A.J. Sherrill’s “The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation” is one of the best books on the Enneagram out there! This book is profound in its depth and wisdom and will undoubtedly help folks know themselves and how God has wired them. Of course, this book will do more than inform, it will surely transform and help you live with love, integrity, and wisdom! I highly recommend it!

This book was SOOOO GOOD.

As an enneagram 4 I often find it hard to relate myself back yo my spiritual formation and this book really helped answer a lot of questions for me as well as give language to the enneagram on a more spiritual level.

I appreciated that the first couple of chapters were helping the reader to better understand the enneagram and then gave very useful and practical exercises to help people better fall into who God created them to be.

A Christian must read!

I've been following AJ Sherrill's writings (and speaking) on the Enneagram around the internet ever since I stumbled on his dissertation online. I remember thinking to myself then that this guy should write a book!

I am honored to be able to preview AJ Sherrill's book, The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation.

The Enneagram is a tool and that our identity cannot be distilled down to a number are two very important themes that run throughout the book. One can sense AJ's commitment to our understanding of this in the way that the book always brings the reader back to The Maker and how he busts down the Enneagram myths from the jump. You also won't find the nuances of wings and subtypes to distract you from making the connection between how understanding ourselves as imago Dei helps us understand that our significance is because of whose we are, not who we are. AJ invites us to experience the tool of the Enneagram as aid in getting off the treadmill of competence, comparison and control.. A highly recommended read!

The Enneagram is credited for more than it can accomplish and blamed for less than it can do. It’s not THE answer. But it is AN answer.

A.J. Sherrill strikes a good balance in this book. Sherrill shows we can use the Enneagram to root our identity in Christ, to work with our personality, and to create a life of wholeness and beauty.

As Sherrill does in his Enneagram workshops, he also states in The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation these four agreements:

1. Remember that you are not a number.
2. Refuse to become branded as the Enneagram person, church, or organization.
3. Resist the urge to type another person.
4. Reclaim the Enneagram as a means, not an end.

For each of the nine Enneagram types, Sherrill lists the following (as an example, I’ll use Type 6):

* Type 6
* One Word: Questioner
* Survival Strategy: “I must be secure and safe.”
* Full Description
* Lies they believe: “It is not okay to trust yourself.”
* Truth they need: “You are safe.”

He later lists discipleship spiritual practices for each Enneatype: downstream practices (these come naturally) and upstream practices (harder to do).

For example, he suggests Type 2s practice hospitality as their downstream practice and to use centering prayer as their upstream practice. The day in the church calendar they should heed is Maundy Thursday (the day Jesus washed feet).

This book isn’t an exhaustive resource to fully explain the Enneagram. But if you already know your number, it can help you discover specific ways to practice it.

In the conclusion, Sherrill says,

“There are many things the Enneagram cannot do. Its power is limited. However, as a means toward self-reflection, spiritual practice, marriage, leadership, and evangelism, it is an incredibly valuable tool. . . .

The Enneagram isn’t Jesus, but it can help you learn how to be more like him.”

My thanks to Net Galley for the review copy of this book.

This is a great book for any Christian who already has some knowledge of the Enneagram and would like to dive deeper in using it as a means of spiritual formation. I found it to be accessible and helpful.

The cover, format, and graphs and structure within the book are well done and artful. The breakdown of the enneagram through the lens of spirituality isn’t unique but the approach within this book feels fresh and new. It’s a quick read if you focus on your own enneagram only but tools within allow you to categorize those you share your time with for a deeper look into their perspective.

AJ Sherrill does a great job approaching the Enneagram from a pastoral perspective. He gives thoughtful insight into each Enneagram type from his years of experience and helps the reader to identify with the type most likely to fit. Common strengths and weakness are laid out with care to help readers grow not only as individuals, but also in their relationships to others and God. He provides the commentary you would expect from a spiritual director for each type, giving the reader reason to return again and again to info that’s relevant at different points along the never ending path of spiritual development.

Thanks to NetGalley and Brazos Press for an advanced copy of this book.