The Art of Spiritual Friendship
Fall 2026 Enrollment Is Open
The Art of Spiritual Friendship
Become a wiser and more faithful spiritual friend who listens with compassion, understands others through Scripture, speaks truth with courageous love, and walks patiently with people toward Christlike change.
First class: Thursday, September 3.
Participate locally in Southwest Michigan (Orangeville) or virtually by video conference.
Training Period
September 3–April 30
32 weeks
Weekly Gathering
Thursdays
6:00–7:15 p.m.
Format
Local or virtual
Weekly Commitment
Approximately 10 hours including class
Cost
$100 registration plus required books
Is This Pathway for You?
This pathway is designed to help ordinary believers become wiser spiritual friends, not to turn every participant into a formal counselor. It may be a good fit if:
- You want to care for hurting or struggling people with biblical wisdom and Christlike compassion.
- You want to listen carefully and ask thoughtful questions instead of trying to control, fix, or rush someone.
- You want to understand people and their struggles through a faithful biblical framework.
- You are willing to examine your own heart and grow in humility before helping someone else.
- You want to become a trusted and faithful spiritual friend within the everyday life of your local church.
How You Will Be Equipped
Through this pathway, you will grow in your ability to:
- Understand how God changes people through His Word, His Spirit, and His people.
- Distinguish between circumstances, visible symptoms, and deeper matters of the heart.
- Listen with compassion, ask useful questions, and understand the person in front of you.
- Offer hope rooted in Christ and encourage practical steps of repentance, faith, and obedience.
- Speak truth with courage, patience, humility, and love while walking faithfully alongside others.
Explore the Curriculum
Review the course sequence as it progresses from understanding biblical change, to preparing your own heart, to helping someone change, and finally to applying biblical wisdom through case studies.
Take the Next Step
You do not need to have everything figured out before contacting us. Request information if you have questions, or apply if you are ready to begin.
