SPIRITUAL LIFE AND LEADERSHIP (SP-2527)

The primary act of ministry is listening: to God, to oneself, and to others. This class will introduce basic listening skills from a grounding in the contemplative tradition rather than in psychology or communication theory. The semester will open with several weeks in which we investigate and practice contemplative prayer, understanding that contemplation invites us to a whole contemplative lifestyle. We will then learn a simple model for contemplative listening (one week) that we will practice for six subsequent weeks. Participants will take turns relating a recent experience, an experience from childhood, and a ministry experience. We will also introduce other conversation skills (questions and probes) and will conclude with pastoral applications and connections to other semesters of Spiritual Life and Leadership. [Auditors with faculty permission]