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His direction. Our formation.

The Emmaus Formation Centre provides a supportive community along with learning opportunities for those who desire personal spiritual growth and want to understand spiritual formation. We guide Christians in their journey to experience the transformative power of the gospel at the deepest level, by providing spiritual companionship, spiritual formation groups, retreats, and training for spiritual formation and spiritual direction.

ABOUT EMMAUS

Important Information Regarding Emmaus Courses

NEW: Emmaus Graduation 2023 premiered on our facebook page on June 26, 7:00pm. You can watch it here.
All courses are offered ONLINE.
Accepting applications for Spiritual Direction Certificate Program, September 2023 cohort

Our next Cohort starts in September.

Spiritual Direction

At the core of Emmaus Formation Center is the ministry of spiritual direction. Spiritual direction is between the spiritual director, the directee and the Holy Spirit with the ultimate goal of seeking spiritual formation.

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Practice in Spiritual Direction Certificate

Become a Spiritual Director

Our 3-year, 9-course program will train students in the art and skill of spiritual direction through an experiential process of teaching and practicing spiritual direction. Students will learn the history and biblical / theological foundation of spiritual direction, and also pertinent skills necessary to the practice.

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Spiritual Direction

Retreats

two female friends sitting in the park smiling while one person is reading chapters from bible. another one is in late pregnancy state. beautiful autumn colors; real people trully smiling

Men and women all over the world know what it’s like to need a retreat—when your body and soul need nurturing and solace in a peaceful environment. We offer group retreats, pastor’s retreats and individual retreats.

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Spiritual Direction

Church Small Groups

The goal of our small group facilitators is to develop spiritual formation small groups and mentor leaders within churches. Small group facilitation programs can be suited to the needs of your church, usually over six or eight weeks.

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Spiritual Direction

One-On-One

As pilgrims on life’s journey, at times, we need the help of a spiritual companion to help us ‘blow the dust from our eyes,’ so that we can, once again, discover the presence and activity of God in our lives. Pilgrims seek out a spiritual director when they are searching for a deeper, more intimate relationship with God, when they are in transition, seeking discernment, when they are grieving, when they need a spiritually mature individual, trained and experienced in the spiritual disciplines, familiar with the ways of God—even in the mundaneness of life—who is attuned to the nudge of God.

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Retreats

INDIVIDUAL RETREATS

Can’t get away for a retreat? Retreat while continuing your every day life. Men and women can take a “day away” with the guidance of a spiritual director to learn new prayer forms, spiritual disciplines, process formational experiences, explore the hard questions of life and discover God’s presence, even during a time of struggle. Directors develop guided days specifically oriented to the space and needs of the individual. Individual Retreats are available in 1-week, 3-week and 5-week formats.

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Spiritual Direction

EMMAUS SOCIETY OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS

A Community for Learning and Mutual Support for those in Spiritual Direction Ministry

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Spiritual formation gives us some really important Christian tools, primarily the spiritual practices to meet the deep longings and the big challenges of life.

Rev. Dr. Paul Bramer

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The testimonies of people who had experienced the benefits of having a spiritual director were moving and inspiring. Your ministry is a wonderful expression of God's love and tender care for His treasures here on earth.

Steve Read, PHD

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There's so much more you can learn with other people than when you're just reading scripture by yourself. The Spiritual Direction program has expanded my thinking about God, spirituality and how very different we all relate to Him. I highly recommend this program.

Tammy Pierce, Emmaus Student

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The course has developed a new hunger in me for scripture. I also appreciate the time of group spiritual direction as we process together between classes.

Lynne Ball, Emmaus Student

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Taking time in spiritual direction to reflect on where God is, day-to-day, has awakened in me, a clarity of vision. It has renewed my passion and continues to be a crucial part of my spiritual discipline. The impact of spiritual direction affects not only me, but my congregation and the community we serve.

Rev. Angie Song, Associate Pastor, Vaughan Community Church

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The first course – Introduction to Spiritual Formation – gave us high quality instruction that incorporated visuals, art, music, spiritual direction exercises as well as teaching that reflected a scholarly breadth of understanding and insight into both historical and current Christianity. I’d recommend this course, alone, for anyone interested in gaining a solid introduction into ancient-contemporary Christianity, and grasping something of how our orthopraxy and orthodoxy can fit even better together! Emmaus is a long-waited for gift, to believers and churches in the GTA and surrounding areas.

Naomi Johnson, Emmaus Student

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Ministry is challenging and can leave those who pursue it feeling depleted and lonely. Spiritual direction replenishes me. It deepens my perspective, keeps me grounded in God’s Word and reminds me that I am connected with Jesus and his community of friends.

Rev. Andrew Gordon, Pastor, Compass Church

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I discovered that I was serving out of a depletion—a growing depletion of soul. And so I knew that I needed someone to come alongside of me, and not listen for me—but to listen with me. And I think every emerging leader needs a spiritual director. Not to replace God. Not to replace the discipline of being in silence, in solitude, and listening to God through scripture, through His holy word, through the presence of the Holy Spirit—but to help clarify the questions.

Rev. Marc Gauvreau – PAOC Discipleship & Spiritual Direction

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Spiritual direction and spiritual formation has been a journey that I will continue for as long as I’m in ministry, and as long as I have breath because the benefits are just so astounding, and I can’t imagine carrying on in ministry without it.

Rev. Ron Shantz, Executive Director, Front Line Outreach

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How is your relationship deepened and nurtured in the context of your ministry? Many in ministry often say it’s not, and we’re all running around like a chicken without a head. It’s crucial, that we all have—especially in ministry—a spiritual director. These conversations about spiritual direction are immensely helpful because it starts where you are at—of your own ego and of your own desire to be somebody important in ministry. Now I can lead a life where I'm responding to God, rather than soliciting a response from God.

Rev. John Kim – Pastor Bridgeway Church

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The Individual Retreat is a process over a period of days where you interact with scripture, learn ways of praying, and develop that kind of personal connection with God. So it’s a process of developing our soul-connection—spirit-connection—with God, so that we are seeing God’s work in daily life, and that we are creating space for God in the crush of the normal things that happen in our daily lives. So that is one of the formation processes that an organization like Emmaus can facilitate or help with in churches—is to run retreats like that, that help people get into that mindset.

Rick Wukasch – Associate Pastor, The Meeting House

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Home

His direction. Our formation.

Important Information Regarding Emmaus Courses

Our next Cohort starts in September.

Spiritual Direction

At the core of Emmaus Formation Center is the ministry of spiritual direction. Spiritual direction is between the spiritual director, the directee and the Holy Spirit with the ultimate goal of seeking spiritual formation.

Practice in Spiritual Direction Certificate

Become a Spiritual Director

Spiritual Direction

Retreats

Spiritual Direction

Church Small Groups

Spiritual Direction

One-On-One

Retreats

INDIVIDUAL RETREATS

Spiritual Direction

EMMAUS SOCIETY OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS

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