OUR TEACHERS
Whatever you want to call them — teachers, trainers, formators, guides, sages — they’re all remarkble for their experience, wisdom, love, teaching gifts, personability, and commitment to their students! We’re delighted to recommend them to you!
Michelle dove into the spiritual formation world with the discovery that information about God was not a substitute for relationship with God. She holds a master’s degree in Spiritual Formation and Leadership along with a certificate in spiritual direction and supervision. Michelle served on the staff at the Vineyard Church of Augusta as the Pastor of Spiritual Formation and resident spiritual director. In addition to teaching in the School of Spiritual Direction, Michelle teaches in Sustainable Faith’s School of Contemplative Life. Michelle has been married to Chris for over 25 years and together they are raising three great guys.
Marty & Sandy Boller have been co-trainers in spiritual direction with Sustainable Faith since 2015 and actively involved in pastoral ministry since 1985. They live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and have four grown children, all married. Marty has written two books on Christian discipleship; The Perfected Self (2002) and The Wisdom of Wimber: As I See It (2014); and hosts the popular blog/podcast The Contemplative Activist. Sandy’s passion is to be a loving grandmother to our seven adorable grandchildren. Besides their work with Sustainable Faith, Marty & Sandy also serve the larger body of Christ as contemplative coaches, retreat coordinators, and spiritual directors.
Owen and his wife Sandie, has been a part of the urban, community-oriented Vineyard Central church in Cincinnati for twenty-five+ years. For over forty years they have been a part of community-oriented expressions of God’s kingdom, both domestically and internationally. Owen was trained as a Spiritual Director through Sustainable Faith. Owen and Sandie have been married for over four decades, are still very much in love, and have two adult children and four grandchildren.
Largest takeaway from this last decade: Our understanding of the spiritual life must evolve as we discover what faithfulness looks like for each new season of life.
Mike and his wife Anja have been members and leaders with Vineyard Church of Columbus for more than seventeen years. Mike was trained as a Spiritual Director through Sustainable Faith and grew to trust and embrace the freedom, honesty and adventure found within the sacred space. The practice has been an oasis through seasons of joy, doubt, fatherhood, deconstruction and the pursuit of work-life balance. Mike has been drawn and invited into the joy of receiving, offering and teaching Spiritual Direction through Sustainable Faith.
Mike graduated from Vineyard Leadership Institute with an emphasis on teaching in 2012. He completed his spiritual director training with Sustainable Faith in 2017 and is currently pursuing accompaniment training through the Ignatian Exercises. He is a full-time bridge engineer and is a practiced teacher of adult-learners. Mike and Anja have four young children and live in central Ohio.
Curtis is a worship and discipleship pastor based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, he became inquisitive about spiritual direction when questions about caring for the soul began to surface. Surprised by the gift of soul care, the profound value of silence, the usefulness of imagination, and the transformative effect of companioning with individuals and groups, he is delighted to notice God’s love for every soul and story.
Marina has been accepting invitations from God that have led her to become a Spiritual Director, trained in the Sustainable Faith School Spiritual Direction two-year formation/certificate program. She trained to accompany others in the 19th annotation of the Ignatian Exercises in the School of Ignatian Spirituality. Marina also trained as a supervisor through the Sustainable Faith Spiritual Directors course. She has always felt a tug in her heart for helping and assisting her Spanish-speaking community. For now, she feels her mission is to teach and develop Spanish-speaking courses so that others who feel a calling to become spiritual directors have an opportunity to do so, regardless of their English fluency. Marina’s career trajectory embarked with Industrial Engineering, then teaching High School Mathematics, working for a Vineyard Church in New York, and finally being a full-time Spiritual Director. She leads small groups, participates actively in her home church, and enjoys family life and playing with her new tuxedo kittens.
Marina ha estado aceptando invitaciones de Dios que la han llevado a convertirse en directora espiritual, capacitada en el programa de formación/certificado de dos años de Dirección Espiritual de Sustainable Faith School. Se entrenó para acompañar a otros en la 19ª anotación de los Ejercicios Ignacianos en la Escuela de Espiritualidad Ignaciana. Marina también se capacitó como supervisora a través del curso Directores Espirituales de Sustainable Faith. Siempre ha sentido un impulso en su corazón por ayudar y asistir a su comunidad de habla hispana. Por ahora, ella siente que su misión es enseñar y desarrollar cursos en español para que otras personas que sientan el llamado a entrenarse como directores espirituales tengan la oportunidad de hacerlo, independientemente de su fluidez en inglés. La trayectoria profesional de Marina se embarcó en Ingeniería Industrial, luego enseñó Matemáticas en la escuela secundaria, trabajó para una Iglesia Vineyard en Nueva York y finalmente fue directora espiritual. Dirige grupos pequeños, participa activamente en su iglesia local y disfruta de la vida familiar y de jugar con sus nuevos gatitos.
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
When God grants you a very special compassion towards leaders from an early age, your life becomes focused on serving Him by supporting those in positions of great responsibility. Towards that end, Mariana completed Sustainable Faith’s two-year Spiritual Direction program and its Supervision of Spiritual Directors course. She now finds great joy serving in the Spanish Branch of the School of Spiritual Direction as an Instructor, Supervisor, and Spiritual Director.
With a professional background in business communications, nonprofit management, and higher education, Mariana finds that all of her most significant educational, work, ministry, and life experiences have finally come together in her journey with Sustainable Faith. When not leading a small group for her church, she enjoys listening to audiobooks with her husband David, snuggling with their rescued dogs, and playing with her granddaughter.
Cuando desde la niñez Dios te concede una compasión muy especial hacia los líderes, tu vida se enfoca en servirle apoyando a aquellos en puestos de gran responsabilidad. Con ese fin, Mariana completó el programa de Dirección Espiritual de Sustainable Faith y también el curso de Supervisión de directores espirituales. Ahora su gozo más grande es servir de maestra, supervisora y directora espiritual en la rama española de la Escuela de Dirección Espiritual.
Con su experiencia profesional en comunicaciones comerciales, administración de organizaciones sin fines de lucro y educación superior, Mariana se da cuenta que todas sus experiencias educativas, laborales, ministeriales y de vida más significativas se han unido en su camino con Sustainable Faith. Cuando no está dirigiendo un grupo pequeño para su iglesia, le gusta escuchar audiolibros con su esposo David, acurrucarse con sus perros rescatados y jugar con su nieta.
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 School of Spiritual Direction and has been an instructor there since 2015.
Wendy Fisher finds joy in companioning others on their spiritual journeys. She trained with Sustainable Faith and has been offering direction for the past ten years. Alongside spiritual direction, Wendy has served in several roles focused on spiritual formation and pastoral care – including within a congregation, as a hospital chaplain, and as a college instructor. Currently, she is the Associate Director of Lifelong Learning at Calvin Seminary, supporting ministry leaders as they navigate their callings. Wendy and her husband have been married 20 years and are living into the gifts and challenges of raising teen boys!
Chris has served as a pastor on staff at the Vineyard Church in Syracuse NY since 1997 in a variety of areas. Helping people grow in their relationship and availability to God, self and others through small groups, prayer and education have been her main focus’. After experiencing the Ignatian Retreat as a participant and guide, and finishing the Spiritual Direction Mentoring Course at the Spiritual Renewal Center in Syracuse New York, Chris has been a Spiritual Director at the Center since 2008. She has been leading some retreats centered on the contemplative lifestyle while offering spiritual direction as a part of the retreat experience. Chris lives in Central New York. She has 3 grown children and 6 granddaughters.
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.”
Sherri has over 40 years of being loved by Jesus in marriage, family life, pastoring, and is a leukemia survivor. She is a facilitator in the Schools of Spiritual Direction, Ignatian Exercises Accompaniment, and supervising directors.
She loves serving with others: Cancer patients and families, Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, pastors and leaders, enneagram, discernment, but most of all offering HOPE.
Sherri is married to Mike and together they love 5 sons, a daughter and 6 grandchildren. She loves to be near water anywhere, hike, kayak, read, play with their grandchildren, and laugh at every opportunity. Most of all she loves reminding herself and others, ‘the best is yet to come’.
Areas of specialty: Ignatian spirituality, Enneagram, life transitions, second-half of life, deconstruction, assisting pastors and creatives.
Trained at Sustainable Faith’s School of Spiritual Direction, Dan has been offering spiritual direction since 2010. He also instructs for the school. In January of 2016 he left his pastoral role of 14 years at Vineyard Cincinnati, and now devotes himself exclusively to the work of spiritual direction and teaching. Dan has enjoyed the roles of worship leader, pastor, internet engineer/architect— helping others to connect with “something bigger”. Married to Tracey in 1975, he now celebrates having raised three beloved children, two of whom have increased the Henry tribe by marrying amazing spouses. His website is www.pilgrimheart.io.
Specialties: Ignatian Spirituality / Retreat Leader / Contemplative Practices
Following a season of missionary service in Africa, Dan came to a greater awareness of his longing to accompany others on their journey to a greater attentiveness to the movements of God and a deepening intimacy with Him.
Having served in various leadership and staff roles with international ministries and churches, Dan is an experienced teacher and retreat leader with a special interest in Ignatian spirituality. Trained as a spiritual director through Sustainable Faith, he has assisted with the training of spiritual directors since 2018 and in 2020 became a teacher with the Sustainable Faith School of Contemplative Life.
Dan resides in Colorado Springs with his wife Kim and three children.
Wayne & Sabrina have been providing spiritual direction since completing their training with Sustainable Faith in 2010. They have been co-trainers with Sustainable Faith School of Spiritual Direction since 2017. Both have been active in pastoral ministry since 1993. Side by side, they have been involved in Church Planting, Facilitating Leadership Retreats, Co-Regional Leaders for Ontario Canada Vineyard Churches, Coaching Pastors of Small churches for different denominations in Canada, US, and Australia. As they approach 47 years of marriage (1973) they receive unmeasurable joy from their relationships with their growing family of 4 sons, their wives and 6 grandchildren. Wayne loves fly-fishing and kayaking the local rivers. Sabrina cherishes slow-mornings and deep heart-felt conversations.
Michelle really enjoys dusting for the fingerprints of God in people’s real-life, everyday stories. In many ways, she always has, and that love drew her into pastoral ministry right out of college. She has served as Spiritual Formation Pastor at The River Church Community in San Jose, CA for 24 years. During her tenure at The River, Michelle also had the opportunity to be trained as a spiritual director through the Monastery of the Risen Christ in San Luis Obispo, CA in 2004. She’s grateful to have connected with Sustainable Faith, been trained as a Supervisor, and begun to share her love of direction through training others in this powerful art. Michelle is married to Mark and has 2 teenage sons.
Clara life has been one of loving and caring for God’s people, particularly those called into leadership. She was involved in three church plants (one which failed, so she has a limp). Her ministry takes her to a variety of countries to equip, encourage, and build up the body of Christ. She has her MA in Spirituality, BA in Biblical Studies, completed her Spiritual Direction, and Supervisor training through SF and is one of their instructors. She offers SD 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.
Danny Mullins served as a staff pastor for 39 years. His areas of ministry have 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.
Carrie finds great joy in walking with others as they move deeper into an experience of God’s love, presence, and healing in their everyday lives. She first experienced the life-transforming effects of spiritual direction through the Spiritual Exercises of Loyola and through contemplative prayer practices that completely renewed her prayer life, her understanding of Scripture, and her intimacy with God. As a Spiritual Director, she finds purpose in helping others journey towards similar transformation, moving ever more deeply into God’s presence, leading, and love in all the circumstances and facets of their lives – bodies, emotions, minds, and spirits – including times of searching, stretching, and loss.
Carrie’s many ministry, education, and arts roles, past and present, include pastor and worship leader at Vineyard One NYC, core faculty of City Seminary of New York, children’s book author and poet, college teacher of writing and literature, and co-founder of The Stillness Collective. Currently, Carrie is gratefully living out her callings as a Spiritual Director, Ignatian Exercises Director, Supervisor, and Interim Associate Director with Sustainable Faith. She is also a 2024 recipient of a Pastoral Studies Project grant from the Louisville Institute, studying Asian American Christian spiritual formation. She holds a PhD in English and American Literature from NYU.
Along with her husband Ryan, Carrie lives with three city kids in various stages of growing up and two bunnies in various states of fluffiness. You can find more about her ministry and work at spiritualdirectionnyc.com.
David Nixon first encountered spiritual direction with a monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist KY. His desire to be trained and then start the School of Spiritual Direction grew out of the experience of hearing hundreds of stories from pastors who were struck, worn-out, in crisis, isolated and certainly under-heard and under-accompanied. Over the past 12 years he has led cohorts across the U.S. and in Europe. He and his wife Jody live in Columbus OH.
Jody’s love of sitting and listening to the journeys of others grew over many years of serving as the primary host of The Convent, a retreat house in Norwood OH, and it led to her training in the School of Spiritual Direction. Jody 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. Her love for accompanying others has grown into a desire to train spiritual directors (with her husband Dave) and see better listeners in the kingdom of God.
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.
Tim is a trained Spiritual Director, 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 as well as trains Spiritual Direction, both through Sustainable Faith.
He loves: Soul Care and formation, Spiritual Rhythms, Discernment, Enneagram Coaching, Encouraging younger pastors and leaders
Deirdré identifies as a four on the enneagram with a capacity to enter into the depths of people’s interior world through listening with grace and discernment desiring to hold space for God’s redeeming work. She has completed her Advanced Certificate in Trauma and Abuse Counseling through the Seattle School of Psychology and Theology and has 15 years of pastoral ministry experience. She has completed her training in Spiritual Direction (2015-2016) and Supervision (2018-2019) through Sustainable Faith and currently serves on their faculty co-leading a cohort in Chicago. Deirdré and her husband Paul are originally from South-Africa and moved to Chicago in 2003. Their daughter loves her South-African roots but is very proud to be an American citizen.
Janine finds joy in creating contemplative, safe spaces for connection with God and witnessing the transformation that occurs in that loving presence. She is a co-founder of The Stillness Collective, which creates space for rest and renewal in NYC though contemplative practices and retreats. She has a MSW from Columbia University and has worked with survivors of homelessness, addiction and sex trafficking. 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 certified as a Supervisor with Sustainable Faith. She is currently pursuing accompaniment training through the Ignatian Exercises.
Vicki spent many years in church leadership before becoming an instructor with Sustainable Faith. Companioning students as they learn the practice of spiritual direction has become one of her deepest joys. She completed a D.Min. in Leadership and Spiritual Formation from George Fox Seminary in 2013, began as an instructor with Sustainable Faith in 2015, and completed supervision training with Together in the Mystery in 2020. She lives in York, PA and enjoys travel to far-away places, time with friends and family, and expressing herself through poetry and prose.
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://
Janice has served as a pastoral leader in large and small contexts and church planting for 25 years. A graduate of – and teacher for – Sustainable Faith’s Spiritual Direction and Supervision courses, Janice is trained in various forms of inner healing prayer. A former journalist, she has a life-long intrigue with the human story and probing for truth and she brings that practical experience to formation; helping followers of Jesus grow in self-awareness, authenticity, and intimate relationship with God. Married to her high school sweetheart since 1981, she has four grown children and two grandchildren.
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.
Sibyl has ministered in a number of settings for over 5 decades, as Camp Director, pastoral leadership positions at College Hill Presbyterian, in Cincinnati and Willow Creek in Chicago and now as co-director of The Springs Retreat Center. She has served for 15 years as a Spiritual Director for the Transforming Center. She is co-founder of One Life Maps and co-author of Listen to My Life, a tool for recognizing and responding to God in your story. Noted for welcoming and listening across the ages to both men and women, she delights in creating sacred space to meet with God and others. sibyl.g.towner68@gmail.com
In a personal side, she is married to Dick Towner with children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Along with offering direction, Vicki accompanies individuals and groups through the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius. She a teacher for Sustainable Faith, supervises other directors and teaches Ignatian Spirituality.
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 her training as a spiritual director from Sustainable Faith’s School of Spiritual Direction and from the Lanteri Center for Ignatian Spirituality.
Vicki and her husband of more than 45 years live in Fort Collins, Colorado and love hanging out with their two fun, grown children.
Sharon has been passionate about spiritual formation ministry since her graduate days at Fuller Seminary. She completed her masters degree in Cross Cultural Studies in 1992. Her special interests include multi-ethnic issues and leadership development in church and non-profit ministries. Sharon was on staff at the Palo Alto Vineyard Church as Director of Spiritual Formation and Family Ministries. She completed her training as a spiritual director in 2009 and her training in the supervision of spiritual directors. In addition to teaching in the School of Spiritual Direction, Sharon is gladly serving as co-director of Sustainable Faith along side Dave Nixon. Sharon has been married to Jon for over 25 years and enjoys watching their three sons and a new daughter-in-law discover their own unique passions and giftings.
Erin is a believer in holding space for others who are searching for room to breathe and in need of a safe, loving place to share. In addition to spiritual direction and supervision with Sustainable Faith, Erin is a full time Marriage and Family Therapist within Vineyard Church of Columbus’ counseling center. She is a lifetime learner, always reading or listening to something new and fascinating and translating it into work and life. Erin has been married to her husband John for almost 20 years, is mom to her fantastic daughter, Lily and lead wrangler of the family dog, Jack.
