Year One
Becoming a spiritual director is first and foremost about the formation of the director.
The ministry of spiritual direction requires both formation and training; it involves transformation and education. Participants in this program will acquire the skills of asking good questions, listening attentively, and fostering stillness as they facilitate deep and meaningful conversations. Participants will also read and discuss many of the best books about this focused type of pastoral care. Yet, at the heart of this experience is tending to one’s own spiritual formation.
Our design for renewing the ministry of spiritual direction reflects this primary need for formation. Over the course of two semesters (Fall and Spring), students will participate in *six two-day intensives (3 per semester) which will meet from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. These intensives will meet in idyllic homes, providing an atmosphere for deep personal reflection, discussion and growth. Our gatherings will be a place for experimentation with various contemplative exercises and practice in the skills of spiritual direction.
* Note: John Grant's cohort will meet in four three-day intensives (2 per semester) from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
To receive the certificate of completion, there are seven requirements:
- Participate in all six modules
- Experiment with and engage in chosen spiritual disciplines
- Receive regular spiritual direction
- Offer spiritual direction (five sessions to two directees, totaling ten sessions)
- Submit a recording/verbatim for feedback
- Read the required books
- Submit seven monthly general reports via email
The intensives will also prepare participants for where the best training in the ministry of spiritual direction will occur: in offering spiritual direction to a few others in their own contexts. Hence, the intensives are like laboratories along the way as you learn to provide direction for others. Between the intensives, participants will also receive spiritual direction.
Fall 2026-Spring 2025 Year One Cohorts
The cost of this experience in formation and training is $3,250. Payment in full is due before Module One. Payment plans are available upon request and must be approved by the Director of the Institute for Christian Spirituality.
This price covers your training as well as breakfast and lunch during each of the modules. You will be responsible for the cost of your travel, lodging, books, and any other meals.
The deadline to apply for our Fall 2026-2027 cohorts is June 30, 2026. All applications received after this deadline are automatically archived and a new application is required to be considered for the following year.
If you have any questions about our spiritual direction cohorts or anything pertaining to the Institute for Christian Spirituality, please email us at ics [at] lipscomb.edu (ics[at]lipscomb[dot]edu).
Year One Cohorts
2026- 2027 Dates, Locations & Facilitators
This year, we will be providing two Year One cohorts in the greater Nashville area, each led by either John Grant or Deborah Jackson. Both will be overseen by Dr. Kris Miller, the Director of the Institute for Christian Spirituality. Choose the set of dates that works best for you.
John Grant, D.Min
John Grant
John served in congregational ministry for 30 years. When he discovered Spiritual Direction in 2003, it was a lifeline: "In ministry, soul care gets pushed to the bottom of the list. You're always caring for others, but who watches out for you?" He has met monthly with a spiritual director ever since, and he completed spiritual director training with ICS in 2019. John has also instructed eight cohorts for ICS.
In 2013, John was part of a team that founded Compassionate Hands, an interdenominational network caring for people experiencing homelessness. He served as the organization's Executive Director for six years, guiding it through the pandemic to purchase a facility and to grow from one to eight staff members. He became a Standing Stone Shepherd in 2025. His education includes a D.Min. in Congregational Leadership from Abilene Christian University.
John & his wife Amy love worshipping and volunteering with Providence Church. Most evenings you will find them taking neighborhood walks in Lebanon, Tennessee, their home since 2005. They have three married daughters and three grandchildren.
Dates:
- July 30-August 1, 2026
November 5-7, 2026
February 4-6, 2027
April 22-24, 2027
Deborah Jackson
Deborah is a spiritual director in the Nashville, TN area. Her formation includes training through Lipscomb University’s Institute of Christian Spirituality 2-year training program and serving an apprenticeship as a spiritual direction cohort facilitator with four cohorts in the Lipscomb program. The Ignatian Spirituality training included in Year 2 of the Lipscomb program led her to take an additional year of training through the School of Ignatian Spirituality program of Sustainable Faith to be certified to lead others through the Ignatian Exercises. In addition to offering spiritual direction, Deborah is the Operations Pastor of Christ is Love Church in Hendersonville, TN. She holds an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from Nova Southeastern University; her undergrad work was done at Southwestern Assemblies of God University.
Dates:
- August 7-8, 2026
October 2-3, 2026
December 4-5, 2026
January 29-30, 2027
March 5-6, 2027
May 7-8, 2027
Kris Miller, Director
Kris joined the faculty of the College of Bible and Ministry in 2015, serving as assistant professor of Christian theology and spirituality. He is also the director of Lipscomb’s Institute for Christian Spirituality. He has over 30 years of ministry experience as a pastor, professor, and administrator. He has been a spiritual director since 2006 and has been training other spiritual directors since 2010. Before joining Lipscomb’s faculty, he taught systematic theology for Fuller Theological Seminary’s regional campuses. Kris holds a B.A. in biblical studies, a M.Div., and a M.A. in history and theology from Abilene Christian University, and a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Durham University (U.K.) In addition to teaching spiritual direction, he currently teaches courses on human flourishing, spiritual formation, and the history of Christian spirituality. He freely draws from the breadth of 2,000-year-old Christian tradition--Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant--as he joyfully pursues his calling: flourishing in union with the Triune God and helping others do the same.
