ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the use of the Spiritual Journey Mapping exercise is commonly used in spiritual direction and pastoral counseling exercise with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients as a means to understand their integration of spiritual and sexual orientation issues. Most cities have at least one church or synagogue that has identified itself as welcoming of these persons. In addition, one international Christian denomination, the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, was founded to serve the needs of gay, lesbian, and bisexual persons and has member congregations throughout the United States as well as around the world. For bisexual clients, the model presumes that sexual identity development culminates in a fixed understanding of one's identity and this is not the case for many bisexual persons. Most Christian denominations and other faiths hold doctrines that are intolerant of homosexuality. This leads many GLBT persons to experience a conflict between their sexual orientation and their religious tradition and personal religious beliefs.
