirements.
Chaplains may obtain Continuing Education Units for completing this program. Past graduates have been granted CEU’s for Shalem’s programs by the Association of Professional Chaplains.
For more details and an application form, please download the detailed program brochure below.
For clergy serving as pastors of congregations or as chaplains, expectations can often be overwhelming. Balance is hard to find, burnout is all too common, and clergy can feel especially isolated and torn in many different directions. With too much to do and the desire to do everything perfectly, a life that should be centered in God and committed to spiritual practice is all too quickly overtaken by stress and time management issues.
