Fundamental to the Iona Community's understanding of spirituality is the conviction that God's Spirit permeates the whole of life - 'every blessed thing', as George MacLeod, the Community's founder, said. God is thus to be encountered and experienced in the busy daily routine of our lives, and through our relationships, not just in tranquil moments and remote, beautiful places like Iona. The Community's approach to spirituality does not distinguish between the sacred and the secular. Prayer and politics, work and worship are all of a piece. This holistic spirituality of engagement - rooted in prayer and scripture - stands in contrast to some of the more ethereal, nostalgic and self-indulgent approaches on offer these days. Pathways for Pilgrims is a timely resource for individuals and groups wishing to explore this integrated approach to spirituality. Each of the four weeks of the book covers an area of the Iona Community's engagement: with God, with the church, with the world, and engaging as community. The days include a 'community experience', a Bible reading, material for reflection, prayers and thoughts to ponder.
The book was structured and edited by spiritual director and workshop leader Chris King, and written by members of the Iona Community, with contributions by Norman Shanks, Jan Sutch Pickard, Brian Woodcock, John Harvey, Peter Millar, Graeme Brown, Ruth Harvey and Neil Paynter. Pathways for Pilgrims is a companion book to Iona: God's Energy - the Vision and Spirituality of the Iona Community and Living by the Rule: The Rule of the Iona Community, also published by Wild Goose.