What We Do
Faith, Hope, and Love Global Ministries teaches, inspires, and encourages
ministers and Christian leaders in many different ways:
Workshops and Short-Term Training Courses
Faith, Hope, and Love’s signature workshop is entitled, “The Spirit-Led Leader,” based on Tim’s book, The Spirit-Led Leader: Nine Leadership Practices and Soul Principles. This intensive workshop, offered in three, four of five day formats, combines biblical teaching, sound leadership practices, and spiritual exercises. When Jill is able to accompany Tim, she builds a labyrinth and teach people how to use it for walking prayer, along with many other more traditional spiritual practices that we introduce during the course of the workshop. 50-75 page Participant Guides are translated into the local language. So far, the teaching material has been translated into French (for use in France and the Congo), Russian (for Ukraine), Kinyrwandan (for Rwanda), Vietnamese (Vietnam), Khmer (for Cambodia), Falam (for use in the Chin Hills, Myanmar). In addition, Tim’s book has been translated into Burmese and is being distributed widely through Myanmar.
Here are the descriptions of three of our workshops:
1. “Spiritual Vitality for Life and Leadership” (or, “The Spirit-Led Leader”) is based on Tim’s experience as a pastor and ten years as a nonprofit executive, along with his book, The Spirit- Led Leader: Nine Leadership Practices and Soul Principles (Alban Institute, 2005). We have taught this course in various workshop formats, including both a continuing education course and May term for seminarians at Princeton Theological Seminary.
2. “Spirit-Led Living: The Way Forward,” grows out of Tim’s 500 mile pilgrimage across northern Spain in 2006. It also draws extensively on Tim’s most recent book, One Step at a Time: A Pilgrim’s Guide to Spirit-Led Living (Alban, 2008). This class presents spiritual formation as a step by step process that is dependent on both our intentionality and our receptivity to God’s work within us.
3. “Philippians for Pastors” grows out of research done for Tim’s dissertation and published under the title, The Rhetorical Purpose and The Political and Military Character of Philippians: A Call to Stand Firm (Lewiston, Mellen Biblical Press, 1993). This exegetical course combines verse by verse study of Philippians with practical teaching on personal spiritual growth and pastoral leadership.
Semester-Long Courses
Since 2011, Tim has been teaching one semester per year at the Myanmar Institute of Theology, in Yangon, Myanmar. Due to the fact that this school has only one faculty member in the New Testament Department with a Ph.D., Tim is filling a critical hole during this long period of raising the educational level of its faculty members. Currently, Tim is teaching two courses in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program and one for the Master of Theology (M.Th.) students: New Testament Theology, Pastoral Ministry, and Exegesis of Romans.
Myanmar Institute of Theology (MIT)
Spiritual Retreats
Faith, Hope, and Love collaborates in various ways with the Chemin Neuf Community, a Catholic order devoted to building bridges to and working together with other branches of Christianity. We have conducted a spiritual retreats in Chartres, France that draw on the Ignatian exercises, spiritual life coaching teaching, and the magnificent resources of the Chartres Cathedral.
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Spiritual Life Coaching and Leadership Consulting
The goal of spiritual life coaching is to help individuals grow deeper in their relationship with God and learn how to let God lead them more fully and fruitfully in every aspect of their life. Ultimately, in helping Christian ministers, leaders and other motivated people of influence, coaching is designed to strengthen churches, ministries, and organizations, and to further the kingdom of God. Tim coaches individuals formally and informally as part of the leadership development work Faith, Hope, and Love Global Ministries does in various countries around the world. In the United States, coaching clients are served through Timothy C. Geoffrion, LLC.
Leadership consulting focuses on advising leaders and leadership teams on a project-by-project basis. Most leadership consulting that Faith, Hope, and Love does is done informally on a limited basis. For more information, follow this link.
Labyrinth Prayer Ministries
The labyrinth is an ancient tool for prayer that has only recently been rediscovered by Christians. In the past few decades, labyrinth prayer has been growing in popularity, especially in North America. While its meaning and purpose are ambiguous, thus rendering the labyrinth open to many different interpretations and uses, Christians have begun using labyrinth walks as a way to seek God in prayer while using their whole bodies.
On the floor of the nave of the Chartres Cathedral, constructed at the beginning of the thirteenth century in Chartres, France, Christians created a unique labyrinth pattern for use by believers in Christ. Though we cannot recover all of the original intentions and uses over the centuries, as a symbol, the labyrinth is easily recognized as a symbol for the spiritual journey. The creator’s of the Chartres Cathedral pattern deliberately had in mind that the pattern itself would speak of Christ and the Christian faith. One suggested interpretation is that the labyrinth represents God’s victory over Evil and Christ’s victory over Satan.
As metaphor, labyrinth prayer (that is, praying to God while walking the labyrinth) raises many different notions related to the spiritual journey. For example, as we twist back and forth on the labyrinth, we are reminded of our own life journey, including how we have sought God and salvation through all the vicissitudes of life.
Jill Geoffrion is one of the leading experts on the labyrinth, worldwide. She has published seven books on prayer related to the labyrinth. She speaks and teaches on labyrinth prayer in the United States, builds temporary labyrinths in many of the contexts served by Faith, Hope, and Love Global Ministries, and teaches program participants how to build and use labyrinths for their own relationship with God and for their ministries.
Provide Resources
In order to better serve pastors, leaders, students, and other program participants in our courses, workshops, and retreats, Faith, Hope, and Love staff write books, translate participant guides, record sessions, produce essays, and collect other valuable resources. See our Resource Library for a complete list of what is available.
