The Companion Covenant - The Tree
Beloved: Living from Our Core Identity Right Where God Has Invited You
As spiritual directors, the source of our gifts and skills is the unwavering love of the Triune God, which serves as the foundation of our being. From this place of deep security, we extend love to others, embodying the self-giving hospitality of the Father, the sacrificial love of the Son, and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.


1. Being Present to the With-God Life
We commit to live in deep and ongoing communion with the Trinity. This life of intimacy is not reserved for the mystics or the few but is available to all who open themselves to God’s love. Through conversation, prayer, and contemplative attentiveness, we live in union with the Father, Son, and Spirit, allowing this dynamic relationship to shape our presence with others. In this life of abiding, we come to recognize the voice, movement, and longing of God in our own lives and in the lives of those we serve.

Specific commitments of being present to the with-God life include:

Rhythm of Spiritual Practices –
I commit to engage in consistent spiritual practices that foster an abiding relationship with the Trinity (both individually and communally) that are appropriate to the season in which I find myself.
I commit to an unhurried life that prioritizes sabbath, margin, silence, and solitude to cultivate a posture of being present to God in all of life and in each moment.

Discernment of God’s Presence –
I commit to recognize and name God’s movement in my life and how that movement intersects with the lives of others.
I commit to a holistic vision of the With-God Life by acknowledging that God is active in all aspects of my lived experience - the contemplative and active, the spectacular and mundane, dissonance and resonance, differentiation and integration: all is sacred.

Awareness of Belovedness –
I commit to a growing ability to recognize, articulate, and live from a deep sense of being loved by God.


2. Following the Spirit’s Leading
The Spirit of God is active, moving, and guiding us at all times—both in moments of dramatic clarity and in the quiet subtleties of daily life. As spiritual companions, we commit to cultivate an openness to the Spirit, surrendering control and expectations in order to listen and follow. This requires a posture of humility, patience, and trust—allowing God to lead rather than imposing our own agenda. As we discern the Spirit’s voice, we learn to attend to both the gentle whispers and the powerful winds, inviting those we accompany into this same awareness.

Specific commitments to following the Spirit’s leading include:

Active Surrender to the Spirit –
I commit to practice openness to the Spirit’s movement, releasing control over outcomes in spiritual direction sessions.

Discernment Skills –
I commit to listen attentively for the promptings of the Spirit and respond with humility and trust.
Adaptability in Spiritual Conversations –
I commit to respond flexibly to the needs of directees, allowing space for the Spirit’s guidance rather than following a rigid structure.

Cultivating Sacred Silence –
I commit to graciously inviting others into calming silence to foster a listening posture for the Spirit, demonstrating spaciousness in conversation by implementing pauses and trusting the silence so that the directee can attend to the Spirit’s promptings.

Attending to God’s Work Around Us -
I commit to practice openness to the different ways that the ministry of spiritual direction is worked out among diverse populations in different times and places.
I commit to being open to God’s invitations to bring a spiritual direction posture into my unique context, with my unique gifts. I will seek mentors, resources, and practices to nurture my contextual calling.


3. Attending to Our Own Experience
We must be deeply engaged with our own interior lives. We bring our full selves to the practice—our histories, wounds, and joys—while practicing the surrender of our egos and our need for control. Through engagement with God and holistic self-examination, we allow God to meet us in all of our needs (heart, soul, mind, body) so that we may be fully present to others. In this way, we cultivate the capacity to hold space with confidence and gentleness, knowing that we, too, are held by God.


Specific commitments of attending to our own experience include:

Emotional and Spiritual Self-Awareness –
I commit to recognize and articulate personal emotions, wounds, and biases that may affect my ability to be fully present.

Commitment to Ongoing Formation –
I commit to engage in self-examination, spiritual direction, supervision, and personal reflection to support my own growth.


4. Evoking Awareness in Others
Our role as spiritual directors is not to provide answers but to hold space for others to encounter God for themselves. Just as God gently and patiently invites each of us into deeper awareness, we create an environment of safety and openness for those we accompany. Through prayerful listening and thoughtful questions, we help others name their experiences, recognize God’s presence, and hear the voice of the Spirit speaking into their lives.

Specific commitments of evoking awareness in others include:

Active and Reflective Listening –
I commit to deepening my listening skills, reflecting back what is heard with clarity and sensitivity. I will be attentive to the directee’s verbal and non-verbal communication, my own internal and physiological responses, and God’s presence and leading within the conversation.

Asking Open and Evocative Questions –
I commit to using open-ended, evocative questions that invite directees into deeper self-awareness and spiritual discovery.

Encouraging Directees’ Own Discernment –
I commit to refraining from giving advice or imposing personal interpretations, instead helping directees listen to God for themselves.


5. Hosting and Holding Hospitable Spaces
Spiritual direction is an act of hospitality, mirroring the welcoming embrace of the Trinity. We host spaces where others can rest, be seen, and be fully known. This requires self-giving attentiveness—holding space with an undistracted, open-hearted presence. In this sacred hospitality, we invite others to come as they are, trusting that God is already at work in their lives.

Specific commitments of hosting and holding hospitable spaces include:

Creating a Safe and Sacred Space –
I commit to cultivating an environment of trust, attentiveness, and non-judgmental presence.

Non-Anxious Presence –
I commit to growing in my ability to remain calm and present in moments of silence, uncertainty, or strong emotions.

Holding Space for Diverse Experiences –
I commit to reflecting on and acknowledging my personal biases so that those biases can be released to the care of the Spirit. By doing so, I seek to maintain openness and presence with directees navigating perspectives and experiences different from my own.

Hosting an Open and Just Table -
I commit to wrestling with how educational, economic, and institutional structures shape access to God’s Kingdom. By wrestling with these barriers, I seek to ensure that my ministry of spiritual direction is marked by God’s liberating and gratuitous hospitality extended to all people.