How the Enneagram Can Help You in Your Walk with God

Churches and other organizations around the country are hosting classes and events on The Enneagram. Spiritual Directors, Pastors, and Christian leaders are using this tool more and more. While you may be familiar with the nine Enneagram personality types, did you know it can be used as a tool to help your spiritual life and faith development? In this article, we are going to look at how the Enneagram can be used to help you in your relationship with God.

Here is a condensed summary of what the Enneagram is about:

According to the Merriam-Webster definition, the Enneagram is a personality-typing system built around nine distinct personality types, each shaped by core motivations, fears, and behavioral patterns. The term Enneagram comes from the Greek ennea (“nine”) and gramma (“something written or drawn”), and it is traditionally represented as a nine-pointed figure in which each point corresponds to one of the personality types.

The Enneagram is often applied as a tool for self-awareness, personal development, and understanding how individuals respond under stress. The nine personality types include:

Type 1 – The Reformer/Perfectionist
Type 2 – The Helper/Giver
Type 3 – The Achiever/Performer
Type 4 – The Individualist/Romantic
Type 5 – The Investigator/Observer
Type 6 – The Loyalist/Skeptic
Type 7 – The Enthusiast
Type 8 – The Challenger/Protector
Type 9 – The Peacemaker/Mediator

The modern Enneagram system does not originate from traditional academic psychology but from a psychological–spiritual tradition rooted in Oscar Ichazo’s Protoanalysis (Arica School) and later expanded by Claudio Naranjo into what is known today as the Enneagram of Personality.

Exploring the Enneagram in the Context of Faith

The Enneagram helps us to identify where we have areas of strength and areas that we need to develop. Insights into our sin patterns, negative thinking, and how we view the world are also benefits of this tool. Sometimes Christians are surprised when their counselor or a religious leader suggests exploring this tool. People often think that it is New Age or evil because of the symbol most often used to represent the Enneagram.

While we won’t go into much detail behind the symbol, we can assure you that it is a way to show how types interact with one another. Each of the nine types goes to another type during times of stress, trauma, or unhealthy behaviors. All nine types pull from other types and have traits that reflect those of other types in proximity to them or in the same triangle on the symbol. The symbol helps us to see where we fall relative to the other types.

Your counselor may invite you to explore the Enneagram as a means to growth your faith. Teachers of this tool have found different types thrive with different spiritual and prayer practices. It can be beneficial to use counseling to explore how your type can thrive in a relationship with God and ways in which your relationship with God might be hindered.

Each type has behaviors, thoughts, and beliefs that influence how they see themselves and God. Sometimes these can be painful or difficult to explore on our own. Working alongside a counselor can help you process these and to seek the Lord’s direction to figure out how to thrive as your type. People also find they view God differently and understand struggles and doubts in their faith better after knowing more about their type.

Common Sin Patterns for Each Type

We are all sinners in need of God’s good grace. People can find it insightful to discover their specific type tends to struggle with specific sin patterns. There have been correlations drawn to each type and one of the “deadly sins.” While each type can fall into any kind of sin, here are the most commonly identified sin patterns for each type:

• Type 1 – Anger
• Type 2 – Pride
• Type 3 – Deceit
• Type 4 – Envy
• Type 5 – Greed
• Type 6 – Fear
• Type 7 – Gluttony
• Type 8 – Lust
• Type 9 – Sloth

If you are still trying to figure out your type, it can be helpful to think about the areas in which you struggle with sin. Again, we can and do all sin in all these ways. These merely give us insights into what we are more likely to be prone to because of our type. Knowing this information does not give you a free pass. You cannot say, “Oh, I sin in this way because I’m this type,” and keep on sinning.

This knowledge prompts us to perform acts of healing and identify triggers for our sin. It prompts us to seek forgiveness and reconciliation. It also prompts us to find health and the fullness of grace in Christ by working through this sin pattern. Your counselor can be a wonderful resource and help in this process.

Spiritual Practices and Ways to Connect with God for Each Type

Each type views God, the world, and themselves differently. It can be helpful to find ways to connect to God based on your type. There are dozens of spiritual practices and spiritual disciplines. Each type can, of course, engage in whatever resonates with them and their walk with God. These are suggestions that have been found to be meaningful for different types.

Type 1

Meditation is often helpful for Ones. They struggle with anger and guilt. Meditation is healing and helps calm an upset One. Engaging in practices that focus on celebration and joy can also be significant for Ones.

Type 2

Prayer can be humbling and grounding for Twos who often struggle with a need to be needed. This practice can remind us of our need for God. While all types benefit from spiritual direction, a Two often especially benefits. Twos are often helpers and can benefit from receiving help themselves.

Type 3

Fixed-hour prayer can stretch a Three. Threes are focused on being efficient. Engaging in a practice of stopping to pray at a specific time can help a Three realize that it is ok to stop from time to time. Observing the Sabbath is also beneficial for a Tree for the same reason.

Type 4

Solitude is often a balm for a Four. Connecting with God away from others in silence helps these individuals to process the world and slow down. Engaging in regular gratitude prayers or gratitude journaling can also help a Four who is prone to melancholy when things aren’t going well.

Type 5

Reading comes easily for many fives. They are naturally insightful and inquisitive. Exploring how to approach reading as a spiritual practice can be transformative. Engaging in spiritual reading and reflection is beneficial for many Fives.

Because a Five is often introverted, engaging in service can be stretching for them and a way to connect with God and others. It can be difficult for a Five to turn their thoughts into action and service can help with this, especially with accountability to engage in service.

Type 6

Type Six is often anxious. The practice of biblical meditation can be useful for these types. In this practice, we slow down to meditate on God’s word with a specific pattern and method. It is a chance for a Six to calm their anxious mind and to approach Scripture differently.

Type 7

Engaging with faith communities is often an easy discipline for a Seven. They are naturally outgoing and enjoy a lot of activity. Taking an opportunity to pause and add more mindfulness to these interactions can be transformative for a Seven.

A stretching practice for a Seven is fasting. These types are prone to addictive and impulsive behavior, and fasting can help with this. The fasting does not have to be from food; Sevens can fast from anything they feel is getting in the way of their walk with God. They often will need professional help or support with fasting.

Type 8

Justice ministry and service are right up an Eight’s alley. Eight is concerned with the welfare of all and often engages in a lot of service. Advocacy work, social justice, and other acts of justice are stretching for an Eight and usually deeply fulfilling.

Engaging in confession can be difficult but beneficial for an Eight. Eight can engage in confession through personal journaling, prayer, reflection, and communication with God. It can help the sometimes overly confident Eight to see their sin and humanity.

Type 9

Nines often enjoy time in nature. Engaging with God in nature can open Nine up to a new relationship with their Creator. Taking prayer walks outdoors or spending time sitting still in nature are good practices for Nines. They may enjoy meditation or prayer in nature.

Nines avoid conflict at all possible costs. Engaging in peacemaking ministry or even becoming trained as a conflict mediator can be stretching for a Nine and help them to better understand God’s peace.

Try out some of these practices for your type and see how they resonate with your walk with God.

Christian Counseling for Personal and Spiritual Growth

As you get to know the Enneagram and look at it through your faith, you may start to recognize both the strengths God has given you and the areas where He may be inviting you to grow.

Understanding your type can also help you see old patterns more clearly and open the door to new spiritual growth and healing. If you’d like support as you explore this more deeply, consider reaching out to a Christian counselor who can guide you through a more personal and meaningful process.