Issues related to the roles of Spiritual Directors within the Tres Dias ministry is generally a topic that most pescadores don’t think much about.  However, these roles are a frequent point of discussion and evaluation at the leadership levels of Tres Dias International (TDI).  Hopefully they are also discussed at the local Secretariat level because it’s important for communities to get it right!

There are a number of Policies and Best Practices that have been implemented over the years related to the qualifications and roles of Spiritual Directors.  The most basic requirement for someone to serve as a Spiritual Director is found in the Essentials Section 3.2.2 which says: “Spiritual Directors <must> be qualified to teach and counsel in spiritual matters by his/her church or denomination.”  That sounds pretty straight-forward, right?  Well, like most things in Tres Dias, the deeper we look, the more complicated and nuanced it becomes.

And if you are an Officer or Member of your local Secretariat, you should be aware of this issue since it could have an impact on your weekends with potential legal implications.

Over the years, the definition of “Spiritual Counseling” has evolved in the secular and religious realms, and in some Tres Dias communities it’s become more involved than it was ever intended.   We have reports of Spiritual Directors providing marital counseling, trying to assist with substance abuse issues, encouraging healing ministries, dealing with depression, and taking on other roles that, honestly, should not be part of a Tres Dias weekend.  These types of activities could even open the Spiritual Director and the community to legal liability if there was to be a bad outcome.

SO WHAT, THEN, IS “SPIRITUAL COUNSELING?”  Several years ago, TDI’s Policy Committee was tasked with answering that question.  In response, they created a Position Paper (which is a formal mandate, not just a suggestion) which can be downloaded HERE.

In summary, the extent of formal counseling done on a Tres Dias weekend MUST be limited to this definition:  “Advice that is given as the result of a face-to-face consultation on matters related to or concerning the Christian Bible and/or a person’s personal walk with Christ Jesus as displayed on the Tres Dias weekend.”

The Policy Document specifically prohibits “counseling” beyond this level.  Spiritual Directors are directed NOT to explore matters that are best suited for handling by professionals who are specifically trained in these areas, and, obviously, who would be available for appropriate follow-up and intercession.  The key point and take-away is that, within Tres Dias, we are not formally counseling these individuals.  Instead we are offering biblically sound advice within a very limited scope as they deal with personal issues that might arise from their interaction with the Holy Spirit on a weekend.

WHAT, EXACTLY, DOES THAT LOOK LIKE?  The role of the Spiritual Director is to help a candidate (or even a team member) walk through a spiritual truth that might be revealed to them on a weekend that they are having difficulty processing or understanding.  Since everyone reacts differently to the presence of the Holy Spirit,  the Spiritual Director’s job is to be a careful and sympathetic listener.  Praying with the person while sharing insights into the appropriate scriptures will generally enable the person to continue processing the new information effectively.

So if you see counseling occurring on your weekends that exceed this simple definition, be sure to alert your local Secretariat leaders.  It’s really that important!

So that’s it for this month’s blog.  Let me know what you think about this topic by commenting on our private Facebook Group (Click here).  It’s open to anyone who has attended a Tres Dias Weekend – I’ll look forward to seeing you there.

De Colores!

Jeff Mehl
President
Tres Dias International

IS TRES DIAS A DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRY OR AN EVANGELICAL MINISTRY?
(Does the answer “BOTH” surprise you?)

Folks who are new to Tres Dias often question why non-Christians are not permitted to attend weekends.  After all, shouldn’t the goal of every Christian be to bring non-Christians to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?  And what better way than engaging them in a Christ-centered weekend?

The most direct answer to that question is clearly found in the Essentials Section 2.0.1 where it states “TRES DIAS is a Christian movement. The ultimate objective of the TRES DIAS Movement is to strengthen and extend the Body of Christ.  No TRES DIAS organization shall change the teachings or practices of the TRES DIAS Movement to accommodate the participation of non-Christians…”

But that still doesn’t scratch the itch or answer the question: “Why?”

The short answer is found in the Preamble of the Essentials which states, in part “The founders of the Cursillo movement saw a world of great need around them.  They knew that the answer to the needs of the world had to be Christ and His Grace; but…they saw Christians who did not live for Christ, and they saw a church that was…ineffective and without life.  They developed the Cursillo to meet part of this problem: to provide any part of the church which was ready to undertake the formation of Christian life with all the people it needed — people who would have the deep dedication to Christ and to bringing all peoples to Him — people who would undertake a regular program of formation in Christianity, and who would make their Christian life conscious and vital — people who would understand how to be part of a unified apostolic effort.”

One of the primary goals of Tres Dias is to empower Christians to return to their home churches as servant leaders, and engage with their communities as led by the Spirit (“Make a Friend; Be a Friend; Bring that Friend to Christ!”)  And THAT’S where evangelism fits into the Tres Dias Method!

THE ANSWER:  In other words, the more insightful answer is that Tres Dias is BOTH!  The Pre-Weekend and Weekend Phases are definitely discipleship tools aimed solely at empowering Christians, but the 4^th Day Phase is the evangelical component of the Tres Dias Method.  Follow the logic:

• • A Christian is sponsored for a Tres Dias weekend during the Pre-Weekend Phase.
  • He/she attends the Weekend (ie: Weekend Phase) and is equipped to return home to start their 4^th  Day which, as you know, is the rest of their life.
  • An important component of the 4^th Day, mentioned several times in the Essentials, is to return to their home church inspired to serve in whatever way they can; functioning as Servant Leaders in the life of the church and in the lives of the people.
  • In the course of their 4^th Day, they’ll likely meet many non-Christians that they’re able to comfortably witness to; possibly because of insights received during the Tres Dias weekend and empowerment gained by returning to and actively serving in their church.
    • AND THAT IS THE EVANGELICAL PIECE:  it occurs during the 4^th Day as a result of their weekend encounter with the Living God!
  • As a result of anointed witnessing, that non-Christian accepts Jesus as their Savior and begins to attend church.
  • He/she is then sponsored for a Tres Dias weekend during the Pre-Weekend Phase, and the cycle continues.
  • You get the idea…

I hope that helps to clarify and explain the role of Tres Dias; specifically answering the question of why non-Christians should NOT be invited to attend a Weekend.  If not, or if you’d like to continue the conversation, hop over to our private Facebook page (Tres Dias International – For Pescadores) and join us there.

De Colores!

Jeff Mehl
President
Tres Dias International

Many of you know that the very first Tres Dias weekend occurred in upstate New York in November, 1972.  Following the first several years of weekends, it didn’t take long for Tres Dias to be categorized by some as a CULT!

We would expect people who are opposed to Christianity to come out against a new movement that was generating a lot of interest and excitement.  And there are those within the Christian community who, frankly, are opposed to any move of God that doesn’t quite fit their narrative; often without fully understanding what it is that they are opposing.

But in all honesty, WE fed the “Cult” narrative because of SECRETS!

Pescadores who had attended weekends were so excited by some of the surprises that they were worried about “spoiling” the experience for others, so it became common for folks to become secretive about what happens on a weekend.  I’ll use my wife and I as an example:  In the late 1980’s, we were approached by a Christian couple we knew quite well who wanted to sponsor us for a weekend.  Here’s a rough paraphrase of the conversation:

• THEM: “We’d like you and your wife to pray and consider attending a Tres Dias weekend.”
• ME: “That’s interesting.  What is Tres Dias?”
• THEM: “It’s a 3-day Christian retreat which runs from Thursday evening thru Sunday evening.”
• ME: “Wow – so what do you in those three days?”
• THEM: “Well, we can’t tell you a lot because there are some secrets that occur during the weekend and we wouldn’t want to spoil the surprises.  We can tell you that you’ll eat a LOT – there’s always lots of food and snacks.” And lots of music.”
• ME: “Hmmmm…. So you can’t give us a hint of what’s involved?”
• THEM: “Nope – but we know you’ll love it – everyone does! And we think we know you well enough to know you would do well on a weekend.  And you won’t even need to drive yourself, we’ll pick  you up and bring you home when it’s done.”
• ME: “Hmmm…. You mean I’ll be stranded without a car if I have to leave.”
• THEM: “That wouldn’t be a problem. If you needed to leave, they would call us and we would come to pick you up.”
• ME: “Hmmmm…..  Yeah, but no thanks!  That sounds a little too secretive and ‘cultish’ to be comfortable.”
• THEM: “Well, we’re sorry you feel that way, but you would have a great time and you would learn a lot about God.”
• ME: “I’m sure the Holy Spirit will make up for whatever I might miss out on, but thank you for the invitation!”

Over some time, we began to meet more people who had been through a weekend and realized that these were all pretty good Christians with solid doctrine.  We came to the conclusion that if it was a cult, it probably wasn’t a bad one!!

We ultimately said yes and my wife and I attended our weekends in 1989 & 1990 – and we’ve been deeply involved with the ministry ever since!

Over the years, there were many campaigns within Tres Dias to STOP using the word “SECRET!”  Pescadores were told that it was a turn-off to potential candidates, and it opened us up to attacks from folks who either didn’t understand, or didn’t want to understand.  We also reminded them that team members were always just as impacted by the surprises as candidates were – sometimes even more.

And just when we think we’ve stopped it, we’ll inevitably hear a candidate get up at the Closing to say “I didn’t know to expect because my sponsor just said: “It’s a secret but you’ll love it!!”

Unfortunately the “cult” label still follows us after 50 years of ministry – and you don’t have to Google very far to see that we are a “Damnable Church-Busting Cult from Hell!”

• Sadly, that accusation couldn’t be further from the truth!  The reality is that one of our primary goals, as outlined in the Essentials, is to empower folks to go back to their home churches to assist their pastors as servant-leaders! And in most cases, we have solid relationships with the churches and pastors in our areas.

To that end, we’ve posted a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document on the Tres Dias website that clearly addresses EVERY aspect of the weekend, including the surprises.  In addition, the Essentials of Tres Dias outlines every requirement for a weekend, including the talks, scheduling of communion, Table Chapels (We Prayers), information about pre-Weekend, Weekend, 4^th Day, etc.

In other words, THERE ARE NO SECRETS IN TRES DIAS!  Just some fun surprises that we should be open and willing to discuss.

• Click here for the FAQ’s and and the Essentials

For obvious reasons, the only thing on a weekend that is truly confidential is any personal information that is shared about an individual’s walk with Christ, their struggles, faith issues, etc – and that makes sense.  But everything else can be freely shared.

I hope this helps to clarify an issue that just never seems to go away!

What do you think?  How about your experiences?  Feel free to engage in a conversation on our Private Facebook Page (Tres Dias International – For Pescadores).

Until the next time – De Colores!

Jeff Mehl
President
Tres Dias International