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Kris Peterson
Major : MS in Pastoral Counseling with emphasis in Spiritual Direction
Undergraduate Degree : BA Biology/Chemistry, Augustana College
Hometown : Havertown, PA
Three years ago while serving as parish pastor of Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Secane, PA, Kris Peterson heard God’s call for a second time. God’s first call to the ministry came after she had worked nine years as a medical technologist. This time, she heard his call through the voices of her congregation, who repeatedly sought her counsel on ways to deepen their own relationships with God. “They were asking me not so much for pastoral care, but more specifically for spiritual direction—how to connect to God on a deeper level.”
Grateful for the second call, Peterson felt a responsibility to respond; however, she felt she needed additional skills in order to help her congregation. Even though she had attended the seminary at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, she says, “I was never really trained as a spiritual director. Being a spiritual director is different than being a pastoral counselor.”
Having heard about Neumann College’s spiritual direction program through brochure mailings and numerous retreats she had attended, she enrolled in the graduate pastoral counseling program with an emphasis in spiritual direction.
“I was drawn to Neumann College because the program integrates the psychological with the spiritual.” As a Protestant, she was also intrigued by the use of “different spiritual lenses” or traditions – Franciscan, Ignatian, Carmelite and Salesian – to understand the challenges faced in the ministry of spiritual direction. In Neumann’s program, students are invited to share how their own spiritual traditions – whether Protestant, Catholic, or Anglican – shape their personal spiritual direction experiences. “There is openness toward different religious perspectives that I didn’t expect, but that I truly appreciate. People in the program and at the College are very welcoming to the diversity of the universal church,” she says.
According to Peterson, Neumann College’s ecumenical approach to spiritual direction and culturally diverse perspectives gives her “a broader perspective on spirituality and more tools to draw upon when helping others with their spiritual journeys.” The courses build on one another, she says, each adding new insights to create a greater knowledge and skill set.
Peterson is thoroughly enjoying the sense of community and collegiality the professors and fellow students engender. “The professors model pastoral presence and provide mutual support as they challenge us to integrate what we are learning in the classroom with our own practical experiences,” she says. “As a learning community, we take the journey together and provide mutual support.”
Peterson’s goal is to develop a spiritual center of her very own in the Philadelphia area, where she can do retreat ministry and work with those seeking to deepen their relationship with God in both a group and individual setting. “After completing Neumann’s program, I feel I will have the resources to companion others in enhancing their own relationships with God.”
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