Introducing LCSD’s New Director…
Dr Jason Clark
In 2021, whilst undertaking the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, I encountered Christ as I made what is traditionally called the election. The 'election' in the Ignatian tradition is a pivotal moment where one discerns and commits to a particular life path in response to God's call. I found myself saying yes to Jesus, to His new invitation to follow Him.
The greatest return of myself to Him who had loved me into being was my yes to Him. To go wherever He was going, no matter where He was going. I could not have conceived then that my yes would lead to training as a Spiritual Director or becoming the new Director of the London Centre for Spiritual Direction.
In the Ignatian Exercises, the Lord showed me that the best things in my life were not things I had sought but that He sovereignly brought into my life. He had rescued and saved me from a childhood of abuse and chaos. He led me into an unplanned career in finance and then called me to church planting. He took me through mental health trials of anxiety and depression into the theological study that became part of my healing and calling.
I was invited to consider training in Spiritual Direction through others, and I am in my third and final year with the ISC. Most recently, a friend sent me what became an invitation to the Director role with the London Centre for Spiritual Direction (LCSD). My yes to the Lord led to this incredible moment in my life with the London Centre for Spiritual Direction (LCSD).
I am married to Bev, and we met at the London School of Theology when we were 18. We have three adult children, one of them with special needs. Together, we planted a church in south London that we led for 25 years before moving to Farnham in 2022. During those 25 years, we oversaw coaching and training for church leaders within our church network.
I earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree and then completed a PhD in theology that explored Christian identity formation in consumer and secular culture. I designed and led the Doctor of Leadership for Portland Seminary, now in its fifteenth year. From 2022 until recently, I was the principal of Waverley Abbey College in Farnham, which specialises in Counselling, Chaplaincy, and Spiritual Formation training.
I am excited to start my new role with the LCSD team and explore its history, heritage, and great potential. The LCSD has something vital to offer in our current world crisis. Spiritual Direction is part of the antidote to the crisis in the Christian faith and church leadership.
In my previous roles and connections with the wider church, I have seen a growing hunger for a personal encounter with God and a growing awareness of the impact of Spiritual Direction for that. LCSD stands at the forefront of a need to train, network, and supervise many Spiritual Directors, allowing the world a greater opportunity to experience God through Spiritual Direction.
I write regularly about Christian Spirituality at the intersection of the Science and Theology of identity formation at SpEx.so. All my other online ventures and ways to contact me are at jasonswanclark.org.
If you’d like to connect with Jason, you can email him here.