Learning at the Feet of Elders: A Return to Apprenticeships
Lifestyle
In November of 2019, I gave up classroom instruction in the art of spiritual direction and began taking on apprentices. Earlier that year, Shaleen Kendrick, a young woman whose life situation didn’t allow her to attend any of the traditional training programs asked if I would take her on as an apprentice. At first, I balked, wondering if apprenticing would be acceptable to the spiritual direction community and if she would get the kind of training necessary without a cohort to connect with.
After considerable reflection, I agreed to give it a try since Shaleen was a perfect candidate for any training program: steeped in spiritual formation, enrolled in an online Master of Divinity program and certified in Enneagram work. Together, she and I crafted a program that met her needs and provided ample instruction in the basics of spiritual guidance. I created a curriculum and she found people to do spiritual direction with so she could learn “on the job” with careful supervision. She excelled and went on to found Desert Voices, where she offers spiritual direction, coaching, and Enneagram instruction.
Although we started our sessions in person, when the pandemic hit and we had to go online with Zoom, we found that there was nothing we did in person that we couldn’t do also online. This realization allowed me to expand the program to people all over the world.
I now work with about 8 individuals at any given time in the Phoenix Center for Spiritual Direction’s Apprentice Training Program and have graduated 21 apprentices. The program has added a second trainer who allows us to take on 3-4 additional people at a time. The spiritual direction community has embraced this work and invited me to speak about it at their upcoming annual conference. Regarding cohorts, we found that they are wonderful for community building but not essential to learning the art of spiritual direction. People who need cohorts have a lot of programs to choose from. People who need flexibility, individual attention and a program that’s a little bit more affordable have less choice — however apprenticing is a great option.
Spiritual director with over 20 years of experience helping people explore their spiritual path. Received Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction in 2000 from San Francisco Theological Seminary. Currently running the Apprentice Training Program in Spiritual Direction for the Phoenix Center for Spiritual Direction.
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