Spiritual Directors Fellows Program
Information and Guidelines
The Imago Dei Fund (IDF) Spiritual Director Fellows Program provides funding for the creation of
Spiritual Director staff positions within churches in New England.
Objectives:
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To nurture & promote the contemplative path of classical Christian spirituality: the
ongoing restoration of the image of God in the human person
To bring spiritual direction into the mainstream of church ministry, and
To support trained spiritual directors who seek to pursue spiritual direction as a vocation
within a church setting.
Background:
An ancient practice of soul-to-soul listening, spiritual direction is experiencing a resurgence as a
spiritual discipline in various places throughout the Christian church. Historically, spiritual direction
was part of the fabric of a community of faith and was understood as a spiritual discipline of
“working out one’s salvation” to live more fully into the image of God each of us was created to be.
Spiritual direction can and does take place in many different settings, but many believe the ideal
place for it is within the church where it can be grounded in a theological framework which helps
introduce contemporary Christians and seekers to the classical contemplative Way of Christ.
Despite a growing awareness of the importance of spiritual direction, most churches do not offer
spiritual direction as a formal ministry. Spiritual directors often work in isolation and at the fringes of
church life and operate on a fee-for-service basis. People often seek out a spiritual director when
they are seeking something more from their faith but do not find within the church an outlet to
attend to the deeper places of their souls. They do not need more teaching or more sermons, but a
practical way to integrate the formal teachings of the church with their inner life and their felt
experience of God in their day-to-day life. The IDF believes that churches would deepen their
spiritual impact by offering one-to-one and group spiritual direction opportunities for people seeking
to listen to God and live more contemplatively.
Program:
The goal of the IDF Spiritual Directors Program is to partner with local churches and local spiritual
directors to make spiritual direction a formal ministry of the church. While providing immediate
support to congregations through these directors, we hope to also collaborate with participating
spiritual directors and partner churches to help evaluate the effectiveness of the program and
determine new and better ways of promoting spiritual practices which foster a more contemplative
knowing of God and spiritual formation into the image of Christ.
The program will provide funding to cover the salary of either a part-time or full time Spiritual
Director within a church. The grant will be a three year grant, subject to an annual renewal review
The Imago Dei Fund
200 Clarendon Street  35th Floor  Boston MA 02116
imagodeifund.org
Spiritual Directors Fellows Program
Information and Guidelines
that assesses and verifies the effectiveness of the partnership. A small pilot program will be initiated
in 2010, with the hope that additional fellows would be funded in subsequent years.
The project involves both prospective spiritual directors and their churches, and as such both must
play a role in the IDF proposal development process as well as the implementation of the project.
The application process should be managed by the prospective spiritual directors, working with the
support of and in conjunction with their church.
Role Parameters
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Working with their churches, Spiritual Directors will create their own unique “plan” for
incorporating spiritual direction into the church. Directors’ time should be focused on
encouraging the contemplative aspects of Christianity, such as individual spiritual
direction, group spiritual direction, teaching opportunities, contemplative retreats, and
encouraging the contemplative seasons of the church calendar.
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The Spiritual Director will be an employee of the church, and as such will report to and be
managed by appropriate church staff.
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Directors will be required to meet in a monthly peer supervision group and will also have
opportunities to meet with other IDF Spiritual Director Fellows for professional
development and to collaborate and share ideas as a cohort.
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An annual review/”examen,” created by the spiritual director in conjunction with the
church, will be submitted to the IDF. This will be both a professional and a spiritual
exercise to assess the effectiveness of the Spiritual Director and to listen together to the
Spirit’s promptings.
Prerequisites
Spiritual Directors:
 a demonstrated calling to journey with others in their life of faith
 a desire/calling to bring spiritual direction into the fabric of your church setting
 knowledge & understanding of the classical Christian path of salvation
 spiritual direction credential/training
 experience in and a commitment to offering spiritual direction to individuals and/or
groups
 commitment to offer teaching opportunities, workshops, and/or retreats in the
contemplative dimension of Christian spirituality
 commitment to ongoing personal & professional growth
 an active member of the sponsoring church
The Imago Dei Fund
200 Clarendon Street  35th Floor  Boston MA 02116
imagodeifund.org
Spiritual Directors Fellows Program
Information and Guidelines
Sponsoring Churches:
 supportive of the project and positive about its prospective benefits
 able to incorporate the Spiritual Director into their staff, providing direct supervision,
support and a larger theological framework
 committed to support the effort and work of the Spiritual Director to make it
successful, thriving ministry
 able to provide an appropriate space for individual and small group small group
spiritual direction meetings
 willing to consider the possibility of incorporating a spiritual director position into
their paid staff in the long term, dependent on the outcome of this project, their
assessment of the benefits of this role, and in line with their fiscal constraints.
 agree to work with the IDF to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of their directors,
and help collaborate on how to improve their effectiveness
Application Process
To apply, please fill out the Imago Dei Fellows Application Form as part of your prayer/ discernment
process with the leadership with your local church. The form can be accessed by clicking on the link
in our website. Together, envision what a position might look like, and submit a proposal that
describes:
a. Your vision and understanding of spiritual direction,
b. Your sense of call to companion others in their spiritual journeys,
c. The nature and scope of the work you hope to do as an IDF Spiritual Director Fellow
including the number of hours to be worked per week (15+) and how your ministry
would dovetail and integrate with other ministries of the church,
d. A proposed 3 year budget, and lastly
e. A plan for oversight and accountability of your role within the church staff structure.
Proposals would be approved for a three year period year subject to annual reviews. Once
approved, the IDF will provide a grant to the church, earmarked for the expenses related to the
Spiritual Director.
We expect that the application process will be an iterative one, and we encourage prospective
grantees to work with the IDF as you develop your proposal. If you have any questions or would like
to discuss a prospective idea before submitting a formal proposal, please email Emily Jones at
emilynj@imagodeifund.org.
The Imago Dei Fund
200 Clarendon Street  35th Floor  Boston MA 02116
imagodeifund.org