Spiritual Direction Certification Program at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary
City: Columbia
State: SC
Languages: English
Personalized Affiliation: Christianity
Spiritual Spheres: Christianity
Affinity Groups:
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Email: [email protected]
Phone: (803) 461-3237
Website: https://www.lr.edu/ltss
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Profile: Welcome to the Spiritual Direction Certification Program (SDCP) at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (LTSS) page! We are glad the Holy Spirit brought you here! Here, you can learn about spiritual direction, and our training program. WHAT KIND OF PROGRAM IS OFFERED AT LTSS? Spiritual direction training in the Christian tradition is based in the work of the Holy Spirit. It has been practiced throughout church history, from the time of Jesus with his disciples until now. Our program offers an experience grounded in the Trinitarian faith. However, we recognize that there is deep spiritual wisdom in other faith traditions. We draw upon those traditions, and integrate them into a Christian perspective. WHAT DOES LTSS’S PROGRAM ENTAIL? Participating in four residential intensives, each January and June, for two years. The intensives always begin on a Wednesday at noon, and end on the following Saturday at noon. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the January 2021 intensive will be held completely online. We hope to return to residential intensives in June 2021, but that decision has not been made official Each cycle consists of a cohort of 16 persons. Each cohort is split into two groups, and each group has its own mentor. WHAT IS REQUIRED OF PARTICIPANTS BETWEEN INTENSIVES? Discerning and meeting regularly with a spiritual director, if you do not already have one Discerning a willing person to be your spiritual directee Worshipping experiences during the four intensives Learning from expert instructors in the spiritual life Reading key books and short reaction papers COSTS: The total cost for the two-year cycle is $3,000, which includes tuition and meals during residential intensives. Most participants in the past have made four payments of $750. They would typically bring their payment to campus when they arrived for each residential intensive. Since the January 2021 intensive will be held completely online, we are unable to include meals. As a result, we are reducing the tuition cost by $88, which would bring the January ’21 payment down to just $662, and the total tuition cost would be $2,911. PROGRAM LOCATION The Spiritual Direction Certification Program is housed at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, which is located near downtown Columbia, South Carolina. INTENSIVE LODGING: Participants typically find their own lodging. A limited number of accommodations are available on the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary campus for $25/night. SHOULD I APPLY TO THE PROGRAM AT LTSS? Everyone is Welcome to Apply – The primary purpose of this certification program is to train people who feel called to be a spiritual companion; however, those who have already been on the contemplative journey and who wish to deepen their own spiritual practices are also welcome. With spiritual discernment questions, contact the Spiritual Direction Certification Program Director, Dr. Melanie Dobson, at [email protected] or (919) 724-3557. With administrative/application completion questions, or to email application materials, contact the Academy for Faith and Leadership Registrar, Diane Epperly at [email protected]
