Terry Mitchell

“I believe silence is the most challenging, the most needed, and the least experienced spiritual discipline among evangelical Christians today.” ~ Ruth Haley Barton

In 2014, Terry L. Mitchell, Ph.D., completed a two-year study with Ruth Haley Barton and the Transforming Center earning a Certificate of Spiritual Transformation with Northern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Transforming Center. However, Terry’s interest in spiritual transformation began 20 years earlier in 1993 when his family and he prematurely returned home to Alabama from a long-term mission to Poland.

Devastated by the failure of the mission, Terry picked up a copy of Richard Foster’s Devotional Classics. While thumbing through the work he came across the chapter on John of the Cross and the expression, “The Dark Night of the Soul.” The “Dark Night” described his experience of loss and put him on a journey of discovering God’s love and redemption more from his heart within a community of believers who were desiring spiritual transformation and discovering spiritual disciplines such as listening to God “speak” to the heart through silence, solitude, and stillness.

Terry has been on a journey described by Nietzsche as “a long obedience in the same direction.” This challenging journey has opened up what it means to be a servant of God; how to see and embrace the identity as a beloved son upon whom God’s favor rests; and how to grow as a Spiritual Father.

For the last 12 years Terry has served the north Atlanta community with Soul Care Christian Counseling as a pastoral care counselor and spiritual director. Since Covid, Terry has moved to Chattanooga and serves clients by Zoom.

As of 2024, Terry and his wife, Dot, have been married for 49 years and live across the street from their grandson, daughter, and son-in-law in Chattanooga. Their son is a Marine stationed in Augusta where their other two grandchildren live.

carrie wheeler

The most important thing to know about me is that my family is everything to me. Here we are in 2019 on a sabbatical adventure in Rome before my babies left the nest.

While raising three beautiful children, my husband and I planted a church in Decatur, Ga. I served as worship director for 17 years and women’s ministry director for 5 years.

The years of being on a church staff were amazing but in 2022, I exited ministry leadership to pursue a masters degree in spiritual formation and spiritual direction. I completed my spiritual direction certificate in July ’23 at North Park Seminary and my masters degree in Spiritual Formation from Richmont Graduate University in May '24. This feels like quite an accomplishment for a middle-aged lady!

My husband, Shayne, and I enjoy sharing our home with 2 awesome puppies and welcomed our first grandchild in March ’24. As we settle into this later stage of life, I am so grateful for the journey. God’s presence has held me through many ups and downs. My great joy in this era is to offer a space for others to process their spiritual lives. My spiritual experience echoes St. Augustine’s wise words, “Let me know you, O you who know me; then shall I know even as I am known.” As I have grown in knowledge of God through spiritual direction, I have also learned so much about myself. I invite you to join me on this journey.

“Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” Mark 6:31 (NLT)

matt armstrong

I’m relatively new to the world of contemplative spirituality. Though I had read some books by Henri Nouwen and heard of something called ‘lectio divina,’ it wasn’t until my life turned upside down in 2020 that I attended my first silent retreat. There I met Terry Mitchell, my spiritual director, and experienced solitude, silence, and prayer in a way that changed my life. Since that time I have done a deep dive into contemplative practice that continues to expand my understanding and experience of the God “who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). My deep desire is to bless others with that which God has blessed me, namely, the power of solitude, silence, and prayer to expand our hearts to know the life-changing love of our heavenly Father (Eph 3:14-19).

My wife, Stacey, and I have been married for 24 years and have three kids we’re having the joy of watching move into adulthood. I grew up in East Cobb, graduated from Wheeler High School, Georgia Tech, and Westminster Theological Seminary. I have been in ordained ministry since 2007 and have served as a middle school youth pastor, an associate pastor, and church planter. I came to Redeemer in the summer of 2022.