Qualifications for Spiritual Directors

Just before midnight, I finished my integrative paper for my Spiritual Direction class in which I was supposed to summarize what I learned about one-on-one spiritual direction, direction-in-common and personal spiritual formation. It was valuable to review much of my reading and to discover a number of areas in which I still need to work on. Following is one section out of my paper on the qualifications for Spiritual Directors.

According to Muto, spiritual directors should be wise, learned and experienced:

“They are wise in the sense that they are prudent, saying the right thing at the right time. They can discern what is important and eternal and what is temporary and does not matter. A good spiritual director has learned the art of reading the soul They are considered to be learned not because of their academic achievements but because learned from the school of life and they have absorbed the truth of the Scriptures. They have experienced what it means to seek direction for one’s soul and themselves have been directed.” (Muto class lecture)

The qualifications needed to be a good Director are qualities that cannot be gained by taking a course on SD or by reading books on the subject. These qualities are formed out of an experience in life over time and under submission to the Spirit of God. It is the “depth of intimacy with God that is more important than knowledge of the subject” (Dynamics 364)

It is important that a directee know that they can trust the Director with their soul and that confidences will be kept. Muto advises that a Director not be a person with authority over the directee (class lecture). The directee should feel the acceptance of the Director, even if all of his or her views are not shared. Directors should be good listeners, not only to the words of the directee but also to the promptings of the Spirit as they prayerfully consider a response to the directee. There should be a genuine respect for how God is at work in life of the directee. A gentleness is required when matters of the spirit are shared and yet there must also be a willingness to be firm in offering up the needed direction (see 1 Cor. 4:21). Directors must be able to speak the truth but in love (Eph 4:32). Paul describes his gentleness among the Thessalonians “like a mother caring for her children” (1 Thes. 2:6). Even though there may be an element of spiritual parenting in SD, directees should be reassured that it is God alone as their heavenly Father who has all the resources that they need.

To be a spiritual director, a person should have some affirmation from their church leaders that they are gifted in this way. It seems to be clear that not all have the necessary gifting or temperament for the ministry of SD. Some do not have the temperament, time or patience (Dynamics 362). The demanding nature of SD necessitates that an individual possess an inner strength and an outer courage. A qualified spiritual director should be carefully chosen since the care of the wrong person can be damaging. St. John describes the wrong person who may be considered for a Spiritual Director:

“One is perhaps highly educated but inexperienced, or one full of clever answers but indiscreet, not a listener but a controller, not a humble person but one proud of being so accomplished, not an experienced guide in spiritual matters but a counselor mainly trained in psychological techniques and personality analysis.” (Letters 90)

If a qualified spiritual director cannot be found for one-on-one direction, then it would seem better to pursue spiritual self-direction or direction in common.