OUR AFFILIATES
Sustainable Faith Affiliates is a network of seasoned spiritual directors who can serve as a pastoral care resource to pastors, missionaries and other Christian leaders.
These directors have discerned a specific call to be a resource to leaders and are working to create a spiritually healthy culture among leaders and their communities. They have compassion for the demands and pressures pastors and leaders face, along with the training and experience to support them in the pursuit of spiritual health and vitality.
Sustainable Faith Affiliates is a listing of spiritual directors who:
- Meet our stated requirements and ethical guidelines
- Complete a significant screening and acceptance process
- Share our theological and professional values.
Affiliate members provide biographical information and are contacted directly for scheduling, fee structure and payment arrangements.We strongly urge you to pay the recommended fee; however, our directors are open to negotiation based on financial need.
ALABAMA
Specialties: Ignatian Exercises, Missionaries and Pastors
Missy has a background in education and counseling, but found her vocation in spiritual direction. Her empathetic and inquisitive nature were given by God to walk alongside others in their spiritual journey. She has a Masters in Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership as well as certified as a Spiritual Director through Sustainable Faith. Missy leads groups through the 19th annotation of the Spiritual Exercises every September-May. She has been ministering with her husband for the past twenty years. They have worked in 4 states (Tennessee, Florida, California, and Alabama). In 2020 they helped start a church plant.
ARIZONA
Specialties: Certified Enneagram Teacher, Trauma, Racial Diversity, Imaginative Prayer, Immanuel Healing Prayer, Contemplative practices.
Sharon served with her husband in pastoral ministry for 38 years. She finds great joy in helping others discover their unique pathway to spiritual transformation. This deep soul work happens in an atmosphere of safety, honesty, attentive listening, shared stories, and focused times of silence. Sharon is especially passionate about helping people discover the experience of a loving and present God.
Specialties: Immanuel Prayer (inner healing), Ignatian Exercises
Danny served as a staff pastor for 39 years. His areas of ministry included teaching, preaching, pastoral care, worship ministry, and more recently inner healing prayer, spiritual formation, and spiritual direction. He is a graduate of Sustainable Faith’s School of Spiritual Direction and has served on the faculty of Sustainable Faith since 2015.
CALIFORNIA
Specialties: Contemplative and transformational living, Ignatian spirituality, retreats, missionaries, pastors and artists
Denise has years of pastoring and training in spiritual formation. She currently leads a School of Contemplative Life and is an artist and a Benedictine oblate at New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur. She loves leading others into a deeper awareness of God’s beauty within and without.
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: Pastors and leaders in all seasons of ministry, church planters and pastors in transition.
Bill has four decades of ministry experience as a lead pastor and church planter. A graduate of Sustainable Faith School of Spiritual Direction, he has headed up the Soul Care Task Force for the Eastern Region of Vineyard USA since 2012, and currently serves as Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Elm City Vineyard in New Haven, CT.
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: Leadership and life coaching, especially through mid- or third-half-of-life transitions, cross cultural direction, Immanuel Approach prayer, Ignatian discernment & spirituality, Enneagram, contemplative/centering prayer and embodied spirituality, as well as leading soul care retreats.
Karen has over 40 years experience in pastoral ministry, earning two certificates in the art of spiritual direction, and encouraging the spiritual development of pastors and church leaders both in the US and abroad over the past 10 years. She is passionate about guiding others toward greater intimacy with God.
Specialities:Discernment (personal and communal), Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius, Pastors and Leaders, Burnout, Cross-cultural Experience, Eastern Orthodox Spirituality, Jesus Prayer
Mark’s commitment to spiritual formation emerged from a period of burnout (circa 2005) while simultaneously engaged in extensive international travel and cross-cultural ministry as the Missions Director of his denomination, and a PhD at Fuller. From that painful period comes his deep passion for helping pastors and leaders cultivate their own relationship with Jesus, having pastored a local congregation for more than two decades. Mark has been particularly impacted by the spirituality of Ignatius of Loyola and Eastern Orthodoxy, and has received extensive graduate training in both areas. Mark received his training in spiritual direction at San Francisco Theological Seminary.
Specialties: Clergy, Leadership, Cross-Cultural Experience, Catholic and Protestant, Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, Spiritual Disciplines, Mystical Theology/Spirituality, Contemplative Practices, Chaplaincy.
Craig has passionately pursued being an apprentice of Jesus for most of his life, both in the church as an ordained clergy, and outside the church. He served 35 years in the Navy as an aviator, and now serves in a variety of roles, including as a spiritual director (group and individual) and a Chaplain with the San Diego Police Department. Years ago, he experienced burnout while leading a large church and denomination, which led him on an inward journey of personal discipleship, spiritual formation and renewal. Craig has a deep passion to accompany others who are on their own spiritual formation journey. He understands that many people find themselves feeling stuck or burned out in their life with God and/or the church, but may not know how they got there or how to move beyond that to discover an abundant life with God.
Craig believes in life-long learning and along the way has earned a PhD, two Masters degrees and working on a third.
Specialities: Spiritual Formation, Transitions, Creativity, Body Awareness, Imaginative Prayer, Crossing Cultures, Discernment, Supervision
Abigail has been a missionary in cross-cultural settings for over 18 years, and continues to listen and love in this way in Central Los Angeles among Latino immigrants. She has always loved listening deeply to people’s stories. She began training in spiritual direction in 2012, and has been a director since 2014, gathering other training (including supervision) along the way. Creating space for leaders and those in cross-cultural settings is always a gift. Abigail believes that God is always present and at work, and when we pause to listen and pay attention, God delights to be found.
Specialties: Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, transitions, missions
Fran serves as a spiritual director working with Christian leaders who are navigating life and ministry transitions, discerning sources of their own soul depletion and discovering what brings them life. She trained with Christian Formation & Direction Ministries, and has taught in Sustainable Faith’s School of Spiritual Direction. Fran has an M.A. in Christian Ministries from Hope International University, and is an ordained minister in the Vineyard.
Specialties: Ignatian spirituality / Exercises accompaniment
Steve is a veteran practioner, teacher and trainer. He trains directors through both Christian Formation and Direction Ministries and the School of Spiritual Direction. Having pastored for 25 years, Steve knows the realities of ministry leadership and wants to see leaders fulfill their calling from an experiential foundation of God’s love.
Specialties: Multi-ethnic issues, leadership, pastoral ministry
Sharon has been passionate about spiritual formation ministry since her graduate days at Fuller Seminary, where she completed a master’s degree in Cross Cultural Studies. Her special interests include multi-ethnic issues and leadership development in church and non-profit ministries. With a history of Vineyard pastoral ministry, she currently serves alongside Dave Nixon as co-director of Sustainable Faith. A spiritual director since 2009, she teaches Spiritual Direction and Supervision cohorts for Sustainable Faith.
COLORADO
Specialties: Ignatian spirituality and spiritual exercises accompaniment, inner healing (Sozo) prayer ministry, missionaries, special needs and caregiving.
Laura completed training in spiritual direction and spiritual exercises accompaniment with the Sustainable Faith School of Spiritual Direction. Since becoming a spiritual director, she has absolutely loved accompanying others through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, volunteering as a spiritual director for women in global missions, and helping directees engage with God’s invitations for closer connection and deeper love. Laura and her husband care for their adult son who has severe Autism and other health challenges so she understands the unique challenges caregivers experience as they are called into deeper intimacy with Christ.
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.
Specialties: Ignatian Spirituality / Spiritual Exercises accompaniment, missions
Vicki has been in ministry her entire adult life. First as a missionary in Indonesia for 10 years and then as a teacher, mentor, and women’s ministry director. She received dual training as a spiritual director from Sustainable Faith and the Lanteri Center for Ignatian Spirituality. Along with offering direction, Vicki accompanies individuals and groups through the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius, teaches spiritual direction cohorts and Ignatian Spirituality for Sustainable Faith, and supervises other directors.
CONNECTICUT
GEORGIA
Specialty: Soul care and spiritual formation, enneagram, faith deconstruction, grief and loss, body image / eating disorder recovery support / HAES.
Maggie is honored to accompany people in their life with God, wherever they find themselves on their journey. She is passionate about spiritual formation, contemplative practices, and has a love of Celtic Spirituality. She received her certificate for Spiritual Direction and a MMin from Richmont Graduate University, where she now teaches and trains people in the art and ministry of Spiritual Direction. She is a trained supervisor through Sustainable Faith and is working toward a DMin of Spiritual Direction and Formation from Fuller Seminary.
Specialty: Spiritual Formation
Michelle is a director, teacher and pastor with a passion for helping people discover how to transition from knowing about God into intimate experiences with God. Through intentional listening Michelle is careful to look for signs of God’s work and invitation throughout all the areas of life and work.
INDIANA
Specialties: Soul care and spiritual formation, soul care for leaders, Enneagram and transformation, Ignatian spirituality and discernment, restoring the Image of God, Immanuel Approach prayer, spiritual disciplines and transformation
Nicole is particularly passionate about soul care and transformation for Christian leaders so that ministry is sustainable and flows from a vibrant relationship with God, self, and others. Nicole provides a safe space to question, explore, and deepen your relationship with God while encouraging attunement to the voice of the Holy Spirit. She looks forward to walking with you on your spiritual journey.
IOWA
Specialties: Soul care for pastors/church planters/church leaders, Ignatian spirituality, Enneagram
Marty has over 30 years of experience in pastoral ministry and a passion for coming alongside burned-out or worn-out church leaders, offering hope and encouragement in times of transition. Marty, and his wife Sandy, have served as trainers/teachers of spiritual direction with Sustainable Faith since 2015. Marty is also a trained supervisor.
Specialties: Women leaders/pastors
Sandy has over 20 years of experience in pastoral ministry, and has a deep passion for encouraging women to discover creative ways to be present to the One who is always present to us, finding their unique voice along the way. Sandy, and her husband Marty, have served as trainers/teachers of spiritual direction with Sustainable Faith since 2015.
Specialties: Spiritual formation, grief , Ignatian Exercises, spiritual rhythms for the Enneagram
As wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, religious educator, hospital chaplain, pastor, retreat director and spiritual director/companion, Sheri has discovered that her story and God’s story somehow intertwine. She embraces living in harmony and transformation for the sake of others and welcomes others into a “safe” and “sacred” space.
Specialties: Ignatian Exercises, Enneagram, Motions of the Soul
Bill has 50+ years of pastoral ministry in contexts from churches to chaplaincies. He has explored Native American, Celtic, and the spiritual practices/beliefs of the world’s major religious traditions which has fueled his desire to help people discover how they are unconditionally loved by the Creator of the universe whose nature is loving relationship. He is passionate about accompanying pastors and church leaders, the poor and marginalized, and those who may be seeking spiritual community in expressions other than the church.
Specialties: Ignatian Spirituality / Exercises accompaniment, young parents and leaders, cancer patients and caregivers
Mike has been a pastor, vocationally and bi-vocationally for over 30 years. He believes the church is the hope of the world. Receiving spiritual direction has personally unlocked a deep awareness of God’s activity and care in his life. He is privileged to come along side others listening and giving them his full attention as they discover God’s endless attention and love for them. His joy in life is to help others live the life they never thought they could. 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: Inner healing prayer, Enneagram, Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, supervision of directors
A former journalist, Janice has ministered in large and small contexts for 25 years. She and her husband, Terry, planted Carefree Vineyard Church in Arizona, an endeavor that led to burnout and disenchantment then discovery of a life-giving way of living and leading with Jesus. In 2018, they transitioned the church and moved to Iowa where she is a full-time spiritual director, supervisor and teacher for Sustainable Faith.
Specialties: Pastoral struggles and burnout, stages of faith, supervision of directors
A pastor and church planter for 25 years, Terry founded Carefree Vineyard Church in Arizona. He became passionate about spiritual direction and formation when his own burnout led to an “inward journey” with Jesus that transformed his life. He is especially excited about leading pastors on the same journey.
NEW YORK
Specialties: Ignatian spirituality / Ignatian Exercises
Chris comes from a background in the Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Evangelical, Vineyard Traditions having served in Pastoral Ministry for 25 years. Along with personal direction, leading small groups and individuals through The Spiritual Exercises brings her joy. Her training comes from The Spiritual Renewal Center in Syracuse and Sustainable Faith.
Specialities: 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: Ignatian spirituality, contemplative practices, missionaries, supervision of directors.
Janine finds joy in creating contemplative, safe spaces for connection with God and witnessing the transformation that occurs in that loving presence. She has served in ministry in a variety of settings, including both internationally and within the US. She has a MSW from Columbia University and has worked with survivors of homelessness, addiction and sex trafficking. She is exploring ways to create spaces of stillness and retreat within New York City. In her free time, she enjoys caring for a vegetable plot in a community garden, walking in Central Park, and off-the-beaten path travel.
She completed her training with Sustainable Faith in 2017 and is also certified as a Supervisor with Sustainable Faith.
NORTH CAROLINA
Specialties: Soul Care and formation, spiritual rhythms, discernment, Enneagram coaching, encouraging younger pastors and leaders
Tim is a Certified Enneagram Trainer through Jerry Wagner and IMOS-integrating Ignatian practice with the Enneagram through Claire Loughridge. With over 30 years of pastoral ministry, he finds deep joy in soul companioning people to experience and trust in the slow work of God in their lives. He is leading the School of Contemplative Life and trains spiritual directors, both through Sustainable Faith.
OHIO
Specialties: Stages of faith, Supervision
Our understanding of the spiritual life must evolve as we discover what faithfulness looks like for each new season of life. Owen and his wife Sandie, have been a part of community-oriented expressions of God’s kingdom, both domestically and internationally for over forty years. Owen was trained as a Spiritual Director, a Supervisor and an instructor through Sustainable Faith.
Specialities: Trauma informed training, integrating Body, Soul & Spirit, Transformational Prayer – including: Listening and Imaginative Prayer and Inner Healing practices. Supporting leaders, writers, teachers and creatives.
Sandie walked around as a shadow of herself until she encountered Jesus and fell in love. Trained as a spiritual director, through Sustainable Faith’s School of Spiritual Direction, she enjoys helping others notice God’s presence in their ordinary, everyday life. Caring for the “whole” person; body, soul and spirit has been the core of her work for decades. Sandie enjoys seeing people overcome the barriers to becoming their best and true selves, even the unresolved areas that need deep healing, God’s love and redemption. Experiencing freedom equips us to carry out our heart’s longings!
Specialties: Ignatian spirituality, Enneagram, life transitions, second-half of life, deconstruction, assisting pastors and creatives, supervision of directors.
Dan has been offering spiritual direction since 2010, and instructing for the School of Spiritual Direction since 2016. His prior roles of musician, worship leader, pastor, internet engineer/architect— all helping others to connect with “something bigger”—have formed him as a director and supervisor.
Specialties: Ignatian Spirituality / Exercises accompaniment, mid-life transitions especially women and menopause, sexual trauma and abortion
Carolyn has extensive life experience in navigating tragic loss and single parenting a large family. She served 20 years on staff with the pregnancy resource center movement and is currently an Associate Staff member at Christ the King Vineyard Church.
Specialties: The Ignatian Exercises, Christian meditation, contemplative prayer, yoga, pastoral ministry, supervision of directors
Trained in pastoral ministry, spiritual direction, the Ignatian Exercises and physical yoga, Todd has been helping souls bring their whole spirit, soul and body into union with God for over 36 years. He offers a compassionate presence, and is an attentive listener and practical guide.
Specialties: Spiritual direction for leaders, contemplative practices, Enneagram, marriage, Faithwalking coach & trainer
Kelli has been a part of the Vineyard Movement for 37 years and has walked alongside leaders, teams and couples to grow their experience of God’s grace for their lives. A a member of the pastoral staff at Vineyard Columbus the past 17 years, Kelli leads a coaching ministry helping couples prepare for marriage. In 2013 she completed her training through Sustainable Faith in response to God’s call and grace on her life as a Spiritual Director.
Specialties: Soul Care for Leaders, Sabbath Rhythms/Sabbaticals, Discernment, Enneagram, Imaginative Prayer, Ministry of Presence, Trauma, Racial Diversity.
Spiritual Direction training was a natural next step for Nan as she listened to the stories of women who were homeless on the streets of Chicago as well as cared for the souls of leaders in her years of ministry with The Navigators. Care for those on the margins and for leaders in ministry continues in her new home in Dayton. As a spiritual director her heart is to accompany anyone as they find their way home to God’s heart and their own heart. Because of her many years of ministry and life experience, she values offering the safe space of spiritual direction to leaders in ministry.
Specialties: Chronic illness, loss, suffering
Jody trained as a spiritual director through Sustainable Faith. She has been on a journey of finding God’s presence amid the pain of trauma and illness in her family. She leans into what the Lord has led her through as she sits with others.
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: 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.
OREGON
Specialties: Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, Spiritual Formation, Burn-out Recovery, Leadership, Missions, Contemplatives in Action, Enneagram Typing/Transformation, Body-Soul Integration, Inner Healing Prayer.
Carol experienced total burnout in full-time ministry resulting in a passion for leaders and missionaries to find the “unforced rhythms of grace” that Jesus talks about in Matthew 11:28-30. In addition to general direction, she loves companioning people through the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. She has a Studio E: Professionals Training Program Certification with Enneagram Portland and iEnneagram Motions of the Soul Certification (integrating Ignatian Spirituality with Enneagram). She is also a personal trainer and Pilates instructor, passionate about the integration of body and soul.
Specialties: Shame healing, sexual addiction, anger management, discernment, pastors, Immanuel Approach prayer, Enneagram
A staff pastor at Vineyard Anaheim for 32 years, Craig is a Certified Clinical Pastoral Counselor through AACT with training in marriage and family. A spiritual director for more than 16 years, he is passionate about deep heart transformation/healing through prayer and the Holy Spirit.
PENNSYLVANIA
Specialties: Vocational discernment, spiritual gifts, addiction/recovery, Ignatian Rules of Discernment, Enneagram/Myers-Briggs, clergy couples.
Practicing spiritual direction for more than 20 years, Karla is especially interested in being with those seeking guidance through transitions, whether it be in relationship, work, or change in location and life direction. Karla’s focus is always to deepen your relationship with God, and she sees spiritual direction as a journey of deep healing and inner freedom.
Specialties: spiritual practices, prayer forms, and faith formation/spiritual growth, discernment and healing prayer, Christian theology and spirituality, adult education, psychology and neuroscience, grief, loss, suffering, trauma, and resilience
Laurie has years of experience as a spiritual director, seminary professor, and worship leader. She offers deep wisdom and empathy in her work with people in many walks of life, encouraging everyone to turn toward the light of Christ and respond to God’s persistent, loving call.
Specialties: Pastors and leaders, spiritual formation and soul care, missionaries, life transitions, stages of faith and faith deconstruction, supervision of spiritual directors
Vicki’s desire is to help leaders discover that life with God is a well of refreshment and that their ministry can proceed from their being rather than solely from doing. She has 10+ years in church leadership, a D.Min in Leadership and Spiritual Formation, and is an instructor with Sustainable Faith’s School of Spiritual Direction.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Specialties: Spiritual Direction, supervision, Ignatian discernment and spirituality, ministry, and contemplative prayer
John has been a Spiritual Director since 2005, part of a 5-year program with emphasis on Ignatian spirituality. He journeys with others as they seek to deepen their awareness of and relish in the experience of God, and how they wish to respond. John is also an experienced adult faith formation and retreat leader. He is currently part of a retreat team providing spiritual direction for 5 and 8 day silent retreatants, including pastors and ministers, at a retreat center in Atlanta.
TENNESSEE
Specialties: Discernment, imaginative prayer, integrating creativity, holistic retreats, certified through Sustainable Faith, certified Grief Recovery Method Specialist, church trauma, and grief/loss.
Bekah is passionate about offering a welcoming space for you to know the truth of God, the humanity of Jesus and the mystery of the Spirit. She is the founder of Pasture Experience, where she hosts and facilitates hostilistic retreats, inspired by Psalm 23. As a former pastor’s wife, Bekah loves journeying with brave souls to experience intimacy with God through connection and contemplation.
TEXAS
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 yearshoning 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
Specialty: Leadership and Pastoral ministry, Church planting, Parenting, and Contemplative Exercises.
D’Anne has been a church planter and pastor for 16 years and is passionate about accompanying others into a deeper sense of self-awareness, growing in gratitude for God, as well as moving towards a more generous loving-lifestyle with others. She has been an encouraging listener all of her life and has grown to understand that our greatest pleasure is “being in Christ” and every other love is formed healthfully from that. D’Anne received her Master’s in Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership and is trained as a Spiritual Director through Sustainable Faith (2014-15).
Clara’s life has been one of loving and caring for God’s people, particularly those called into leadership. Her ministry takes her to a variety of countries to equip, encourage, and build up the body of Christ, and she has been involved in three church plants. She has her MA in Spirituality, BA in Biblical Studies, and she completed her Spiritual Direction, and Supervisor training through Sustainable Faith, where she also serves as an instructor. Clara offers spiritual direction in Spanish or English. She resonates best with the Jesuit spirituality of being a “working contemplative.”
Specialties: Assisting leaders to finish well
Randy is a seasoned spiritual director, pastor, teacher, and trainer. His passion is to help others experience God in their everyday lives, and in the difficult and challenging times, the With God Life. Randy is familiar with the stresses of ministry and the dark places that befall those in leadership.
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 complemented 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.” Renae has been an instructor for Sustainable Faith’s School of Spiritual Direction since 2014. She currently is the program director for Sustainable Faith’s Affiliate program.
CANADA
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://
Specialities: Women; Stages of faith and deconstruction; Ministry leaders and staff; Missionaries; Young Adults; Spiritual formation; Supervision of spiritual directors
Daile Unruh-Peters loves to accompany individuals and groups as they attend to their souls through contemplative prayer, seeking God in the midst of their life story and circumstances. Daile serves part time at Youth for Christ Manitoba as the Spiritual Director in Residence offering individual spiritual direction and regular spiritual formation retreats. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Christian Ministry, and preaches regularly at Winnipeg Centre Vineyard where she also serves on the Prayer Team and in Women’s Ministries. She completed her training with Sustainable Faith in 2018 and is also certified as a Supervisor with Sustainable Faith.
NETHERLANDS
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).
