Spiritual Companioning: A Guide to Protestant Theology and Practice

by Angela H. Reed; Richard R. Osmer; Marcus G. Smucker

Publisher:

Baker Academic

, 2015

Overview

Pastors and lay leaders often use the increasingly popular language of spiritual formation and spiritual practices, yet they sometimes struggle to germinate a culture of honest conversation about the life of faith. Drawing on decades of experience in spiritual direction, congregational ministry, and seminary teaching, this book offers a clear and rich introduction to the theology and practice of spiritual companioning in the Protestant tradition. Angela H. Reed, Richard R. Osmer, and Marcus Smucker give practical help for cultivating spiritual relationships in congregations and beyond, using stories to illustrate key ideas. Spiritual Companioning is written for seminary professors and students as well as pastors and lay leaders, with helpful study materials included.

Key Features

• Focuses on the settings in which spiritual companioning can take place
• Provides a position that takes our call to live out faith to others seriously
• Offers clear teaching from experienced pastors and teachers

Contents

• Spiritual Companioning as Presence
• Spiritual Companioning in the Congregation
• Spiritual Companioning in Spiritual Direction
• Spiritual Companioning in Small Groups
• Spiritual Companioning in Everyday Life
• Spiritual Companioning and the Journey of Life
• Spiritual Companioning for Leaders

Top Highlights

“fear the exposure and risks that come with closeness; we feel the push of shame and fear that drives us away from God” (Page 9)

“A practical approach to intentional connection is to set a regular time in which companions take turns sharing how they sense God’s presence and are growing in their faith.” (Page 46)

“secularism marginalizes two essentials of human wholeness: the need for intimacy and transcendence.” (Page xv)

“A third type of companionship is spiritual friendship between peers” (Page 46)

“Among the smiling faces of those passing through the church doors on Sunday mornings are many who long for deeper, more genuine relationships in their congregations. They hunger for relationships that nurture them and challenge them to grow spiritually and for connections that move past surface pleasantries into the real joys and heartaches of life. In a society that is increasingly fragmented, they are looking for a place to take off their masks and simply belong—to come home to other people and to God.” (Page xi)

Praise for the Print Edition

Everyone who ventures into a church today is looking for more than simply an hour of spiritual entertainment. From the depths of their souls rises a yearning to be part of a truly spiritual community, to be knit together with other seekers of holiness. This book unfolds how it can happen.

—Craig Barnes, president, Princeton Theological Seminary

The authors of this book have rightly discerned that life, church, and community are about relationships. They have outlined those crucial phases of life where companionship is desperately needed. Writing in a personal and passionate way, these sensitive authors offer insight and guidance for modern, growing disciples.

—Ben Campbell Johnson, professor emeritus, Christian spirituality, Columbia Theological Seminary

Spiritual Companioning offers a comprehensive, well-rounded exploration of the ways spiritual guidance can become an animating vision for healthy congregations and their leaders. Carefully and clearly written, with exercises at the end of each chapter that are designed to inspire contemplative reflection on personal and congregational dimensions of faith formation, this book could be a stimulating guidebook for discussions among pastors and lay leaders, in Christian formation committees, or in seminary classrooms. Readers will be inspired by the clarity and simplicity of this vision, which is nothing less than a return to the pulsing heart of the gospel: loving God, neighbor, and self.

—Marlene Kropf, professor emerita of spiritual formation and worship, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

Product Details

• Title: Spiritual Companioning: A Guide to Protestant Theology and Practice
• Authors: Angela H. Reed, Richard R. Osmer, Marcus G. Smucker
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Print Publication Date: 2015
• Logos Release Date: 2018
• Pages: 208
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Spiritual formation › Protestant churches; Spiritual direction › Protestant churches; Interpersonal relations › Religious aspects--Christianity; Mentoring › Religious aspects--Christianity; Protestant churches › Doctrines
• ISBNs: 9781441267832, 9780801049897, 1441267832, 080104989X
• Resource ID: LLS:SPRTLCMPNNNG
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T03:06:35Z

About the Author

Angela H. Reed is assistant professor of practical theology and director of spiritual formation at Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She is also the author of Quest for Spiritual Community: Reclaiming Spiritual Guidance for Contemporary Congregations.

Richard R. Osmer is Ralph B. and Helen S. Ashenfelter Professor of Mission and Evangelism at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. He is the author of several books, including Practical Theology: An Introduction and The Teaching Ministry of Congregations.

Marcus G. Smucker (1931-2014) was a pastor, teacher, spiritual advisor, and conflict mediator. He taught at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary and Eastern Mennonite Seminary.