April 2023 – end of March 2025 presented at BGM 2025
Your Executive
At the 2023 BGM Watiri Maina, Colin Renouf, and Jenny Dawson joined the Executive and they have been valuable members. Currently Anne Chrisp (completed 4 years), Lew Marsh and Steve Tollestrop (completed 6 years) are resigning or retiring from the Executive. Under the proposed updated constitution there can be a minimum of six and a maximum of 8 members on the Executive. Consequently, at this BGM there are 3 to 5 vacancies available for new members to be nominated.
Executive Meetings held:
- (13 February 2023 FTF in Mosgiel)
- 16 June 2023 on Zoom
- 15 September 2023 FTF Seatoun
- 23 February 2024 on Zoom
- 21 June 2024 on Zoom
- 11 October 2024 on Zoom
- 21 November 2024 at TE
- 9 April 2025 on Zoom
Membership
Every meeting addresses ongoing questions on membership and acknowledges those who have joined or changed membership status. Annual numbers for the last 10 years are below. You will notice that we have had a 31% increase in membership since 2015, and another noticeable increase since 2021 when we instigated our new online search engine.
We are seeing an increase in work for the Executive who are involved in interviewing prospective members, hence our suggestion to increase the size of the Executive in the Constitution
Training Events
- A special thanks to the Christchurch team for the tremendous effort and organisation of the 2024 TE in Christchurch “Sacred Space – Tatau Pounamu” – 123 came to the Training Event with 27 coming just to the Open day. Also, thanks to all main session and Elective presenters for your thought provoking and challenging contributions. The Executive enjoyed a very good relationship with the Christchurch TE working group.
- Next year, 1-4 October 2026 is the next Training Event in Nelson at Nelson Girls College and another very committed team are well underway with the preparations.
Thanks to the local teams who organise these events on our behalf.
Website and Newsletters
Our website continues to be a great aid for people to find a Spiritual Director, which is one of the things that drives membership interest along with newsletters providing information about the organisation, members and resources.
Constitution
Key changes to bring us in line with new Rules regarding Charities and Incorporated Societies are part of our Constitution to be agreed during this BGM.
These changes need to be in place before 5 April 2026 for us to retain our status as Incorporated Society and a registered charity.
- Move to annual AGM (one at TE and one on Zoom)
- Move financial end of year to 31 June to align with timing of our Training Events
- Add disputes resolution process
- Incorporate our Covenant, Code of Conduct as Schedules to Constitution
The new Constitution does take out the specific description of
“5.5 Full membership will be granted to Associates on proof of the completion of 50 hours of supervised spiritual direction work.”
However note this from the new constitution
“9.4 The Executive has the power to edit and change documents in the Association’s Policy and Operating Manual, as long as the underlying meaning of the words at questions is not changed. Other changes to Association Policy documents must be approved at a General Meeting.”
Hours Required for Full Membership
In the light of both the Abuse in Care inquiry as well as the changing nature of Spiritual Direction practice as people see it as more of significant part of their life journey, your executive has been wrestling with refocusing the requirements needed for Associate and Full membership Including:
- Free student membership and ability to come to Training Events. This builds relationship and hopefully increases interest in becoming members once graduating
- Having Associate Membership as being for those who are starting out in their ministry, for those who have a ministry not primarily focused on one to one Spiritual Direction and those slowing down at the end of their ministry, but still wanting to remain active in the organisation.
- Moving to having only one interviewer for Associate Membership if they have been through a known local programme
- Interview for Full membership focuses more in depth on experience and understanding at a deeper level
The Executive will continue to consult with members over the proposal to move to having 150 hours of Supervised Spiritual Direction (including that during training) and a minimum of 2 years before applying for full membership. This will need to be agreed at an SGM or the next AGM as it is a significant change to our requirements.
Executive and Secretary
Our Secretary keeps the organisation pumping by handling day to day enquiries, processing membership applications, doing the finances, updating the website, sending out newsletters, preparing agendas and managing registrations for our Training Events.
Your Executive focuses on strategy and planning as well as interviewing prospective members.
Other things we have worked on
- Updated the ACSD Strategic Plan for 2025-28. This document sets out the Mission Statement for ACSD with a statement of Intention and the strategic goals for the next 3 years. The goals include Diversity of membership; Strengthening internal capacity; Connecting with national and international SD community; Promotion of SD; Membership support.
- Updating many of the ACSD policies
- Published a flyer advertising Spiritual Direction ( copies available from the Secretary) They are designed to be in local churches/halls/venues
- Work on Job Sizing the work of our Secretary
- Supervision – clarification that Supervision for Spiritual Directors is similar, but different from general Pastoral Supervision, and specialised training is advised.
- Training for Spiritual Directors – We are increasingly getting applications from people who have not trained in NZ and whose training programme is not known to us. Need to do some more work on our Formation and Training Guidelines.
- Exploring issue of Maori Identity and Te Tiriti as an organisation – The executive has been reading Susan Healey’s book “Listening to the People of the Land” looking at Christianity, Colonisation, and the path to redemption. This along with conversations with some of our members and others outside of the organisation, has been part of the bicultural journey. Alongside this it is encouraging to see workshops promoted and available at the Training Events and in the Regions.
Thanks
These last two years as the Exec Chair-person have been a very rewarding and encouraging time and along with a very committed and united Executive, we have achieved some major milestones, deliberated on some challenging issues, and given ourselves willingly to interviewing increased numbers of people applying for membership.
This latter task has certainly been very time consuming and hence the proposal to increase the number of Exec members. At this point on behalf of the Exec I would like to give a special thanks to Rosemary, our administrator, financier, secretary, tech person and go to person. The Exec really appreciate everything you do. So, thankyou Rosemary so much.
Motion: “That the Executive Report for the 2025 BGM be received”.
Lew Marsh August 2025
