Spiritual Direction
Spiritual Direction has its roots in early Christianity but has grown in popularity in many modern contexts. As early as the 3rd century the Desert Mothers and Fathers lived in the Egyptian desert where people would travel to seek counsel from them. The theologian John Cassian developed it further a century later.
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In recent times, Spiritual Direction has been led by key figures such as Dallas Willard with training opportunities not only in monasteries but also Seminaries, Universities and Spiritual Formation Training Centres - with some great ones right in our area!
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As a faith community, Lincoln Road Chapel values the inner spiritual life of each person and desires to provide intentional opportunities for growth and transformation in a variety of ways, including Spiritual Direction.
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As we embrace the idea that our soul consists of every part of us, we will be more and more open to the reality that head knowledge, while important, isn’t all there is in our pursuit knowing Christ in a deeper and more profound way.
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Spiritual direction aims to foster this experiential life with the Triune God. Directors are trained to listen deeply to what you bring, to where you are at and they are taught how to hold space for the inner landscape of the soul so that you can hear yourself and God, nurturing a greater awareness of His voice and movement.
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A Spiritual Director doesn’t provide a spiritual experience for you but holds welcoming and nonjudgemental space with you, listening for where God is present. This benefits you and others with whom you are in relationship.
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Lincoln Road Chapel has opened up space for a team of Spiritual Directors who are dedicated to being Christ-centred, Trinitarian and scriptural and who desire to partner with the Holy Spirit as they work with individuals.
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Each Spiritual Director at LRC has their own practice, costs, and ways to meet. You may read about each one and contact the one you sense might be a good fit. There is no commitment in the first meeting – it is an opportunity for you to connect and ask questions. People typically meet monthly but there is no hard and fast rule about how often you meet. You are also free at any time to be led elsewhere; you belong to God and you have freedom to move as He leads.
​Brad is a graduate of the Emmaus Spiritual Director program, and has been practicing Spiritual Direction for two years. He seeks to create space for directees to meet with God and hear his voice in their lives. Brad has a special heart for those struggling to connect their intellectual understanding of God with their lived experience. He would love to journey with you as you listen for the Holy Spirit and explore what God is speaking into your life. His desire is that you would experience some of the connection with God that he has experienced through his own journey with Spiritual Direction.
I love holding welcoming space for people's souls, listening and being a witness to the presence of God that we often don't see in our everyday lives. I have been practicing spiritual direction for ten years and continue to see how transformative this ministry is. I received my training as a Spiritual Director and Supervisor from Tyndale University and have finished a three-year training in the Contemplative-Evocative approach.
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As we initiate holding out spiritual direction for LRC, I am offering small group (maximum 4 people) spiritual direction once a week for six weeks, for people who are brand new to spiritual direction and would appreciate experiential help to understand spiritual direction.
Ellen is a former educator with the public-school board and a graduate of Emmaus Formation Centre as a spiritual director. She is currently continuing her training in the Contemplative-Evocative approach. Ellen is familiar with the challenges of chronic physical health issues. All stories are valued and sacred. She is an attentive, compassionate listener holding space for others as they become more aware of where God is at work in their lives in the ordinary, the difficult, in seeking new directions or in finding peace through a deeper relationship with Jesus. Ellen is available to meet one-on-one online Monday through Friday from 10am - 3pm.
Sometimes we find that we are better at doing for God than we are at being with God. Spiritual direction is a place where we can learn to slow down, listen deeply, and allow the love of Jesus to nourish our hearts.
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I previously worked in church ministry, leading Celebrate Recovery at LRC for ten years. I received my training at Tyndale Seminary and started my own spiritual direction practice in 2024 called Inner Ascent Spiritual Direction. I am pursuing further training in the Contemplative-Evocative Approach to spiritual direction and Ignatian Spirituality. It would be my privilege to be your companion as we seek your unique path to discovering God’s revelation of Himself to you. I have flexible appointment times online and have some in-person availability.
