Frequently ASKED QUESTIONS

At OneSpirit, learning isn’t about following a fixed path,it’s about discovering your own. Our training grows with you, shaped by your voice, your experience, and your insights. We meet you where you are and move with you.

Responsive & Relevant

• The curriculum shifts with each group, staying grounded in what’s most alive and meaningful.

• Your personal reflections help shape what we explore, offering depth and diversity to the learning.

Shared Wisdom

• Tutors hold the space, but you learn just as much from your fellow students.

• Everyone’s insight matters, this is a space for true co-creation.

A Safe Space to Be Real

• Sessions are held with care and confidentiality.

• There’s no pressure to perform or be recorded. You’re free to bring your whole self.

Rooted in Real Life

• This isn’t abstract study. It’s learning that moves with your life, helping you grow into who you already are.

Before applying, please ask two people (not relatives or partners) if they’re happy to provide a character reference. We’ll contact them after you submit your form.

Once enrolment opens, you’ll find the application form online.

Take your time with it, it includes both practical and reflective questions about your life and spiritual journey. If you close the form part-way through, your answers should be saved, as long as you reopen it on the same browser and device.

If you get stuck or have any questions, we’re here to help.

No — Intro Days are optional. But we do encourage you to come along! They’re a great way to get a feel for the training and meet some of the team before applying.

Once you apply, we’ll contact your referees. If both references are satisfactory, your application will be reviewed by our faculty team.

If accepted, you’ll receive confirmation with a link to sign your Training Agreement and set up your payment plan. Once that’s complete and your first payment is received, we’ll send you an official invitation to join the training.

Before the course begins, you’ll get access to student resources and support to help you feel fully prepared.

OneSpirit’s training is deeply personal, rooted in shared experience and mutual growth. You won’t just be taught, you’ll be listened to, valued, and invited to shape the learning.

If you’re looking for a spiritual education that evolves with you and centres real connection, this might be the path you’ve been waiting for.

Study groups are small peer groups that meet every 4–6 weeks. They’re a key part of the training and offer space for reflection, connection, and support.

You’ll share responsibility for making the group work well, and over time, these meetings, along with guidance from your group tutor, will add real depth to your learning.

You’ll be asked to complete assignments throughout the two years, all designed to support your personal and spiritual growth. Full guidance is provided in our online classroom, and support is always available from tutors and fellow students.

We ask that you meet deadlines where possible, but if something comes up, just speak to your group tutor. We know life happens, and we’re here to support you.

As the Cherry Tree Pathway is fully online, there are no required in-person retreats. The training is delivered through weekly online webinars, and attendance is expected.

Optional in-person modules may be offered during the year, you’re warmly invited to join them, but they’re not compulsory. If you ever need to miss a session, please let your tutor team know as soon as you can.

Ordination isn’t automatic. If you complete the training, graduate, and show the skills needed for ministry, you may be invited to be ordained.

Ordained ministers can choose to use the title Reverend, not as a symbol of status, but as a quiet commitment to serve life with reverence and integrity.

Some go on to work as celebrants or spiritual counsellors, while others serve in many different ways. If you join our professional register (ROSIM), you can use the OneSpirit Interfaith Minister title, display our logo, and commit to our public standards of ministry.

Ordination marks a sacred transition at the end of the training. It includes two ceremonies:

• First, you’ll share a personal vow in the presence of your group, tutors, and ministers.

• Later, in a public ceremony, you’ll receive ordination — not from an outside authority, but by standing in your own deep inner knowing, affirmed by the community around you.

This is a profound moment of self-recognition, an affirmation of your calling to serve with integrity, reverence, and awareness. Ordination also means committing to OneSpirit’s Code of Ethics. If this code is broken, your minister status may be withdrawn.

Ordination doesn’t have to happen straight away. Some graduates choose to wait and return to it when the time feels right.

In some cases, OneSpirit may recommend that graduation or ordination be delayed. Tutors may ask for further reflection or training before ordination can take place. This is to ensure alignment with OneSpirit’s Code of Ethics and readiness for ministry. Any extra requirements may involve an additional cost.

No — they’re different. You can graduate without choosing to be ordained. Ordination is an additional step at the end of the training, taken only when you and your tutors agree that you’re ready to serve with authenticity and integrity.

To be eligible for ordination, you’ll need to:

• Be up to date with all assignments

• Have your tutors’ confirmation that you’re ready for ministry

• Be fully up to date with your fee payments

Not quite. OneSpirit doesn’t offer celebrant training, our focus is on spiritual development and ministry as a whole. While you’ll learn how to hold ceremonies, the training goes much deeper than that.

Many celebrants join our course to add a spiritual depth to their work. As a OneSpirit minister, you’ll be prepared to offer weddings (non-legal), funerals, baby namings, and other rites of passage, all rooted in interfaith values and personal meaning.

It depends on where you are. Legal wedding ceremonies are regulated differently in each country.

In Scotland and Northern Ireland, ministers can apply to be nominated by OneSpirit to conduct legal weddings. In Ireland, nominations are made by the Association of One Spirit Interfaith Ministers of Ireland. In all cases, you must be a member of our professional register (ROSIM), and further training is required.

This process can take up to 12 months after ordination. Please note, we don’t support transferring legal status from OneSpirit to another nominating body.

No!

Interfaith ministers don’t follow any one religion, unless it’s part of their own personal path. OneSpirit ministers are trained to honour and support people of all faiths and none, meeting others where they are, from wherever they themselves stand.

ROSIM, the Register of OneSpirit Interfaith Ministers, is our professional body. It offers support, connection, and accountability for those continuing in ministry after ordination.

Members are held to high standards, receive ongoing guidance, and stay linked to the wider OneSpirit community. If you want to conduct legal weddings in Scotland, Northern Ireland, or Ireland, ROSIM membership is essential.

With over 500 ministers having joined over the years, some remain active throughout their ministry, while others dip in and out as their path unfolds. It’s here when you need it, offering credibility, connection, and care.