“The Art of Pilgrimage” derives its name from two core understandings:
- The und
erstanding that the spiritual life is most properly framed as a “journey” of becoming. More fully and accurately, as explicated by the ancients of the Christian Faith, the spiritual life is a “pilgrimage” which affirms the transforming value of the path and the process of walking that path… and not just the destination.
- The understanding that, when it comes to navigating this path, we are talking about a dance or an art marked by inspiration — more than a “science” in or by which the path can be mastered or engineered.
Here, in this program, Dr. Reiter draws heavily upon the seminal work of Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich’s The Critical Journey — including engagement of Hagberg’s Spiritual Life Inventory — to help individuals and congregations better understand their current place in the journey, better appreciate and affirm where others are in their journeys, and better frame next steps in their spiritual formation program.
A format for this program might look like this:
- Session 1: Introduction(s) & Overview
- Session 2: Introducing “Stages of Faith”… w/ focus on Stages 1-3
- Session 3: Stages 4-6 (and Wall)
- Session 4: The “Means of Grace” [Spiritual Disciplines] as Provisions for the Journey
- Session 5: Wrap-Up & Defining Next Steps