About | New Thought CSL

Our Vision

Recognizing our Oneness, we envision a world that works for everyone and all creation.

Our Mission

Providing spiritual tools for personal and global transformation.

Rev. Shannon O'Hurley

Senior Minister

Rev. Shannon O'Hurley spent the first half of her life as a classically trained actor and musician, working professionally in film, television, and theatre — a career spanning more than twenty years. Yet one thread ran through it all: between scenes, on sets, and in green rooms, she was immersed in the study of New Thought, Buddhism, Sufism, Kabbalah, Christian mysticism, and Indigenous traditions; taking spiritual growth classes; and learning from great teachers along the way. That curiosity, which began over twenty-five years ago, became the truest call of her life. After much prayer and consideration, she made the decision to leave what had been a comfortable career, returning to school to earn master's degrees in Consciousness Studies, and in Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding with an emphasis in Social Justice and Interreligious Dialogue, and fourteen years ago, to her absolute delight, she became a licensed minister.

She served for several years as Associate Minister at NTCSL, then at Mile Hi Church in Colorado, the largest congregation in the New Thought movement. In 2017, as she watched the political climate shift and human rights come under greater threat, she felt called to take the New Thought teachings beyond the sanctuary and into the secular world — curious what it might look like to be both a minister and an activist. She trained as a community organizer in Chicago with President Obama's nonprofit, Organizing for Action, where she had the honor of meeting the President. She went on to serve as the organization's Colorado State Director, leading rallies across the state for common-sense gun reform and outside the ICE detention center, while supporting refugees and Dreamers, advancing climate action, and working toward equal rights for people of color, women, and the LGBTQIA+ community.

In 2019, changed by her years as an activist, she returned home to NTCSL — the community she had helped build — to serve as its Senior Minister, grateful for a community that would welcome her spirit-led activism, and for the path that led her back to the home she loves so much.

Above all else, though, Rev. Shannon considers her four adult daughters to be her greatest joy and her greatest achievement. Raised in the New Thought teachings, each is a remarkable young woman in her own right, and she remains endlessly grateful to be their mother.

Rev. Shannon brings her experience, humor, passion, and unwavering dedication to human dignity for all people into everything she does. Her ministry is devoted to creating a world that works for all.

Rev. Shelly Walker

Associate Minister

Rev. Shelly Walker was raised in the South at a time when girls were taught to be seen and not heard. Finding her voice has been a lifelong journey — one that started long before she ever set foot in a spiritual community, but found its true direction there.

For more than twenty-five years, she has been immersed in this community, applying its principles and discovering the tools she needed to become a happier, healthier human being. Discovering New Thought was the key that unlocked that journey: it taught her how to know her own truth, and how to speak it — with kindness and compassion, but without apology.

In 2009, that journey deepened when she became a licensed Spiritual Practitioner. In the years that followed, she taught, offered spiritual guidance to others walking their own paths, and raised four wonderful children — each one shaping the voice she was still finding. She went on to graduate from the Holmes Institute for Spiritual Leadership, and in 2025, to her joy, became a licensed minister.

She holds a business degree with a focus in Organizational Development — a background that quietly shapes her ministry still today. Helping to build healthy, strong, resilient community is a cornerstone of her work.

Today, as Associate Minister, Rev. Shelly works with the Adult Education department, the Stewardship Team, and the Board of Trustees, in addition to speaking on Sundays and teaching workshops and classes. Her passion is teaching — especially in the places most people find hardest to talk about honestly: money, relationships, and self-worth. It is her joy to co-create a vibrant, healthy, and joyous spiritual community alongside the people she serves.

Above all else, though, Rev. Shelly considers her family her greatest joy. She and her large, beautiful family live in Lake Oswego, Oregon, where they cook together, sing together, and laugh together, making memories every day.

Rev. Shelly brings her warmth, her hard-won voice, and her belief that spiritual principles can genuinely transform a life into everything she does. Her ministry is devoted to helping others find and speak their own truth, with kindness and compassion.