Companion Application -

The Companion: Apprenticeship in Spiritual Direction 2027-2028 Application

To apply for the 2027/2028 cohort beginning in fall of 2027, please complete the application below. Note that prerequisites for this program include a master's degree in spiritual formation or a two-year spiritual formation program, as well as experience receiving spiritual direction. Because all responses must be submitted at one time, it is best to have answers prepared to copy and paste before filling out this form.

Name(Required)

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Demographics

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Denomination/ Church Affiliation:(Required)

Current Occupation(Required)

Summary of education (list any degrees and education, including non-accredited spiritual formation programs):(Required)

Summarize or list key vocational and employment experiences as you see them pertaining to this training:(Required)

Are you able to attend the residencies at Calvin Crest in Oakhurst, California October 11-16, 2026 and August 23-27, 2027(Required)

Yes

Other

Do you have a spiritual director currently(Required)

Yes

Other

Do you have any physical conditions that might require special arrangements or consideration?(Required)

References

Please enter the first and last names of three people who are willing to serve as personal references for you. Note that it is your responsibility to send each of these people the link to the personal reference form, which you will receive once you submit your application. Your application will not be considered complete until these references have been received.

Reference #1 - Your Spiritual Director(Required)

example: John Smith, Johnsmith1@gmail.com, 316-123-4567

Reference #2 - Pastoral staff, mission agency personnel, or local mentor(Required)

example: John Smith, Johnsmith1@gmail.com, 316-123-4567

Reference #3 - Someone to whom you have been a mentor, discipler, or spiritual companion(Required)

example: John Smith, Johnsmith1@gmail.com, 316-123-4567

Essay Questions

Answer the following essay questions. Respond to each question with approximately a paragraph. Your answers to these questions will only be viewed by the faculty of The Companion. We commit to holding your answers in both prayer and confidentiality.

Share your journey of receiving spiritual direction: How long have you been meeting with a trained spiritual director? How frequently do you meet? What does a typical session look like?(Required)

What practices or dynamics within spiritual direction have nurtured your own interaction with God?(Required)

Describe your sense of invitation or calling to the ministry of spiritual direction.(Required)

How did you hear about The Companion: Apprenticeship in Spiritual Direction? What aspects of this particular program draw you to it? What do you hope to gain and experience?(Required)

Reflect on your growing understanding of yourself, particularly in relation to the patterns of sin you struggle with and the false identity you may have adopted to navigate the world. What insights have you gained about your true identity in Christ and the person God is shaping you into?(Required)

In order to companion others well in spiritual direction, directors must first address their own experiences of pain and brokenness. Describe any personal struggles or trauma you have experienced. What work have you engaged in with the Lord around these experiences? What support have you had in this? How would you describe the healing journey?(Required)

What spiritual practices are part of your life in this season and how are they cultivating your relationship with God?(Required)

Share your experiences with retreats, especially those that involve silence and solitude. How have these experiences shaped your spiritual journey?(Required)

What has been your experience in companioning others in their spiritual journey (even in a very informal sense)? How do you help nurture their interaction with God?(Required)

What is your current experience of Christian community? What are you grateful for? In what ways do you hope for change?(Required)

Describe the context in which you hope to offer spiritual direction. Is there a demographic or particular community to which you feel drawn?(Required)

What questions would you like to ask us about The Companion: Apprenticeship in Spiritual Direction?(Required)

Companion Covenant(Required)

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.

I commit to this covenant.

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