I ran into this chart today and I thought it could be of some help to you all. It comes from Jeannette Bakke’s Holy Invitations
.
For much of my Christian life I had difficulty figuring out what the difference was between the four categories below.
I’d love to hear about your experiences with these things.
How do you like how the chart frames what happens?
Varieties of Spiritual Companionship
|
Agenda |
Process |
Role of Helper |
Goal of the Learner |
| Pastoral Counseling |
Set by Counselee |
Problem solving
Crisis management
Healing of past wounds |
Facilitator |
“Healthy” |
| Mentoring |
Chosen by mentor and mentee and influenced by an “external” such as a workplace or educational institution |
Development |
Coach |
Improvement “like the external” |
| Discipling |
Set by the discipler |
Instruction |
Transmitter |
Learning incorporation “like the teacher” |
| Spiritual Direction |
Revealed by the Holy Spirit |
Noticing
Paying attention
Praying |
Pray-er
Listener |
Imago Dei
“like God”
“like Christ” |
|
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