The Contemplative Church

Good Shepherd is a Contemplative Church

  • Good Shepherd is a Contemplative Church

    That does not mean that all our members know what contemplation is, have contemplative practices, or are interested in contemplative teachings. One does not have to have any appreciation for or interest in contemplation to be a part of the church or to be a part of the life of Jesus Christ. However, it is a part of our reality that many in our parish are drawn to the contemplative dimension of the Gospel. Therefore, we are cultivating an environment here in which those interested in contemplation are provided with the space and resources to explore the contemplative realm of our faith.

  • Contemplation is

    Contemplation is the gift of unmediated intimacy with God who is the indwelling Source of our life and being. Contemplation is an awareness of our union with God that is beyond sensory experience. Contemplation is seeing and processing life from one’s Silent Center, that place within where you and God are not other than each other, you are one.

  • The Contemplative Church is

    1. A parish in which there is a broad awareness that contemplation is the gift of “a vivid realization” of one’s union with God; union with God is a oneness that is the underlying source of all life.

    2. An environment in which we “garden for contemplation” by both teaching and holding space for contemplative practices.

    3. A community of Christians who seek to proceed into each day from the ground of our own Silent Centers to love whoever is right in front of us with God.

  • The Contemplative Church Team

    This team of people works with parish leadership for a season to further define and develop the contemplative church model. They help cultivate an environment at Good Shepherd in which it is safe to assume an inner stance that is receptive to the gift of contemplation. We do so by:

    1. Attending contemplative offerings (adopt a rhythm of attending one or more of our weekly offerings)

    2. Adopting our own Centering Prayer practices as individuals 

    3. Meeting quarterly as a team to reflect on the efficacy of the contemplative offerings at GSEC. 

    4. Work together to plan the two annual silent retreats

Meet the Team

  • Amy Bridges

  • Burt Christensen

  • Charlie Hughes

  • Kav Milward

  • Woody Snowden

  • Liz Westin

  • Stoll Vaughan

  • The mission of the church as articulated on page 855 of the Book of Common Prayer is “to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.” At Good Shepherd we do that by making new Christians through baptism and by helping the Christians present here go deeper on their faith journey. Our shorthand version of that is this - we make new Christians and help the ones we have go deeper!

  • We acknowledge with ease that contemplative practice and theology is not for everyone. One doesn't have to be a contemplative to go to heaven! However if one has an intuition that there is a deeper depth to go to and a desire to dive in, then the contemplative church is an environment conducive to such exploration. All are welcome!

  • Join us at our Contemplative Offerings!

    Centering Prayer

    Reading the Mystics

    Rector’s Bible Study