The Companion: Apprenticeship in Spiritual Direction
Program Outcomes
Mission
The Companion forms spiritual directors who live from their identity as God’s beloved and who create hospitable, Spirit-led spaces for others to encounter God’s presence through deep listening, discernment, and compassionate presence.
Vision
Program Highlights
12-Month Experiential Model
Emphasis on Mentorship
Cohort Learning Community
Meet Our Team
Danielle Wheeler
Lead Mentor
Murphy Alvis
Lead Mentor
Murphy Alvis is a teacher, retreat leader, spiritual director, and consultant who helps people take an integrated approach to life in the Kingdom. He lives in Missouri with his wife Tasha and two children, Evelynn and Atticus. His day job is serving as the Director of Coaching and Spiritual Direction with TRAIN International, an organization that helps the American church engage in God’s global mission. He is a coach-trainer for Coaching Mission International, an Adjunct Professor of Spiritual Direction at Ozark Christian College, a Graduate Teaching Fellow and Vocational Coach at Friends University, and serves as an independent consultant for churches and organizations that want to prioritize a formation-first approach to organizational life.
Matthew Johnson
Lead Mentor
Matthew Johnson is a spiritual director, retreat leader, and evoker of stories; helping others listen for God’s guidance in their lives. He serves with the Apprentice Institute at Friends University, the School of Kingdom Living (Dallas Willard Ministries), and in his own spiritual direction practice. He is the author of “Worship” a book study in the Holy Living Series from Abingdon Press and has written small group and leader’s guides for The Good and Beautiful God, The Good and Beautiful Life, and The Good and Beautiful Community. He is a co-founder of the Neighboring Movement, and prior to that he served at the Andover United Methodist Church as the assistant minister for 15 years. In 2015, he and his wife, Catherine, hiked the Camino de Santiago, across Spain.
Trusted Guidance
Our hope for The Companion is to facilitate the expansion of the Kingdom through transformative experiences and intentional learning environments that nurture a holistic, Kingdom-centered ministry of spiritual direction for the good of the local church.
This 12-month certification offers training for those who desire to companion others through the ministry of spiritual direction. Building on the principles of competency-based theological education and with an eye towards contextualization, this program is anchored by intentional mentorship, both in groups and individually. Our team of mentors will work with students to help them craft an individualized learning plan that honors their story, their ministry, and their context. Likewise, the emphasis on mentoring also creates room for a deeply practical program – we are focusing on faithful praxis rooted in Kingdom principles, together.
Conception Abbey
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Contact
(316)-295-5380
info@apprenticeinstitute.org
2100 W. University Ave. Wichita, KS 67213