Meet Dr. Meredith McNerney
Speaker, Educator, and Spiritual Companion
"I became a spiritual director because I have seen how often people are wounded by organized religion.
Too many have been made to feel that they do not belong, cannot be fully themselves, or are somehow wrong.
I believe God’s love is unconditional, expansive, and available to everyone.
For me, that love is revealed through Jesus, compassion, presence, and radical belonging.
I also believe the Divine is bigger than any one label or path.
As a spiritual director, I offer a space to explore your beliefs, questions, and experiences with honesty and freedom.
This is not about advice, persuasion, or fitting into a specific belief system.
It is about accompaniment, deep listening, and noticing how God may be moving in your life.
This is especially for those who have felt judged, excluded, or harmed by religion.
Here, your full humanity is welcome."
What is Spiritual Direction?
Spiritual direction is not about being told what to believe or how to fix your life. It is a quiet, intentional space where you are invited to slow down and notice what is stirring within you; your thoughts, your emotions, your questions, and your experiences with the Divine. In our time together, I listen with you for the presence of God already at work in your life.
My Approach
My approach to spiritual direction is grounded in the belief that:
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God is not distant, but deeply present and relational.
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God honors our humanity and meets us within the reality of our lives.
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Your experiences,especially the hard ones,are worthy of being explored without judgment.
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You do not need to have everything figured out to be held in God’s love.
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Healing and clarity unfold gently, not through pressure or performance.
I bring a trauma-informed lens to this work, honoring your story, your pace, and your autonomy. This is a space where you can be fully honest,whether that includes faith, doubt, anger, uncertainty, or a mix of many emotions.
What We Do Together
During sessions, we may:
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Reflect on moments from your daily life.
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Notice where you feel a connection to, resistance, or absence of God’s presence.
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Sit with questions rather than rush to answers.
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Explore how your understanding of God has been shaped over time.
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Pay attention to what feels life-giving, grounding, or true.
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There is no agenda to fix or force meaning,only an invitation to notice and respond.
Why I Chose to Become a Spiritual Director
Too often, I meet people who have been harmed by organized religion. Each story still shocks me, despite having encountered many examples where harm has left someone feeling like they cannot fully belong. When someone feels they cannot be authentic in the church, they may begin to believe there is something inherently wrong with them, or that the church is only for those who fit within a narrow definition of belonging. These experiences can include being excluded because of sexual orientation, being told that mental health struggles are a sin, feeling shut out after divorce, or feeling judged for not meeting expectations around attendance or giving. The list goes on.
For my entire adult life, I have yearned to explore Jesus through a kaleidoscope approach through both traditional worship and unconventional spaces, reading, conversation, and quiet moments of reflection.
I believe that God’s love for us is an Agape’ (uh-GAH-pay) love, unconditional and available to everyone, regardless of how we identify or the lens through which we see the world.
For many, this love is most clearly revealed through the life and teachings of Jesus, through the way he embodied compassion, presence, and radical belonging. At the same time, I hold that God’s presence is not limited to one way of understanding or naming the Divine.
God, the Divine, the Spirit, Jesus, the Creator, Source, however you come to understand or experience this sacred presence, remains expansive, relational, and available to all. We are each deserving of this love, regardless of ________________ (you fill in the blank).
As a spiritual director, I offer companionship to those seeking a deeper awareness of God’s presence in their lives. Spiritual direction is not mentorship, preaching, advice-giving, or affirming a particular belief system. It is a space for you to come into a deeper relationship with God, to explore your beliefs, your questions, your experiences, and what may be shaping or blocking your sense of connection.
This experience is not about conversion or persuasion. It is about accompaniment. As a director, I listen deeply, ask thoughtful questions, and create space for you to notice what is stirring within you. Together, we pay attention to how God may be moving in your life, in ways that are personal, meaningful, and authentic to you.
This is especially a space for anyone who has felt wounded by religious experiences that communicated judgment more than love. Spiritual direction offers a different kind of encounter, one rooted in dignity, honesty, and compassion. Here, you are invited to come as you are. Bring your full humanity, your questions, identities, doubts, anger, joy, and longing. All of it is welcome.
At its core, spiritual direction rests in the belief that God’s love is real, present, and continually reaching toward you, and that relationship can be explored with openness, honesty, and freedom.
