Spiritual Formation
An 18-credit minor across biblical discipleship, prayer, the Gospels, spiritual community, the psychology of religion, and human development — for students serious about formation.
About the Minor
ACU’s Spiritual Formation Minor is built for students serious about Christian formation — for themselves, for others, and for the long work of growing as followers of Christ. The 18-credit minor combines biblical foundations (BIB 103 Biblical Discipleship, BIB 120 Prayer: Theology and Practice, BIB 207 Gospels) with the contextual and psychological lenses formation actually requires (CMI 101 Spiritual Life in Community, PSY 417 Psychology of Religion, and CHD 312 Human Development).
The minor’s positioning is distinctive among ACU’s Bible-and-theology offerings. The Biblical Studies Intensive Minor focuses on whole-canon coverage. The Christian Ministries Minor focuses on ministry leadership. The Spiritual Formation Minor focuses on the inner work of formation itself — and on the lifespan, communal, and psychological dimensions of how formation actually happens.
Pairs especially naturally with Christian Ministries, Psychology, Family Studies, Counseling, Education, and any major where understanding formation is part of where you’re heading — pastoral care, spiritual direction, counseling, teaching, parenting, or sustained personal discipleship.
What You'll Learn
Practice Biblical Discipleship
Work through the biblical pattern of Christian discipleship — the long, patient work of growing as a follower of Christ.
Engage Prayer Theology and Practice
Study what Scripture teaches about prayer and build the practical habits of a sustained prayer life.
Study the Gospels Analytically
Work through the four Gospels with attention to Jesus' formation of His disciples — the model for all Christian formation.
Understand Spiritual Community
Examine how formation happens in community — the contextual realities that make discipleship possible or impossible.
Engage the Psychology of Religion
Study religious experience, belief development, and spiritual practice through the empirical lens of psychology.
Trace Human Development
Connect spiritual formation to broader cognitive, social, and emotional development across the lifespan.
Formation Shaped by a Biblical Worldview
A Biblical Worldview treats spiritual formation as both gift and discipline — God's work in us and the practices we engage to participate in that work.
Formation as God's Work
Scripture treats spiritual formation as ultimately God's work in us — by His Spirit, through His Word, in His community. The minor takes that conviction seriously: practices and disciplines matter, but the work itself is God's. The student's task is to keep showing up.
Anchors your formation work in trust rather than in self-improvement project management.Formation Through Community
Christian formation isn't merely private. CMI 101 Spiritual Life in Community treats discipleship as relational — formation happens through specific people in specific churches and small groups, not in isolation. The minor takes the communal dimension seriously rather than reducing formation to individual practices.
Equips you to value the messy, slow work of community as formation, not as obstacle to it.The Whole Person Formed
The minor's combination of biblical, communal, psychological, and developmental courses reflects a whole-person view of formation. Formation engages cognition, emotion, body, will, relationships, and habits across the lifespan — not just spiritual disciplines in isolation."
Grounds your formation work in the conviction that God forms whole people, not disembodied souls.Where This Minor Takes You
Spiritual Formation strengthens nearly any vocation where helping people grow is part of the work — pastoral, counseling, educational, and parenting paths all benefit.
Pastoral and Discipleship Ministry
Lead discipleship, small-group, and pastoral care ministries with formal training in formation alongside theological preparation.
Spiritual Direction and Mentoring
Build foundation for spiritual direction certification programs or for sustained mentoring work in church and parachurch settings.
Christian Counseling Support
Bring formation literacy into pastoral counseling, lay counseling, or graduate counseling pathways.
Christian Education and Curriculum
Teach in Christian schools or develop spiritual-formation curriculum for churches and Christian organizations.
Youth and Family Ministry
Lead youth, family, and children's ministries with deeper understanding of how formation actually happens across developmental stages.
Bridge to Seminary or Graduate Formation Programs
Use the minor as preparation for graduate work in spiritual formation, Christian counseling, divinity, or pastoral ministry.
Why Students Choose This Minor
The Spiritual Formation Minor at ACU stands out for its interdisciplinary combination — biblical, communal, psychological, and developmental — that few formation minors anywhere assemble.
Biblical Discipleship in the Core
BIB 103 Biblical Discipleship anchors the minor in the actual biblical pattern of formation.
Prayer as a Whole Course
BIB 120 Prayer: Theology and Practice takes prayer seriously enough to give it a 3-credit course — rare at the undergraduate level.
Psychology of Religion Required
PSY 417 brings the empirical study of religious experience into the minor — uncommon in spiritual-formation programs.
Community + Development Included
CMI 101 Spiritual Life in Community and CHD 312 Human Development add the contextual and lifespan lenses formation actually requires.
Same Faculty as ACU's Bible, Ministry, and Psychology Programs
The minor draws from across three departments — students engage Bible & Theology, Christian Ministries, and Natural & Psychological Sciences faculty.
Getting Started
The Spiritual Formation Minor has a light prerequisite chain — BIB 100 or 101 unlocks BIB 207 Gospels, but the rest of the minor is flexible.
Talk With Your Academic Advisor
Map the 18 credits into your degree plan and identify whether the minor will feed into graduate ministry, counseling, or formation work after ACU.
Confirm BIB 100 or 101 for BIB 207
BIB 207 Gospels requires BIB 100 or BIB 101 first — most degree plans already include BIB 100, but confirm yours does.
View BIB 100 →Take the Foundational Courses Sophomore Year
BIB 103 Biblical Discipleship, BIB 120 Prayer, and CMI 101 Spiritual Life in Community are accessible without prerequisites — take them in your sophomore year.
Add PSY 417 and CHD 312
PSY 417 Psychology of Religion and CHD 312 Human Development can be taken in any order — most students fit them into junior or senior year.
Explore More Options
Ready to Engage Spiritual Formation Seriously?
The Spiritual Formation Minor combines biblical, communal, psychological, and developmental lenses into one focused 18-credit pathway. Apply or reach out today.
