Episode Audio:
The enneagram has become a popular tool and topic of discussion over the last few years. Everyone seems to be taking online tests to discover their type and comparing their results with friends, family, and co-workers. But the enneagram is more than just a personality test that shows us our quirks and preferences. It is a tool that can help us, as disciples, draw closer to God. As AJ Sherrill talks about in this episode, the enneagram isn’t a Christian tool. But it is a human tool that can be used to help us discover our true identities by revealing to us the masks we’ve used to hide from the world. It can also help us create practices that help us grow more deeply in our walk with Christ. The enneagram is not a mystical or all-powerful tool. But it can, if we use it well, help us gain a deeper awareness of our motivations and insecurities that keep us from seeing who God is calling us to be. In the end, the enneagram is a tool that can help us create a lifestyle of discipleship.
Who is AJ Sherrill?
AJ Sherrill has more than twenty years of experience as a pastor, including the role of lead pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is an adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he teaches popular courses on transformational preaching and the Enneagram, and he leads Enneagram workshops across the country. His book, The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation is a great introduction for those who want to know more about the enneagram and how it can be used as a tool for creating a lifestyle of discipleship.
You can find out more about AJ's work at ajsherrill.org.
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Episode Resources:
The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation by AJ Sherrill
The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne Stabile
Using Spiritual Disciplines for Transformation - Adele Calhoun (Podcast)