A 5-part series offered by Rev. Stephen Faller and Chaplaincy Innovation Lab
This five-part workshop series offered an in-depth exploration into the theological reflections and pastoral insights drawn from Stephen Faller‘s book Confessions of a Circuit Rider. Each session immersed participants in the spiritual landscape of chaplaincy—truth, vulnerability, marginality, identity, courage, and transformation—woven from Stephen’s lived experiences and deeply personal encounters. Through narrative, music, and structured dialogue, the series invited participants into a multisensory engagement with themes of authenticity, mystery, and sacred presence. This project was part of a broader initiative connected to the Institute for Spiritual Midwifery, including CPE, supervision, and a curated soundtrack designed to mirror the emotional and theological arc of the book.
This series from Stephen Faller integrated theological reflections, personal experiences, and curated soundscape into a cohesive spiritual formation experience. It was designed not only to inform but to transform—offering space for caregivers, chaplains, and seekers to deepen their practice, sharpen their discernment, and embrace the sacred complexity of their work.
Session 1: Embracing Truths and Journeys
Book chapters:
The Secret
The Lie
The Circuit Rider
The Margins
This session delves into the essence of chaplaincy—bearing secrets, confronting deception, and navigating the liminal spaces of ministry. It explores the identity of the modern circuit rider as one always in motion yet seeking rootedness. The accompanying soundtrack features introspective tracks that mirror vulnerability and resilience, helping participants reflect on the deeply personal nature of pastoral presence. The session offers both theological framing and spiritual grounding for the series as a whole.
Session 2: Spiritual Journeys and Identities
Book chapters:
The Exodus
The Traveler’s Cloak
The Adoption
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
This session examines spiritual journeys through the metaphors of exodus, adoption, and pilgrimage. Drawing from both my own lived experience of adoption and my embodiment as a disabled person, we consider how identity is shaped through movement, loss, and societal perception. The music underscores themes of transition, rupture, and reclaimed dignity. Participants are invited to consider how their own spiritual and pastoral identities are formed at the intersection of trauma and transformation.
Session 3: Facing Complexity and Authenticity
Book chapters:
The Letters
The Chasm
The Fairytale
The Name
Here we explore the emotional and philosophical weight of spiritual caregiving—anxieties, oversimplifications, and the deep need for authenticity. The session critiques dualism and moralistic storytelling in ministry, instead emphasizing theological paradox and spiritual honesty. The soundtrack offers a reflective sonic landscape that mirrors the tension between surface and depth. Through group engagement, participants unpack the power of naming, narrative, and presence in complex pastoral relationships.
Session 4: Transformative Encounters and Growth
Book chapters:
The Harrowing
The Road
The Individual
The Midwife
This session centers on the chaplain’s movement into places of deep pain and transformation—the harrowing spaces of suffering, change, and spiritual birth. The road becomes a metaphor for uncertainty and openness, while spiritual midwifery is introduced as a guiding framework for collaborative, non-directive care. Drawing from my theological method, ministry is framed not as fixing but as attending—to what is being born, to what is dying, and to what is emerging in the soul. Music accompanies the emotional arc of this transformation, mirroring the intensity and grace of the midwifery model.
Session 5: Spiritual Deepening and Revelation
Book chapters:
The Question
The Fire
The Desert
The Apocalypse
In the final session, we turn toward spiritual deepening through the metaphors of fire, desert, and apocalypse. These are not symbols of destruction, but of revelation—spaces where clarity emerges from crisis and hope is born from collapse. The curated soundtrack mirrors this movement toward illumination and vulnerability, inviting participants to engage their own questions, burnings, and wilderness seasons. The session culminates in an affirmation of chaplaincy as prophetic unveiling: helping others see what has long been hidden, and holding space for what is trying to be born.
This series featured author and chaplain Rev. Stephen Faller, ACPE Chaplain Educator at Overbrook Medical Center in Summit, New Jersey and founder of the Institute for Spiritual Midwifery.