Course Dates:
August 22 – November 11, 2022
Pre-requisites for this class are IFDC220, IFDC210& IFDC230
Need the password? Contact us
This will be a 12-week, supervised field education in a project related to “spiritual formation” in the setting of a local congregation. Six of the weeks will be spent executing your ministry project, book-ended by three weeks at the beginning and end of the course spent in class work.
Successful completion of this course will demand that participants demonstrate an understanding of project management and bring that understanding to bear in the definition, defense, execution, and critical evaluation of a short-term program/activity to be conducted in a local church or small group setting. (Prerequisites: IFDC210, 220, 230)
Learners are required to obtain this book: Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations by Gil Rendle & Alice Mann
*Using the Amazon Affiliate link further supports our ministry. Thank you!
This course is only open to those who have completed IFDC230, IFDC220 and IFDC210. You will need a password to enroll in this class as a proof of pre-requisites.
**Meeting dates/times will be established early in the course — via a group Doodle poll.
Quick Info:
Number of weeks: 12
Price: $125
CEUs: 3.0
Required books?: Yes
Live video session?: Yes, required
Part of a certification or series of courses?: Yes (IFD Certification in Spiritual Formation)
Pre-requisites for this class are IFDC220, IFDC210& IFDC230
Need the password? Contact us
About the Instructor
After 35 years of active parish ministry in the East Texas area (including several congregations in Houston), the Rev. Dr. James H. “Jim” Reiter took early retirement so that he and his wife, Kathy, could pursue their interest and passions in spiritual formation on a full-time basis.
A 1983 graduate of Texas A&M University, Jim went on to attend Perkins School of Theology where he received his M.Div. in 1987 and his D.Min. in 1992. Prior to his retirement in 2018, Jim coursework at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary pursuant to a Professional Certification in Spiritual Formation through the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church. Most recently, Jim has completed studies with the “FIND School for Spiritual Direction and Formation” (Episcopal Diocese of Texas)—being certified and commissioned as a spiritual director and now serving on their faculty.
Throughout the course of his active years as a United Methodist pastor, spiritual formation has been a keen passion and interest for Jim. It’s an interest/focus emerging from a host of streams, including service as chairperson of the Spiritual Formation Team of the Texas Annual Conference, explorations in the contemplative life, immersion experiences in monastic settings, leadership in a variety of retreat settings, research in stages of faith development, experience with and gleanings from traditional and not-so-traditional spiritual disciplines, and a keen interest in the intersection of Christ and culture – focused especially in the spiritual themes embedded in the movies.
Jim and Kathy (his wife of 35 years and a spiritual formation leader in her own right), founded Zoe-Life Explorations (www.zoe-life.net) in the Spring of 2018. The mission of Zoe-Life is focused through published resources and a series of program offerings designed to facilitate experiences in and conversations about spiritual formation in the lives of individuals and faith communities.
