Joe has been in leadership for over four decades in church and parachurch ministry and has a knack for hosting the kind of spaces and places where you can air out your soul with ease. Having a guide who has navigated the troubled waters of being a ministry leader is a rare gift, and this is what Joe is known for among his friends and peers. His favorite quote that informs how to approach opening up our inner life to another person in soul care comes from Parker J. Palmer – Let Your Life Speak.

“The soul is like a wild animal-tough, resilient, savvy, self-sufficient, and yet exceedingly shy. If we want to see a wild animal, the last thing we should do is to go crashing through the woods, shouting for the creature to come out. But if we are willing to walk quietly into the woods and sit silently for an hour or two at the base of a tree, the creature we are waiting for may well emerge, and out of the corner of an eye we will catch a glimpse of the precious wildness we seek.”

Joe has a degree in East Asian Studies from UW Madison, but his real pedigree comes from being in the trenches of ministry ranging from gritty urban missions to global church networks. He’s most comfortable at a table or around a fire, but has professionally led teams of 5 to 50 and understands that it takes intentional work to nurture the spiritual and relational health of leaders. His latest season has been marked by guiding senior leaders and their teams in becoming a healthy spiritual community together.

Joe has completed his training in Spiritual Direction with the Franciscan Spiritual Center in Portland, OR. He had the pleasure of being trained in spiritual formation with the Transforming Center hosted by author Dr. Ruth Haley Barton in a Transforming Community. Joe recently made a life pivot from all of his previous ministry roles to become a spiritual director and joined the Gracebridge Alliance Team.

Joe and his wife Angie have been married for 39 years and have five children and 7 grandchildren. He loves to swim the local lakes, hike in the forest, cross country ski and host parties. He’s also a singer-songwriter who has recently written a bunch of midlife-man songs and some meditative prayers that he shares with a very limited audience.

With over three decades in parachurch and pastoral ministry, Mark Werner knows first hand the challenges leaders face cultivating their own souls amid the pressures and demands of ministry. Mark believes that those in vocational ministry must rediscover the oft-forgotten disciplines of the interior spiritual life in order to sustain fruitful ministry for a lifetime!

Mark did graduate work studying for M.Div. at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and has held positions at all levels of church ministry, from youth ministry to adult spiritual formation, as well as Directing Operations and Management.

Mark has completed his training in Spiritual Direction at The Mercy Center in Colorado Springs , CO. Central to his own growth and development has been his participation with the Transforming Center with author Dr. Ruth Haley Barton – having participated in both the “Transforming Community” and “Leading a Transforming Church.” Mark experienced his own “dark night of the soul” crisis during his journey in ministry in his mid 40’s. Now, he loves nothing more than helping others to have vitality and faithfulness through caring, compassionate soul care.

Mark and his wife Valerie have been married for 28 years and have four children and one grandchild. He loves to cook pizza in his hand-built brick oven and unleashes his inner angler on the many local lakes and rivers.

Ken is a true-blue soul care friend. He is known among his peers as a friend who sticks closer than a brother. He is warm and gracious, pastoral and kind, and is always asking – How is it with your soul today? He offers the weary a well worn path of welcome into his heart. 

Ken is also a “dream weaver” who is consistently engaged in empowering others to actualize their core motivation and calling. Ken works to position people, organizations and businesses for their effective futures, believing transformation is possible through collective ideas and collaborative actions. He partners globally with mission-minded organizations and networks to create change in our world. His passion is stewarding the dreams of emerging leaders, pioneers and creatives. He believes life is enhanced through quality relationships, and he obsesses over seeing transformation realized in the earth.

Ken has worked in both the corporate for-profit and the non-profit sector for over 35 years. He uses his experience to bridge these two sectors, often working with social innovators and entrepreneurs to help ideas take flight. He has an intuitive ability to reimagine urban landscapes while living and working with neighbors to see their neighborhoods transformed at a grassroots level. He currently facilitates training with indigenous leaders from across the globe in the fields of church planting, pastoring and marketplace development as the animator for Citytable. Ken also leads groups on learning pilgrimages to historic places of spiritual significance.

He and his wife, Lori, have been married for 33 years and have four children and two grandchildren.

David’s life exemplifies resilience and the power of embracing change. Raised by an American mother and a Peruvian father, his multicultural background ignited a passion for creating connection and understanding across cultures. After a decade leading faith communities, David transitioned to the corporate world, utilizing his leadership skills to help teams thrive in multi-billion-dollar companies. He continued planting churches for several years even as he embarked on this new chapter in his career.

Now, David empowers individuals and leaders through his writing, coaching, and retreats. He draws on his multifaceted experiences, from pastoring communities to leading corporate retreats, to offer a unique blend of wisdom, coaching expertise, and a deep connection with the human struggle. A firm believer in the power of vulnerability, David isn’t afraid to share his own challenges, creating a space where others feel seen, supported, and empowered.

When not inspiring leaders, David enjoys exploring the trails of East TN with his wife, Amy (a therapist specializing in trauma counseling), and their two children. He’s also known to be tinkering on his classic 1969 Mercury while cruising the backroads.