A grounded companion and guide . . .
is a husband and father of two who serves the Christian Church by supporting its leaders. He creates experiences and resources that help lay and ordained men and women meet the challenges of ministry, learn from them, and become even more effective.
Through spiritual direction, individual and group ministerial reflection, and writing, Sam others as they re-discover the sense of calling and giftedness at the heart of Christ-centered ministry.
Samuel Rahberg
Experienced
Sam is Director of the Certificate in Spiritual Direction at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, MN. He is a spiritual director, CliftonStrengths coach, and retreat leader, co-founder of Wood & Water Retreats and owner of River Place Woodland Retreat, a family tree farm in Southeast Minnesota. Samuel also serves as a supervisor for the spiritual direction preparation program at the Franciscan Spirituality Center in La Crosse, where he received training as a spiritual director.
2005-2020 Benedictine Center of St. Paul’s Monastery (he is an oblate of the same community.)
2000-2005 Director of Christian Education for a Lutheran parish in St. Paul.
Learning and Recognition
2025-2028 DMin candidate - Duke Divinity School
2025 Tree Farmer of the Year for Southern Minnesota - American Tree Farm System
2023 Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach
2020 Advanced Supervision of Spiritual Directors Training (Lucy Abbot Tucker)
2015-2016 Together in the Mystery (Supervision of Spiritual Directors)
2013 Selected as New Contemplative - Spiritual Directors International
2007-2010 Spiritual Direction Formation (Franciscan Spirituality Center)
2005 M.A. in Theology - Saint John’s School of Theology
2000 B.A. Parish Education and Administration - Concordia University (Saint Paul)
Shadoems: Shadow Work through Poems (Aetos Publications, 2025)
“Simple Practices that Transform Conversations,” (The Central Minnesota Catholic, 27 March 2025)
Enduring Ministry: Toward a Lifetime of Christian Leadership (Liturgical Press, 2017)
The Gospels in Poem and Image with Natalie Rahberg (Aetos Publications) | Matthew 2019 | Mark 2017 | Luke 2018 | John 2016
Ice Break: Collection of Poems (Aetos Publications, 2019)
Living into Joy, Late in the Pandemic, (Faith & Leadership, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, 2021)
New Meeting: Practicing Retreats and Holy Listening in a Zoom World, Co-authored with Becky Eldredge (Presence Journal, Vol. 26, No. 4, December 2020)
Touchstones: Experiences in Nature as Encounters with the Divine (Presence Journal, Vol. 24, No. 1, March 2018)
VIDEO: SDI Learns from Yvonne Prowse and Samuel Rahberg (Spiritual Directors International, Nov. 2017)
Spiritual Direction: What Are You Talking About? (Benedictine Center, 2017)
Befriending Your Limits, (Faith & Leadership, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, 2017)
How To Foster A Healthier Year In Ministry, (Faith & Leadership, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, 2016)
The Importance of Spiritual Imagery and Experiences for Contemplatives Approaching Forty, Co-authored with Rachel Twigg Boyce (Presence Magazine, 2015)
Editor for The Way Forward: A Collection of Benedictine Inspirations by Victor Klimoski (Aetos Publications, 2014)
“Listening” in Illuminating Ministry: A Journal, Volume 3 (Liturgical Press, 2014)
Leaning into the Future: A Study of the Benedictine Center of St. Paul’s Monastery (The American Benedictine Review, 2014)
The Future of Benedictine Retreat Ministry: An Adaptive Challenge for St. Paul’s Monastery (Benedictines Magazine, 2012)
Reflective
Down to Earth
Sam is an established nonprofit leader with experience in Christian education, retreat facilitation, and leading pilgrimage. He values listening, integrity, and helping a good intentions become reality.
His special interests include spiritual formation, ministerial wellness, writing, nonprofit management, Benedictine spirituality, program design, personal and group retreats, and teaching online and in person.
Among many loves, he counts woodland stewardship, fly fishing, family camping, fitness, pilgrimage, reading theology, and home improvement.
Get started with Sam, today.
Published Works
Poetry, Christian Leadership, Spirituality
