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

·    The charism of the Benedictines is stability, calling the church to find God in community and to root life in daily rhythms of prayer, work, and rest.

·    The charism of the Franciscans is simplicity, calling the church back to joyful freedom and love for the poor.

·    The charism of the Jesuits is discernment, calling the church to find God in all things and to integrate contemplation with active mission.[1]

The charism of the Emotionally Healthy Discipleship (EHD) movement is calling the church to integrate emotional health with spiritual maturity. After three decades of living EHD in community, ten unique practices have emerged that define how we live out our charism and our life together.

1.     Being with Jesus comes before doing for him. Slowing down for communion with God is the foundation of all mission. Without this, ministry becomes depleting rather than a natural overflow of our life with God.

2.     Leading from our true selves in Christ empowers long-term mission. Differentiated leaders lead with clarity, courage, and love. We stay connected to others and centered in Christ as we challenge what holds back our mission.

3.     Going backward to go forward is the path to freedom. Through tools such as genograms and guided exercises, we break unhealthy patterns from our past and our culture and family of origin so we can follow Jesus into the future.

4.     Loving well through practiced skills is the measure of maturity. The true measure of maturity in Christ is not how much we know or how much we do but how well we love. This requires skills such as attentive listening, speaking clearly and honestly, and resolving conflicts.

5.     Embracing singleness and marriage as prophetic signs reveals God’s love to the world. The way we spend our time and energy reflects the reality that our relational status—married or single—is a vocation from God and meant to be gift to the world.

6.     Welcoming emotions is a doorway to God. Feelings are not obstacles but invitations. They are key to embracing our humanity, listening for God’s direction, and loving others.

7.     Receiving limits is a gift. Accepting the limitations of our humanity is the pathway for sustainable ministry and deeper trust in God’s ways rather than our own. 

8.     Embracing grief and loss offers hidden treasures. Learning to grieve well enlarges our capacity for compassion, reveals God’s presence, and makes us more truly alive.

9.     Bridging barriers and loving the poor are central to the way of Jesus. Deep transformation in Christ and a commitment to the marginalized go hand in hand. We bridge racial, economic, and gender divides, affirm women in leadership, and participate in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church across all lines of division. 

10.  Cultivating delight is not indulgence but formation. We cultivate delight—through play, rest, beauty, sabbath and gratitude—as a way of remembering and affirming that God and his world are good.

[1] This is also true for Christian traditions and movements; each has a unique charism. For example, the charism of the Quakers is stillness, calling the church to listen for God’s voice in silence and live it out through justice and peace; and the charism of the Pentecostals is spiritual power, calling the church to cultivate a radical openness to the Holy Spirit and a bold witness.

Authored by Pete Scazzero