Tom Benson
Spiritual Formation Missionary, Order of Imago Christi
Founder, Center for Contemplative Living, Inc.
My spiritual journey began when I was a child and I have experienced many of the typical church ministries and responsibilities as a lay person. I grew up in the Roman Catholic Tradition and was received into the Anglican Tradition in 1978. Although I was an active Christian during my adult life, I longed for something more with the Lord than I was experiencing. This thirst and longing for a deeper relationship with God began to be satisfied in 2014 when I began meeting with a Spiritual Director. As I expressed my desire to grow my relationship with the Lord, I began a two-year Spiritual Formation certificate program with the Soul Care Institute in 2015.
During this season, I also began practicing Center Prayer through Contemplative Outreach and became a Commissioned Presenter for Contemplative Outreach in 2018. In 2017, I began another two-year certificate program with LTI’s Selah Spiritual Direction Training which I completed in April 2019. Also, in 2017, I founded the Center for Contemplative Living, Inc. a 501c3 non-profit organization located at New Garden Park Abbey and home to Church of the Redeemer – Greensboro, NC.
My relationship with the Order of Imago Christi began in January 2019 after reading Mansions of the Heart by R. Thomas Ashbrook. My association with Imago Christi culminated in me joining the Order as a Spiritual Formation Missionary in 2020. My current role in the Order is the Mansions Mapping Tool Coordinator and a Coach. I believe God’s calling in my life is to share with others what I have experienced in my spiritual journey with the Lord. Spiritual Formation and Soul Care is a vital part in transforming our relationship with God from the false-self (ego) to our true-selves in Christ’s likeness.