Resources for Leaders and Members of Christian
Congregations
author introduction
& why the tree?
Barbara Anne Keely
This website is being developed concurrently
with a book I am developing on the spiritual life of the
congregation. My hope is that both the website and the book will
encourage congregational leaders to grow spirituality and to find
creative ways to assist the congregation’s spiritual life.
I am associate professor of Christian
education and congregational spirituality at United Theological
Seminary of the Twin Cities (http://www.unitedseminary-mn.org/)
and teach in the areas of Christian education, spiritual formation,
small group ministries, and Presbyterian polity and worship. A
Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.),
I spent the last several years serving as parish associate at
Presbyterian Church of the Way, Shoreview, MN. (http://www.pcotw.org) I am
also an oblate of the Order of St. Benedict, affiliated with St.
John’s Abbey, Collegeville, MN.
These are two
biblical passages that shape both my ministry and the development of
this website:
For I am longing to see you so that I may share with
you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— or rather so that we
may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and
mine.
Romans 1:11-12
Blessed are those who trust in God, whose trust is God.
They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots
by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves
shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it
does not cease to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
This image of the tree has really shaped my undestanding of
the spiritual life, an understanding that both nurtures one's
relationship with God and calls one to live faithfully in the
world. The overall graphic design of this website is of parts of
trees, allowing us to examine each part and explore how it might
be strengthened. The graphics were created by Heidi Riedesel, a
talented Twin cities artist and teacher.
This piece is a batik by Joy Troyer, and has become
a favorite way for me to describe my understanding of
the integrated spiritual life.
The branches reach out into God's
world, bearing leaves and fruit. These are the ways in
which we share God's grace and love to others.
The trunk is through which the
strength of the spiritual life moves and is nurtured.
For an person, this includes a community of faith, the
faith traditions, and the Bible.
The roots are the ways in which we
nurture our relationships with God (those practices
and patterns usually labeled 'the spiritual life.'
They are not necessarily seen by others, but they need
to go deep, to the Living Water (Jesus Christ).
Missing any of these three parts, the tree will
die. I believe the same is true of the spiritual life
for both individuals and communities of
faith.
