Bart Newton
Following Jesus as a new creation and child of God requires not only being attentive to God’s holy and loving presence...
About Me
Following Jesus as a new creation and child of God requires not only being attentive to God’s holy and loving presence, but also being present to God. As a spiritual director, I seek to companion with directees with the hope of helping them discover how God has been and is attending to and directing their lives. Meeting one on one with directees involves providing them permission to be still in an environment conducive to prayerful conversation that is alert to God’s presence. As a friend of mine once said, “Spiritual direction is holding holy space for listening to God.” I also provide suggestions and tools to help directees continue responding to God’s movement in their lives between sessions. I currently meet clients both online (via Google Meets, Zoom or WhatsApp) and in person. Meeting frequency is usually once per month for one hour.
Sustainable Faith’s School of Spiritual Direction trained and certified me as a spiritual director. Prior to beginning formal training, I received spiritual direction for two years through a spiritual director trained and certified by Lipscomb University, which I continue to this day. I tell folks inquiring about spiritual direction, “I wish I’d started meeting with a spiritual director twenty years sooner.”
In addition to being a certified spiritual director, I have a B.S. in Bible and Elementary Teacher Education from Johnson Bible College (now Johnson University). I received an M.S. in Adult Education with a Concentration in New Testament from Indiana University; the concentration credits earned through Johnson University.
I have over thirty-two years of experience as a preaching pastor within the independent Christian churches stream of the Restoration Movement. Four years were in a cross-cultural, bilingual setting outside the contiguous United States. My pastoral experience includes serving in rural, small town, and metropolitan settings. In June of 2024, I stepped aside from serving 24 years as the preaching pastor of my hometown church in order to devote more time to offering spiritual direction. I also devote time to serving as sabbatical advisor to individuals within church, para-church and other vocations.
For four years, I taught in a PreK-Grade 8 Christian school in Puerto Rico. In Indiana, I served as a regional program coordinator for a state scholarship support program for eighth through twelfth grade college-bound students. I was also the director of a new alternative public school for middle and high school students with chronic academic failure and behavioral issues.
For eight years I served on the board of directors of a campus ministry which involved two universities. I also served on the board of directors for a not-for-profit ministry committed to serving neglected, abused, and troubled youth, by providing homes and education to those who need hope in a desperate time in their lives.
My Christian parents raised my brother and me on a grain, hay, and livestock farm in southwestern Indiana. Within six weeks of graduating high school, I found myself in basic training with the United States Air Force. Intending to spend at least twenty years in military, surprisingly after only four years I separated from the Air Force to attend Bible college.
Within six months of graduating from high school, I married my high school sweetheart. We have three married children and six grandchildren with a seventh on the way.
I find walking, hiking, and backpacking to be life-giving activities. I also enjoy "all things" analog including writing with fountain pens and typing with manual, portable typewriters.
