Spiritual Directors International (SDI) is an educational nonprofit organization that supports professional spiritual direction and spiritual companionship.
History
edit
Spiritual Directors International (SDI) was formed in 1990 to support the work of professionals who work as spiritual directors.[1] This support happens across religious or spiritual traditions, as the professionalization of this field of practice increasingly involves those who work outside of or without the support of a traditional religious community.[2] As this expansion of serving the function of a "spiritual midwife" continues, SDI supports the establishment of best practices while promoting minimum standards for the practice of spiritual direction or spiritual companionship, including deep or holy listening and hospitality.[3]
SDI is an IRS 501(c)(3) charitable organization.[4]
Service to the profession
editSpiritual Directors International provides an online repository to match those who wish to receive spiritual direction, or seekers, with those who provide this form of spiritual companionship.[5] As an organization, it supports its members on their own professional paths, without imposing any single belief system, professional certification, or license.[6]
Those who provide this work, and the membership audience, are laypeople and ordained ministers, who together receive ongoing education and communal support through SDI.[7][8] Spiritual Directors, also known as spiritual companions or spiritual guides, are not found exclusively within any faith tradition, as they include many interfaith practitioners.[9] As such, SDI is nondenominational in its membership and approach to this work.[10]
While most who work as spiritual directors do not do that in a full-time capacity, as a professional area of practice, those who work in this area do use this as one aspect of their making a living.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Ruffing, Janet K. (2010). "Sacred is the Call: Supervisory Accountability and Responsibility in the Formation of Spiritual Directors". Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry. 30. ISSN 2325-2855.
- ^ Ruffing, Janet (2002). "Recent Literature and Emerging Issues in the Ministry of Spiritual Direction". Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality. 2 (1): 99–107. doi:10.1353/scs.2002.0019. ISSN 1535-3117. S2CID 145557893.
- ^ Prechtel, Daniel L. (2012). Where two or three are gathered : spiritual direction for small groups. Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Pub. ISBN 978-0-8192-2772-0. OCLC 755699307.
- ^ "IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search > Spiritual Directors International". IRS.gov. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ Barrington Forney, Liz (2021-03-02). "Compass for the soul". The Presbyterian Outlook. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ Cooper, Andrea (2021-01-13). "Can Spiritual Directors Help?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
- ^ Frykholm, Amy (15 December 2011). "Holy listening: The spiritual direction movement". The Christian Century. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ Blythe, Teresa (16 April 2019). "What You Need to Know About Spiritual Direction Training Programs". Spiritual Direction 101. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ Phillips, Susan S. (2008). Candlelight : Illuminating the art of spiritual direction. Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Pub. ISBN 978-0-8192-2297-8. OCLC 183879505.
- ^ Chafets, Zev (2009-09-16). "The Right Way to Pray?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
- ^ Blythe, Teresa (2019-03-26). "Making A Living Off Spiritual Direction - The Short Answer Is Yes!". Spiritual Direction 101. Retrieved 2021-08-17.