Copyright: © 1994 Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. This document may be freely reproduced for non-commercial purposes with credit and mention of the Lift Up Your Hearts web site http://www.worship.ca/ as the source.

Pneuma is a journal on spiritual direction and formation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

In the fall of 1990 the Division for Parish Life initiated a search for those interested in being trained as spiritual directors in order to assure there would be some way of offering spiritual direction in the synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. One of the goals was to have persons available for such ministry when the "Living Witnesses: The Adult Catechumenate" was ready for implementation.

The tasks assigned to these persons include serving individuals of their synods, both clergy and lay, as spiritual directors; conducting spirituality retreats in their synods; and serving as consultants in the "Living Witnesses" ministry (assisting in its introduction, interpreting spiritual growth to those involved, and serving as trainers for congregational sponsors involved in the catechumenate).

As we observe the culture in which we live, people are increasingly hungry for spiritual direction. Southern Baptists have made prayer a top denominational goal for the decade. The United Methodist Church has recently made plans for an International Centre for Christian Spirituality. Regent College in Vancouver has had a chair of spiritual theology for the last twelve years. Many seminaries strengthen their programs in spiritual formation, and some seminaries report that students in choosing seminaries increasingly ask about their spiritual emphases. And, of course, as a visit to any bookstore will tell you, there has been an explosion of publications on spirituality.

At the Mississauga training event for the catechumenate ministry in January, 1994, those named for training and work as spiritual directors gathered. "Pneuma," a publication of the Lutheran Association of Spiritual Directors in Canada, is the result of that gathering and will help network persons interested in spirituality and spiritual direction within the church. "Pneuma," published under the auspices of the Division for Parish Life, will remain open to the different schools of spiritual direction. The newsletter publishes book reviews, original and previously published articles on spirituality and spiritual direction, and notices of upcoming workshops and events.