Course Description: This is the application for the IV Cohort of the Certificate in Spiritual Direction program, a 2.5-year formation and training program for persons who discern a call to the ministry of spiritual direction. 
 
Applicants will be notified of the status of their application within one month of submitting a complete application. This includes two letters of reference and a $50 non-refundable fee. 

Deadline: July 1, 2023
 
To complete the application, you will need the following:

Name, phone number, and email address for two references:
1.    Your current spiritual director
2.    A faith community leader (pastor, elder, or someone who can attest to your understanding of, and relationship to your faith community) 
References are required to complete an online reference form via this link. Please share this information and link with your references.

Short Essay Responses

Please respond thoughtfully and completely to each of the following prompts. Save all your responses as a single document or file of no more than five pages. You will be asked to upload that file on the application form.
 
1. Tell us a bit about your inner life, spiritual practices, and the relationships that sustain you.
 
2. Identify one event from the past ten years in which you encountered God deeply. Describe how this experience has affected your sense of yourself, others, and the movements of God within you and within your life. How did this influence your sense of direction or god’s calling on your life?
 
3. Describe your experience of receiving spiritual direction. What in this experience supports your desire to learn more about spiritual direction?
 
4. Describe your current understanding of spiritual direction. What readings and personal experiences have influenced your understanding?
 
5. How or why do you feel called to the ministry of spiritual direction, and what has led you to this sense of call? What communal support are you receiving to undertake this training?
 
6. Describe how, with whom and where you anticipate applying or using what you learn in this program?

Contact: lifelonglearning@ctsnet.edu

Earning CEUs for this course: If you desire to earn a certificate confirming earned CEUs in this course, please contact the Center for Lifelong Learning.

In order to qualify for CEUs in this course you must fulfill the following requirements:

  1. Confirm that you have read the assigned text.
  2. Participated in the full course and all discussions.
  3. Completed any assignments, papers, and projects.
  4. Completed the course evaluation.
  5. Made a formal request for a CEU certificate.