"When priorities are right and prayerfulness is maintained, God and mammon (money) can be reconciled."
"When people start talking about money, it's amazing how prayerfulness can go right out the window," remarks Bill Dietrich, co-executive director of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. In 1973 a small group of people yearning for a deeper, more contemplative way of relating to God began meeting weekly in Washington, DC. Facilitated by Tilden Edwards, an Episcopal priest, the group consisted of clergy and laypeople from various Christian traditions, open to interfaith dialogue with other deep spiritual traditions. As the group grew, new groups formed, and this growing network of groups sponsored retreats and workshops.
The Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, comprised of these groups, incorporated in 1979 under the leadership of Edwards and began sponsoring, in addition to retreats and workshops, an enrichment program for spiritual directors. Now a thriving organization with nine office staff, nearly forty program staff, four long-term programs, and various short-term offerings, Shalem articulates its mission thus:
The mission of the Shalem Institute is to be an ecumenical community responding to a call to help mediate God's Spirit in the world through the loving wisdom of contemplative traditions.
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.
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.
This means that budget decisions, hiring decisions, and program decisions, to name a few, are all made by a prayerful process of spiritual discernment. Financial decisions, Shalem staff have found, can be especially sticky.
Patricia Clark, director of development in 1995 when Shalem was undergoing structural changes, wrestled with letting go of her higher salary when her team adoped a flatter structure:
"The night before a crucial salary meeting, I went home, prayed, and got real clarity about my security, that all was possible in a world full of God's abundant love, and that I need worry about nothing. This was not an ehtereal feeling; it was very practical and solid. I knew what I could give up financially.
The team came together the next day and worked out a formula using the salary money of the team to be divided in a new way recognizing equality of responsitility, the value of each person's gifts, experience and longevity. The formula matched my practical prayer answer exactly."
Shalem has discovered that, although it's not always easy, putting God first can provide perspective and guidance on financial matters. When priorities are right and prayerfulness is maintained, God and mammon (money) can be reconciled.
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
