We are providing a directory of Spiritual Directors and Pastoral Counselors who are already credentialed in MSMC on the website. These persons will complete the application, which requires accountability standards. The Ministerial Council chair and Conference Minister will vet these persons together.
The application is available to church members/attenders of all MSMC churches, regardless of geographic location, in order to offer Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Counseling on ZOOM in a confidential setting. Once vetted, your name will be listed with a brief biography on the Mountain States Conference website here, like the Dialog Resource Team.
UPDATE: You can also join the Mennonite Spiritual Director network of MS-USA. The MSD Network is a collaborative learning community of colleagues from the Anabaptist Mennonite faith tradition who share a common commitment to the contemplative ministry of spiritual direction.
There are currently nearly 200 members in the MSD Network, which includes active spiritual directors/companions, along with those who are still students, those who have retired, and those who are temporarily inactive in this ministry but who wish to stay connected to the MSD Network. Our members are spread across North America, and we have a few members who have trained in North America but are now living in other countries.
The MSD Network has two goals for the website. The first is to provide a resource for the church, posting information about the ministry of spiritual direction. The “Home” page links viewers to essays on spiritual direction, how to choose a director and what it means to be an Anabaptist Mennonite director. Those wanting a Mennonite or Anabaptist director can access the “Public List,” where they can find the names of those trained, active MSD Network members who have applied to have their information on this public format and who are open to meeting with those seeking a spiritual director/companion.
The website also serves as a resource for MSD Network members, providing information about upcoming retreats, training opportunities, and links to members’ blogs and retreat centers. Members who log in to the site can access the complete list of members and find other members in their area or who share similar specialties. They can also keep their own information up to date. Learn more about the Mennonite Spiritual Directors Network at mennosdn.org.
Proposal for a Spiritual Directors and Pastoral Counselors Listing
Contact Katie Cunningham, Ministerial Council chair with questions:
Email: Cunningham.katie.barber@gmail.com or Phone: (505) 697.0929
Submit an Application
- Click here for the application to print and submit by email to Administrator@Mountainstatesmc.org
- Complete online
Spiritual Director & Pastoral Counselor Directory
Anita Amstutz
REV. ANITA AMSTUTZ, ordained with MSMC, has 17+ years of congregational ministry. She currently offers online counseling and spiritual companioning through Wisdom Ways of Being. Based upon her book published in 2018, Soul Tending, Journey into the Heart of Sabbath, she teaches practical soul care through workshops and retreats at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico and contemplative courses at the Center for Action and Contemplation. As a beekeeper, Anita founded Think Like A Bee, an education/advocacy organization for pollinator protection and healthy food in New Mexico. She finds human and non human relationships all deeply connected to soul work. She lives in Albuquerque with two feisty cats and her husband Kenneth.