YOUR QUESTIONS, ANSWERED

Both pathways offer the same depth of training and lead to the same outcome, whether that is ordination as an interfaith minister or graduation as a student alumni. The difference is in how you engage with the journey, not where it takes you.

• The Willow Pathway is held fully online, with weekly live sessions on Tuesday evenings (6–9pm UK time), independent study, and a rhythm designed to weave into your existing life. It asks around 6–8 hours per week during active teaching periods.
• The Sylvan Pathway is retreat-based and held mostly in person at Florence House, a beautiful retreat centre perched on the cliffs above Seaford Bay where the South Downs meet the sea. Rather than weekly sessions, the Sylvan gathers in three 5-day residential retreats each year, with facilitated online support between retreats to support integration and community. Between retreats, the time commitment is around 6–8 hours per month.

The question to sit with is not which pathway is better, but which environment will best support your own unfolding. If you’d like to talk it through, you’re welcome to book an informal conversation with Maddy, our Programme Development Lead.

There is no single right answer, and many people find themselves genuinely drawn to both. A few things worth reflecting on: do you feel called to an immersive, residential experience where you step away from everyday life to go deeper, or does the idea of weaving your formation into your daily rhythm feel more natural and sustainable? Do you thrive in face-to-face community, or are you comfortable building deep connection in an online space?

Neither preference is better than the other, and both pathways produce the same quality of formation and the same ordination (should you wish to be ordained).

If you’d like to talk it through with someone, you’re welcome to book a conversation with Maddy, our Programme Development Lead, who can help you sense into what feels right.

Each pathway has its own dedicated prospectus, where you’ll find everything you need to understand the training in full, including retreat dates, curriculum details, fees, and payment options. We deliberately keep this level of detail out of the website, so that your first encounter with OneSpirit feels spacious and unhurried. When you’re ready to go deeper, the prospectus is there waiting for you.

You can download the Willow Pathway prospectus here, and the Sylvan Pathway prospectus here.

And if you’d like to talk things through with a real person before you decide, you’re warmly welcome to book an informal conversation with Maddy, our Programme Development Lead.

There are two application forms, one for each pathway.

• To apply for our online offering, the Willow Pathway, click here.
• To apply for our in-person offering, the Sylvan Pathway, click here.

You can also find these links throughout the website, including on our How to Apply page.

Applications for the Class of 2028 close at midnight on 30 September 2026.

If you’re hoping to take advantage of the early bird fee, aim to submit by early July to allow time for references to be gathered.

At OneSpirit, we know that everyone arrives here from a different place. Some come with a clear sense of calling. Others arrive with a quiet curiosity, a feeling that something is stirring without yet knowing quite what. Wherever you are, you are welcome.

Our Intro Days are relaxed, open gatherings where you can get a genuine feel for our approach, meet members of the teaching team, ask whatever is on your mind, and sense whether this path might be right for you. There is no pressure and no expectation, just an honest opportunity to explore.

We offer separate Intro Days for each pathway, so you can get a real feel for the one you’re drawn to. Sylvan Intro Days are held by Dawn and Una, and Willow Intro Days by Annie, Monica, Sarah, and members of our associate tutor team.

Attending an Intro Day isn’t required before applying, but you’re welcome and encouraged to join one at any point before you do.

We review your application and reach out to your referees. If your application is successful, you’ll receive an offer and clear next steps to confirm your place.

Depending on when you apply, there may be several months between your application and the start of the training in October. We want that time to feel held rather than empty. So alongside the practical enrolment process, you’ll receive a series of emails from us throughout the spring and summer. They’re not administrative, instead, they’re an invitation to reflect, deepen your sense of readiness, and stay connected to what called you here in the first place.

We’ll be with you through each stage of the process.

No, our opening sessions are foundational. They establish the trust, safety, and shared ground that the whole two years is built on. All students begin together.

Both pathways are structured around a series of immersive gateways, each exploring a different dimension of presence, relationship, and ministry. Learning happens through live sessions, reflective and creative assignments, peer community, one-to-one tutorials, and supervision. There are also two elective module blocks each year (in January and May), where you choose one module to explore an area that particularly calls to you.

The Sylvan pathway works with your own biographical journey as primary material, moving through the arc of human life from birth to death across six gateways, experienced through in-person retreat. The Willow pathway traces a relational arc through five gateways, exploring sacred welcome, encounter, worth, responsibility, and deep listening, building week by week in community online.

This depends on which pathway you are on.

For the Willow Pathway, expect around 6–8 hours per week during active teaching periods. This includes live webinars, engagement with Enquiry Hub materials, reflective practice, journalling, and assignments. Across each gateway you will also have one-to-one supervision sessions (around one hour) and a tutorial with your designated tutor (around 30 minutes). There are natural pauses and integration periods built in throughout, allowing space for rest, reflection, and consolidation.

For the Sylvan Pathway, the rhythm is quite different. The core commitment is three 5-day residential retreats per year at Florence House. Between retreats, each gateway unfolds over approximately three months, supported by a gentle but consistent rhythm of around 6–8 hours per month. This includes a blend of facilitated sessions, peer connection, and personal reflection. Many students find that this gentle rhythm becomes a supportive presence in their lives, not something to keep up with, but something that quietly accompanies their unfolding journey.

For both pathways, we encourage you to approach the time commitment not as a fixed workload, but as a rhythm of attention, one that supports steady, sustainable growth over time. The intention is not to complete the course, but to live into it, allowing the learning to unfold within your everyday life, relationships, and spiritual practice.

Not at all. OneSpirit is interfaith and inclusive at its core. You do not need to belong to a particular tradition, hold a defined set of beliefs, or identify with any religion to take part. What matters is a genuine openness to exploring the sacred in its many expressions, and a willingness to engage honestly with your own inner life.

Throughout the training you will encounter wisdom from a wide range of spiritual traditions, philosophical perspectives, and lived human experiences. You are not asked to adopt any of it wholesale, but to let it inform, challenge, and deepen your own sense of what is true and meaningful for you. Many students find that the training clarifies and enriches their existing beliefs, whatever those may be. Others find themselves arriving at something they couldn’t have named before they began.

We welcome people of all faiths and none, and we are committed to creating a learning environment where every student feels genuinely respected and at home.

Assignments are reflective and creative rather than academic. They might include contemplative writing, ceremonial design, biographical reflection, creative expression, or collaborative inquiry. The intention is never to test you, but to support you in witnessing your own growth, naming your edges, and stepping more fully into your unique expression of ministry.

We don’t assess through grades or rankings. What we practise instead is something we call assessment as sacred witnessing: a process of recognising and naming transformation through dialogue, mutual reflection, and honest feedback.

Yes, many students balance both. The Willow Pathway’s online weekly rhythm and the Sylvan Pathway’s retreat-based structure are both designed with the reality of full lives in mind. We encourage you to approach the time commitment not as a fixed workload, but as a rhythm of attention that deepens over the two years.

You can listen to our Aspen students discuss this and other frequently asked questions on our YouTube channel, linked here and below.

The Sylvan Pathway is held at Florence House, a remarkable retreat centre perched on the cliffs above Seaford Bay, where the South Downs meet the sea. More than a venue, Florence House becomes an active participant in the journey; a place that consistently nourishes, steadies, and deepens the work we do together.

Surrounded by wild gardens, ancient trees, chalk paths, and expansive skies, Florence House offers a rare sense of spaciousness. The land itself invites slowing down, listening more closely, and reconnecting with rhythms that are older than words. The environment supports the depth and intimacy of the Sylvan Pathway in very practical ways.

There are warm, welcoming communal spaces for gathering, circle work, and ceremony, alongside quiet corners for reflection, journaling, prayer, and rest.

Learn more here.

Deeply, and in multiple ways. You’ll be held by a dedicated faculty team, supported through one-to-one tutorials, connected with a peer cohort, and have access to a curated online classroom. You’ll also be part of a wider OneSpirit learning community that includes students from other pathways and ordained ministers.

We have a vibrant community that continuously shows up for one another. We hope you’ll join us across these spaces (monthly newsletter, social media, forums) to connect and network. 

Supervision is a one-to-one space with an accredited supervisor, designed to support your reflective practice, self-awareness, and ministerial formation. It is a required part of the training throughout both years. We ask you to arrange your own supervision from our accredited body, as this gives you the freedom to work with someone you feel genuinely drawn to and within your own budget.

Supervision costs are additional to course fees, and you can expect this to be approximately £200–£400 per year.

We want this training to be accessible to everyone who feels called to it. Whether you are navigating a physical or sensory need, a mental health condition, neurodivergence, or anything else that shapes how you learn and engage, we are committed to finding ways to support you well. Our tutors and staff approach this with flexibility and genuine care, and we’d always rather know sooner than later so we can think together about what would help.

If you have any needs or questions around accessibility, we warmly invite you to get in touch before you apply. You don’t need to have everything figured out, just reach out and we’ll take it from there.

Yes – You can save £500 if you complete enrolment by 1 August 2026.

Completing enrolment means having your Training Agreement signed and your deposit paid by that date. If you’re hoping to take advantage of this, aim to apply by early July at the latest to allow time for references.

Once you’ve received an offer, you’ll confirm your place by signing and returning your Training Agreement and arranging your payment plan. For both Pathways, a £250 deposit is required at this stage, which is deducted from your total fees.

Your chosen payment plan begins automatically in September, using the same payment method as your deposit.

You can choose between two annual payments or 24 monthly instalments. If you’d like to talk through what works best for your situation, you’re welcome to email Danielle, OneSpirit’s Finance Officer.

Yes. We offer a limited number of bursary places of up to 50% for Black and Brown applicants. This initiative exists to actively address the underrepresentation of Black and Brown ministers in our interfaith community and wider spiritual leadership spaces. It is rooted in a commitment to dismantling systemic barriers and holding open the door for historically excluded voices. At its heart, this work is about creating space and ensuring that those who have long been denied access and visibility are not just welcomed, but supported, heard, and honoured throughout their journey. This is about equity, belonging, and meaningful change.

These places are only available for our online pathway, the Willow Pathway.

If you’d like to find out more, you’re warmly invited to reach out to Lavinia, OneSpirit’s Community Development Lead, for an informal conversation. Please note, that the deadline to apply for a bursary place is 1 September 2026.

Online elective modules are included within your course fees. In-person elective modules carry an additional cost to cover accommodation and venue expenses.

Elective module blocks take place in January and May each year. During each block you will choose one module to participate in, meaning you will complete two elective modules per year. Further details of available modules will be shared in advance of each block, allowing you to choose the option that best supports your learning journey at that time.

No. You can complete the training without ordination if that feels right for you. That’s why we hold an ordination and graduation ceremony for students. Some students find that the journey itself, the transformation in how they live, listen, and relate, is the primary gift, whatever form their ministry ultimately takes.

After two years of deep personal development and guided practice, you’ll be invited to step into ministry through two ceremonies: a vow-taking and an ordination.

Vow-taking is a deeply personal moment, an opportunity to be witnessed as you speak aloud the commitment that will guide your path forward. This vow is yours alone. It isn’t a title or a role; it’s a promise you make to yourself.

Ordination is for everyone. Think of it as your graduation: a moment to be celebrated and honoured alongside the people who have supported you through the journey. Whatever path you choose after, that crossing is yours and it is marked. Some graduates go on to take the title of Reverend and step into active ministry. Others move through the world differently, carrying the depth of the training into their work, relationships, and communities without the formal designation. Neither path is more or less than the other. This training is as much about how you live as what you’re called.

For Willow students, both ceremonies take place online in July 2028. For Sylvan students, there is a dedicated in-person Ordination and Vow Taking retreat at Florence House from 19 to 21 July 2028. These ceremonies are often described as among the most profound experiences of the entire training. You can look through our YouTube to watch highlights from ceremonies past.

There is no single path, and there never has been.

Our graduates go on to live and serve in ways as diverse as the people who come through this training. Some step into visible ministry, offering weddings, funerals, and rites of passage, chaplaincy in hospitals, hospices, or community settings, or facilitation, retreat work, and spiritual accompaniment. Others bring what they’ve learned into sacred activism, environmental and ecological work, contemplative leadership, or community organising. Others carry it more quietly, bringing presence, depth, and care into their families, workplaces, and communities in ways that are less visible but equally meaningful.

What matters is not what you do with this, but how you do it.

Ordination does not mean the end of support, or your role in the community. 

You’ll become part of a growing network of OneSpirit ministers, with access to ongoing community, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities, Special Interest Groups (SIGs) where ministers gather to explore shared areas of practice and support one another’s ongoing development, our Board of Trustees, and the option to join the Register of OneSpirit Interfaith Ministers (ROSIM), a professional body that supports and recognises your work. We also recently launched a coaching programme with one of our beloved ministers, Rev Tania, who will accompany you through your first year after ordination, helping you find your own way of ministering and stepping into what comes next.

Our training focuses on formation rather than information.

For nearly 30 years, OneSpirit has developed a way of teaching that brings together lived experience, spiritual practice, and community learning, grounded in the belief that ministry is not something you do, but someone you become. What you’ll find here is not a fixed system to master, but a living process of sacred becoming…

Anyone who senses a spiritual calling, even an uncertain one.

Anyone longing for a deeper way of being in the world.

Anyone ready to meet themselves honestly, to grow in community, and to discover what it means to serve with presence and care.

You do not need to have it all figured out before you begin… That’s rather the point.