Over the centuries, every spiritual order has carried a unique gift—a charism—for the renewal of the Church in its time. 

     The Benedictines offered stability – teaching the Church to seek God in community and making holy daily rhythms of prayer and work. The Franciscans offered simplicity – calling the Church back to joyful freedom and love for the poor. The Dominicans offered preaching – calling the church to proclaiming truth out of the fruit of a contemplative life. The Jesuits offered discernment - calling the Church how to find God in all things and join contemplation with mission to the world.

   In our generation, the Emotionally Healthy movement offers a distinct and necessary gift: calling the church to join emotional health with spiritual maturity. After three decades of living in community, ten unique contributions have emerged that now shape our life together.

1. Being with Jesus before Doing for Him
Slowing down for communion with God, and listening to him, are the foundation of all mission. Without this, ministry becomes tiresome, rather than overflow.

2. Love through Weakness, Not Strength
The authentic measure of spirituality is love emerging from humility and vulnerability—not competence, knowledge, or giftedness (1 Corinthians 13).

3. Tools for Healthy Community
Listening, resolving conflict, and speaking clearly and respectfully are not optional—they are central to formation in Christ.

4. Going Back to Go Forward
Through tools like genograms and self-reflection, we face our family legacies and pasts so we can follow Jesus freely into the future.

5. Singleness and Marriage as Prophetic Signs
Both are sacred callings that witness to God's love. We lead authentically from our actual relational reality, not a false self that skims over this for ministry.

6. Emotions as Doorways to God
Feelings are not obstacles but invitations. They are key to embracing our humanity, listening for his direction, and true worship.  

7. The Gift of Limits
Accepting our humanity is the pathway for sustainable ministry and deeper trust in God's ways, not our own.

8. The Treasures in Grief and Loss
Learning to grieve well enlarges our capacity for compassion, reveals God more deeply, and makes us more truly alive.

9. Differentiation to Lead Boldly
Differentiated leaders have the capacity to remain connected while challenging traditions that hold our ministries back and resist the pull of unhealthy systems.

10. Loving the Poor, Bridging Barriers
Deep transformation in Christ and a commitment to the marginalized go hand-in-hand. This includes bridging racial, economic, and gender barriers; the affirmation of women in leadership; and participation in the one, holy catholic, and apostolic church across all lines of division.

Authored by Pete Scazzero