You're Not the Only One
Anna walking barefoot in the West Cork, Ireland
"It was so very encouraging to have this opportunity to hear others and to be heard, in a group which felt safe and contained. It reduced my sense of isolation."
For the past few years, I've been gathering small groups of people to process their shifting faith - a space to explore what happens when our relationship with faith begins to change.
Perhaps we're questioning things we once felt certain about. Maybe we've left church but still feel connected to Christianity in some way. Perhaps we're exploring new ways of understanding spirituality, or simply living with more questions than answers. Perhaps we're coming to terms with the harm of toxic leadership and structures - harm done to us, or harm we ourselves perpetrated before we started questioning them.
Voicing these things helps us process their impact and to heal. Doing that in the company of others, sharing and listening with openness, kindness and curiosity - can be therapeutic. It reminds us of our shared humanity. We are not alone in these questions, doubts, feelings, experiences. And that is what helps us find freedom.
In these groups, you don't need to know what you believe. You don't need to arrive with the same beliefs as anyone else. There's freedom to show up just as you are, wherever you find yourself.
Faith Shift Groups are a small, confidential gathering where we get to know one another and make space for honest conversation about our experiences, questions, doubts, hopes and discoveries. We are mapping where we have come from, where we are now, and where we might be heading and listening to others do the same helps us feel less alone on the journey.
It's not about finding the "right" answers. It's about having fellow travellers alongside you as you work out what faith might mean for you now.
People who have taken part in recent groups have said:
"It was wonderful to have a space to process thoughts and feelings about faith. It is a lonely journey, re-examining and changing what you believe."
"It's been a valuable space to process and articulate some of my thoughts and feelings on different aspects of my faith journey. It became a safe and honest space very quickly, which enabled me to relax into being open and honest."
"I have avoided being in Christian spaces since I left the church, as I have found them too complicated. Being part of a group that doesn't necessarily agree, but is kind, accepting and respectful to each other, is such a lovely and helpful experience."
Alongside the reassurance that they are not alone, people that join these groups often describe leaving with more peace and less pressure to have the answers, greater self-compassion and trust in themselves, more freedom to question without fear or shame, permission to be exactly where they are.
These spaces are not designed to tell you what to believe.
It's a space to listen deeply, explore honestly and discover what is becoming true for you.
If you're wondering whether a Faith Shift Group might be for you, you can find out more about the group and how to book your place on my website.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT FAITH SHIFT →
We don’t have to navigate all those questions and change on our own.