The Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation seeks to integrate its contemplative approach to spirituality into every aspect of its organization.
The Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, founded in the mid-70's in the Washington, DC area, offers long-term programs for spiritual directors and retreat leaders, as well as short-term retreats and workshops. From the beginning , Shalem has sought to integrate its contemplative approach to spirituality not only into its program offerings but also into its life as an organization.
The structures and processes put into place during Shalem's early years have changed and grown as Shalem has grown. Shalem, as an organization, has always attempted to allow the Spirit to guide organizational life. Aware that institutions can become self-perpetuating even when the life has gone out of them, Shalem leaders have sought to ensure that the institutional structures continue to serve the mission, rather than the other way around. Althought they have often found this goal difficult to attain, they continue to struggle toward it.
Tilden Edwards, Shalem's former executive director, reflected upon his retirement after twenty-seven years in the position: "[The role of executive director] has taught me empathy for executives in other organizations, as I have traversed the spiritual and managerial pitfalls, mistakes, and never-ending decisions about programs, policies, staffing, and crises over the years.
"I have tried, not always successfully, to trust the Spirit's aliveness in our evolving organizational life: in its dilemmas and actions, joys and pains, surprises and predictabilities. The job has been a fierce teacher of humility, listening discerningly, learning when to act and when to wait, and the necessity of self-examination and courage related to the kinds of personal presence called for amidst many organizational interactions."
Shalem staff seek to bring a prayerful, attentive presence to staff meetings. As they have experiemented with various ways of doing this, they have discovered, among other things, that if a meeting goes for more than twenty minutes without a break for silence, it is likely that ego has taken over.
In reflecting on Shalem's commitment to a prayerful presence in meetings, current co-executive director Carole Crumley relates how the practice of passing a stone around the group and asking the one who holds it to be in silent prayer, affected her:
Crumley said, "Inevitably I would have a stake in some item on the agenda and usually I would get the prayer stone at the moment we came to that item. I discovered that just being in prayer for that item was an enormous contribution. Maybe that was my best contribution."
Shalem has used its prayerful process in organizational restructuring, hiring decisions, and financial matters. While anxiety about such matters oftens throws prayerfulness out the window, Shalem staff are committed to noticing when that happens and inviting prayer back in.
Shalem has discovered that, although it's not always easy, putting God first can provide perspective and guidance on difficult organizational issues. Shalem demonstrates how faithful and consistent spiritual grounding of the organization consistently opens possibilities for creative solutions and resolutions that would otherwise be invisible.
Dr. Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of "Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations" (from which this column is drawn), works with healthcare leaders, nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies to help them develop spiritual leadership. Contact her by email at
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