NAUMAI, HAERE MAI!

 

Kia Ora.
You are welcome here.

 
 

Spiritual Growth Ministries (SGM) invites you to discover and experience the refreshing stream of contemplative Christian spirituality in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We are a network of people from diverse denominations who value contemplative prayer and practices as a precious taonga; a treasure at the heart of our faith.

We have been training spiritual directors for nearly 40 years through our Spiritual Directors Formation Programme.

 

Invitations to go deeper on your spiritual journey.

  • Become a Spiritual Director

    Become a spiritual director by participating in our two-year, part-time Spiritual Directors Formation Programme.

    LEARN MORE

  • Retreat Calendar 2025

    Discover silent retreats, quiet days, online retreats and professional development events around Aotearoa, New Zealand.

    EXPLORE

  • Find a Spiritual Director

    Ready to explore the nourishing practicenof spiritual direction? Learn more about this unique ministry and how it can support your spiritual growth

    LEARN MORE

  • Read Refresh

    Refresh is Spiritual Growth Ministries' journal of contemplative spirituality, grounded in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

    READ NOW

Grounded in Aotearoa
Honouring our bi-cultural roots.

Our Spiritual Growth Ministries kaupapa is to nourish deepening encounters with the Spirit of God, Io Matua te kore (Parentless One, the ‘In the Beginning’ God). We are rooted in Christ, grounded in Aotearoa and attuned to a diversity of voices.

We recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a sacred covenant and the basis of our nationhood. We seek to honour this by being engaged treaty partners, growing in the grace and knowledge to live that out.

Our prayer is that rooted in Christ, in this whenua, and honouring the bi-cultural roots of our nationhood, SGM will be a healthy tree whose contemplative ministry flourishes in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Our branches of welcome extend to all nationalities who wish to perch in this tree and find rest in the nest of contemplative spirituality.

Discover our treasure trove of research papers on spiritual direction.

Enrich your practice.

Song to the Holy Spirit


Lord, Holy Spirit,
You blow like the wind in a thousand paddocks,
Inside and outside the fences,
You blow where you wish to blow.

Lord, Holy Spirit,
You are the sun who shines on the little plant,
You warm him gently, you give him life,
You raise him up to become a tree with many leaves.

Lord, Holy Spirit
You are the kind fire who does not cease to burn,
Consuming us with flames of love and peace,
Driving us out like sparks to set the world on fire.

Excerpts from ‘Song to the Holy Spirit’ by James K Baxter
In Collected Poems (ed. John Edward Weir; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1979), 572.

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FROM THE SGM BLOG

Featured
To Kill an Illusion | By Tim Duxfield
To Kill an Illusion | By Tim Duxfield

A reflection on my journey to sobriety. “In damming off vast swathes of my inner life through repressive self-preservation, I forced myself to live a tiny, hobbled life that only allowed for a tiny, hobbled God.”

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The Death of a King | By Adrienne Thompson
The Death of a King | By Adrienne Thompson

Adrienne Thompson offers spiritual direction and supervision from Wellington. A lifelong contemplative, and a late and reluctant activist, she is learning to be Tangata Tiriti, learning to weave, and becoming immersed in Ignatian spirituality through Te Mahi Wairua.

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‘Mid-Point’ a poem by Jo Anastasiadis
‘Mid-Point’ a poem by Jo Anastasiadis

A poem on humility featured in the Dec 2024 issue of Refresh. Jo Anastasiadis is a spiritual director in Wellington who loves God’s creation, and seeing others grow in their relationship with God. She has recently rediscovered the delight of play with her young grandchildren, and the joy of simple moments.

Read More →
Finding Christ in the Poorest of the Poor | Eamon Butler’s Encounter with Kala in Calcutta
Finding Christ in the Poorest of the Poor | Eamon Butler’s Encounter with Kala in Calcutta

During 1990, Eamon Butler arrived in Calcutta, India, found his way to the Mother House of Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity, knocked on the door, and offered himself as a volunteer to serve the poor. In this article, Eamon shares about a life- changing encounter he experienced soon after his arrival.

Read More →