OUR IGNATIAN SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS - The Individual Experience
Spiritual Directors for the Ignatian Exercises are seasoned spiritual directors who have been trained to accompany others through the 19th and 18th Annotations.
The seasoned Spiritual Directors listed below have all completed a 2-year spiritual director training, and an additional year of training to accompany individuals in the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius. Please note that each of these directors are able to meet via Skype, Zoom, or FaceTime.
Application Process/Choices
- Individual or Group Experience
- 19th or 18th Annotation
- Contact preferred Director
- Submit an Application
Specialty: Ignatian formation, supervision of directors
Sara is grateful to reside in Amsterdam and to guide our growing work in Europe, alongside her own private spiritual direction practice to pastors, leaders, and spiritual directors. She dreams of creating a monastic retreat space in Europe–offering hospitality, sanctuary, and healing. She loves companioning people in every season of the soul, helping them clarify their vocation and respond to God’s love from a deep place.
Sara has a very full life! She enjoys: traveling, hiking, cooking/baking, writing, yoga, painting, wine with friends, live music, cycling, singing, reading (especially nerdy theology and Ignatian spirituality), her 12 nieces and nephews, and lingering in slow mornings while staring at the birds—especially her red canary, Karel (Carl).
Specialties: Ignatian spirituality / Exercises accompaniment, discernment, supervision
Stacey: Since college, one of the driving forces in my spiritual journey has been my longing to understand and experience the love of God not just as head knowledge but also as heart knowledge. I was hungry to know the abundant life that Jesus promised in John 10:10. Through my experiences with the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius and spiritual direction, I encountered Jesus in a fresh way that opened my heart up to receive the love of God more deeply than I ever had before. My relationship with scripture shifted from one of judgment to one of grace and hope. My soul started to come alive. Because of these transformative experiences, I later pursued becoming trained to offer spiritual direction to others and to take people through The Spiritual Exercises. As a spiritual director, I love listening deeply to each person’s unique story and together discovering the invitations of God. I have a heart and great hope for anyone who longs for “more” in their spiritual journey. I also find lots of joy being in nature, being creative, and being a lay leader in my local church. I live with my husband in northern California and we have one adult son.
Specialties: Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, personal/ministry burnout
Lainie was drawn to the ministry of spiritual direction through her own desire for more of God in the midst of the highs and lows of pastoring the church she and her husband planted in 1986. Passing this gift on to pastors, lay leaders and any Christ-follower hungry for more is a singular joy. She also loves accompanying others as they seek deeper union with God through the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, and providing compassionate soul care for those in personal or ministry crisis. Lainie trained at Sustainable Faith’s School of Spiritual Direction and has been an instructor there since 2015.
Specialties: Ignatian Spirituality / Exercises accompaniment, young parents and leaders, cancer patients and caregivers
Mike has been a pastor, vocationally and bi-vocationally for 40 years. Receiving spiritual direction has personally unlocked a deep awareness of God’s activity and care in his life. Going through the Ignatian Exercises developed new rhythms and pathways to God in his life, and deepened his knowing Christ and being known by him. He felt sent into his world with a new, fresh love and mission. He is privileged to come along side others as they make the Exercises. He enjoys listening and giving them his full attention as they discover God’s endless attention and love for them.
Mike has planted three churches, served in Derby England and now pastors Vineyard Church in Des Moines, IA. He was trained in Spiritual Direction with Sustainable Faith’s two year program. He has regularly served with Flourish teams for Vineyard USA’s Pastors’ Sabbath Retreats. His joy in life is to help others live the life they never thought they could.
He is married to Sherri and together they love 5 sons, a daughter and 6 grandchildren. He loves to be out in nature, riding his bike, hiking, camping, and playing with his grandchildren. He has walked through cancer treatment and life after treatment with Sherri. His favorite saying is “The best is yet to come.”
Specialties: Cancer patients and families, Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, pastors and leaders, Enneagram, discernment, but most of all HOPE
Sherri has over 40 years of being loved by Jesus in marriage, family life, pastoring, and is a leukemia survivor. She is a teacher for Sustainable Faith’s School of Spiritual Direction and supervises directors.
Specialties: Ignatian Spirituality / Exercises accompaniment
Carolyn. While navigating one of life’s major transitions, my first love for Jesus Christ was reignited. The Ignatian Spiritual Exercises not only presented the “way of proceeding” but also enabled deepening and expanding my relationship with the Trinity. My friendship and encounters with God took on a whole new dimension and I was forever changed. Now it is my passion to companion with others as they seek the Lord and experience His love, direction and outpourings of grace.
I received training in Spiritual direction and in the Spiritual Exercises Accompaniment through Sustainable Faith. My previous life experience includes twenty years on staff in the pro-life movement and raising five children as a single parent. I currently serve the Lord with joy at Christ the King Vineyard Church in Ohio.
My passion is to create safe environments and opportunities for people to experience God.
Early in my ministry career, I worked in full time ministry at a mega-church for eleven years.
This experience heightened the value and necessity of spiritual direction for pastors and
Christian leaders. Spiritual Direction is an important spiritual practice, as they deal with the
challenges of ministry, the difficulty of finding a safe place to share and the struggle to stay
connected to their own souls.
My Master’s Specialization in Spiritual Transformation was accomplished through Northern
Seminary in Lombard, IL in partnership with the Transforming Center. My training in Spiritual
Direction is through Sustainable Faith Indy and The Springs. I am an iEnneagram, Motions of
the Soul Practitioner, trained to companion others in the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. As a SD
and Certified Forest Therapy Guide with an Ecoministry Certification, I lead others to
experience the Sacred in Nature.
Specialties: Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, supervision of directors
Renae has always loved offering hospitality with her husband in their long marriage. When she was introduced to spiritual direction through Sustainable Faith in 2011, she knew she had found a ministry that joined that gift of hospitality. She loves to sit with people and share their laughter, tears and joy. She loves reading, quiet and finding and creating beauty around her. Nothing compares to the joy of watching god beckon people close and seeing them respond. Finding God in all the continuing challenges of life, she believes deeply in “the long, slow, faithful work of God.” Leading people through the Exercises is a special delight!
About 20 years ago I happened upon a group of friends through my Christian community that pointed me to the depth of God’s grace for me and the intentional pursuit of living in the love of the Trinity. Prior to that my relationship with Jesus was genuine yet duty bound. Among the opportunities that group opened up to me was both spiritual direction and the Exercises of Saint Ignatius. During the year I made the exercises accompanied with spiritual direction, God’s word and love broke open to me in new and personal ways. The voice of Jesus became intimate and joy-filled. That shift brought me new vision and desire, so I pursued being trained as a spiritual director through the Mercy Center in Burlingame. Along the way I also completed the Sustainable Faith training for guiding people through the Exercises. Now I have the joy of offering spiritual direction and also accompanying both groups and individuals as they make the Ignatian Exercises retreat in their everyday lives!
I have been married to Ken for almost 30 years, and we have three wonderful adult children. During my down time you will find me reading, walking with friends or enjoying a good conversation over a glass of wine! I also find great delight exploring God’s creation in the coastal mountains of California.
Specialties: Ignatian Spirituality/Exercises accompaniment, spiritual director Supervisor, and an Ignatian Supervisor
Deborah held a church staff position for 14 years coordinating the prison ministry where she found many conflicting theologies and doctrines getting in the way of understanding the depth and truth of God’s love. Deborah offers space for those desiring spiritual growth with the opportunity to see God in all things and experience His grace.
Specialties: worship and the arts, multi-ethnic ministry, LGBTQ+ ministry
Carrie is a pastor, worship leader, and spiritual director at Vineyard One NYC, a small, diverse church in New York City. She is also a writer and educator with a PhD in English and American Literature and a former faculty member at City Seminary of New York, where she first experienced the Ignatian Exercises and the deep soul transformation that came with them. Carrie is co-founder of The Stillness Collective, an organization that creates spaces for busy people to find rest and renewal through contemplative practices and retreats. She completed both her spiritual direction and Ignatian Exercises training with Sustainable Faith and is in training to become a supervisor and teacher of spiritual directors.
Specialties: Spiritual Formation, Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, Supervision of Directors
Stephen is a seasoned chaplain/pastor, spiritual director, and small group leader whose service spans 40+ years. He delights in joining others on their spiritual journeys toward a deeper walk with Jesus.
He is continually curious about life. He seeks solitude and exploration in rugged landscapes. A core value is that contemplative moments and play need to be alongside daily work. From his perspective, the journey of faith flourishes when embedded in the body of Christ whose primary address is the local church. Stephen enjoys listening to the life journeys of others, road trips, hiking, any boat that requires a paddle or wind, cycling, acoustic instrumental and vocal music, cross cultural experiences, reading that prompts insight and reflection, drawing animals, a good story, wine with friends and keeping up with 10 grandchildren.
Specialties: Ignatian spirituality, pastors/leaders/church planters, contemplative practices
Suhail was born in India, grew up as a missionary kid, and has lived in seven countries. He is a spiritual director, pastor, and church planter, the founder and director of the School of Mercy and Justice, and serves on Vineyard Canada’s national team. He has a B.A in English Literature and Philosophy from Wheaton College and an M.A in Community Leadership and Philanthropy Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He and his wife Jennifer have two children and live in Winnipeg, where they planted a contemplative church – West End Abbey – in 2019. He loves film, music, reading, writing, travel, good conversation, and football (FC Barcelona!). https://writingisprayer.com/
Specialties: Ignatian Spirituality / Retreat Leader / Contemplative Practices
Since 1999, Dan has served in a variety of ministry roles with local churches and mission organizations, but currently serves with InterVarsity USA as an Associate Director of Spiritual Formation. As a teacher with Sustainable Faith’s School of Spiritual Direction, Dan facilitates cohorts in Denver, Colorado.
Besides offering spiritual direction and accompanying individual through the Spiritual Exercises, Dan loves leading pilgrimages along the Camino de Ignaciano, a journey across northeastern Spain that highlights the story of Ignatius of Loyola and invites modern day pilgrims to a growing understanding of God’s direction for one’s life.
Dan, and his wife, Kim, reside in Colorado Springs and have three adult children.
Rachel Conner, daughter of a teacher, granddaughter of a mid-wife, learned early on the value of the gifts of fully present listening and waiting with expectation. However, it took years honing those skills that would eventually lead her to Sustainable Faith’s School of Spiritual Direction. More practice ensued as she led in preaching, teaching, and prayer in the local church. During this time she also became a director for the Ignatian Exercises. Rachel lives in a vibrant faith community, is married to Stephen and is Mom to Fharen and Briana. Rachel considers it a gift to be a companion to others as they listen, wait and discern God’s inner movement in their lives
