6 courses (18 credits): 4 Required & 2 Elective
Available 100% online or at our Hamilton Campus.
The Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Formation equips Christians to discern the Holy Spirit and integrate spiritual formation into their vocations.
Spiritual formation is an essential backbone for flourishing ministry, academic, and workplace contexts. If you are seeking preparation for leadership in congregational care, discipleship, spiritual direction, counseling services, corporate worship, or college ministry, the Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Formation is for you. This certificate is designed to help you discover your unique God-given design and a clearer sense of your vocational and spiritual identity. Be equipped with a spiritual toolbox filled with ministry principles, methods, and skills to discern the Holy Spirit; integrate spiritual formation into any vocation; and embark on a journey of lifelong spiritual transformation.
What is Spiritual Formation?
Spiritual Formation is the study of the Holy Spirit’s initiation and enactment of lifelong transformation in believers: the Spirit both conforms us into the likeness of Jesus Christ and enables us to grow in our relationship with God, knowing his love at increasing depths and experiencing rich fellowship with him.
The study of Spiritual Formation at Gordon-Conwell is intentionally kaleidoscopic, taking an interdisciplinary approach that mines resources from biblical studies, theology, church history, the arts, literature, counseling, and spiritual direction. We endeavor to equip students with a spiritual toolbox filled with ministry principles, models, methods, and skills that they can put to use for a lifetime. With an emphasis on discovering one’s unique God-given design, we help students catch a clearer sense of their vocational and spiritual identity, discern their calling for the sake of the church, become equipped to persevere in the midst of challenges and obstacles, and grow in attentiveness to God. Students learn how to develop integrated models for ministry that engage the whole person and bring coherence between theology, spirituality, and practice.
This certificate program is ideal preparation for:
- Counseling
- Leadership in Congregational Formation
- Director of Spiritual Formation
- Director of Discipleship
- Corporate Worship Leader
- Theology & the Arts
- Wilderness, Camp, Conference, & Retreat Ministries
- College Ministry
- Life Coaching
- Spiritual Director (additional training through our partner Selah)
Courses
Six courses (18 credits): 4 Required & 2 Elective
Spiritual Formation for Ministry
Prioritizing spiritual formation is a fundamental ingredient to healthy ministry, academic, and workplace relations. This course will equip you to develop a vibrant spiritual and active devotional life with Christ. Learn about the multi-disciplinary nature of spiritual formation from biblical, theological, historical, liturgical, experiential, and literary perspectives. Look closely at the life of Christ as a model for developing healthy spiritual patterns and conduct case studies to observe practices from historic Christian figures for developing a robust personal spiritual discipline.
Dynamics of Spiritual Life
Dynamics of Spiritual Life (CH/SF591) draws on the biblical Creation-Redemption narrative, training students in LifeStory Exegesis,™ a model of Christian spirituality that can be used in personal renewal, spiritual formation, direction, discipleship, mentoring, and counseling.
Spiritual Formation Course in Church History (Select One)
C.S. Lewis' Life, Works, and Spirituality
Explore the writings and spiritual pilgrimage of one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century. Trace the life and work of the myth-loving medieval professor, apologist, children’s author, and Inkling from County Down to Cambridge University, through two World Wars and a wardrobe, to Narnia and Perelandra.
Medieval Spirituality
Examine medieval approaches to knowing God through mysticism, monasticism, popular piety, sacraments, worship, art, music, architecture, and symbolism. Explore their relevance to spirituality today.
Reformation Era Spirituality
Examine Reformation-era spirituality as the interface between Christian theology and human existence, focusing on the Christological, eschatological, and experiential character of the evangelical spirituality developed in Luther’s Wittenberg Reformation. Analyze the distinctive contributions of Luther, Calvin, the Anabaptists, and St. Ignatius of Loyola against the background of medieval spirituality and the competing spiritualities of the period through extensive engagement with primary sources.
Spiritual Formation Course in Counseling (Select One)
Cross-Cultural Counseling
Examine issues of race, ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and disability status within a counseling context through a theological framework that develops self-awareness and engagement with diversity. Analyze the roles, structures, functions, systems, behaviors, values, and environmental factors affecting individual and family systems while exploring cultural and racial identity, bias, oppression, discrimination, privilege, multicultural competence, ethical practice, reflection, and social justice.
Group Process
Examine group interventions in counseling, workplace, and ministry settings through experiential participation and study of group therapy theory, including group process approaches, group dynamics, group formation, and appropriate referrals. Develop knowledge and skills to initiate and lead groups by analyzing evidence-based interventions and applying group counseling strategies that address the special needs and characteristics of diverse client groups.
Ministering to Women in Pain
Develop an adequate Christian theodicy for addressing pain and a deeper understanding of the complex presenting problems many women experience. Refine pastoral care skills by identifying effective ways to help women manage painful events and circumstances within the context of a truthful Christian theodicy.
Spiritual Formation Electives (Select Two)
Cross-Cultural Counseling
Examine issues of race, ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and disability status within a counseling context through a theological framework that develops self-awareness and engagement with diversity. Analyze the roles, structures, functions, systems, behaviors, values, and environmental factors affecting individual and family systems while exploring cultural and racial identity, bias, oppression, discrimination, privilege, multicultural competence, ethical practice, reflection, and social justice.
C.S. Lewis’ Life, Works, and Spirituality
Explore the writings and spiritual pilgrimage of one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century. Trace the life and work of the myth-loving medieval professor, apologist, children’s author, and Inkling from County Down to Cambridge University, through two World Wars and a wardrobe, to Narnia and Perelandra.
Global Christian Spirituality & Leadership
Examine global leadership by exploring the dynamics that contribute to its rise around the world through theological, historical, sociological, and globalization perspectives. Investigate the persons, organizations, and issues that contribute to these movements worldwide through original research.
Group Process
Examine group interventions in counseling, workplace, and ministry settings through experiential participation and study of group therapy theory, including group process approaches, group dynamics, group formation, and appropriate referrals. Develop knowledge and skills to initiate and lead groups by analyzing evidence-based interventions and applying group counseling strategies that address the special needs and characteristics of diverse client groups.
Medieval Spirituality
Examine medieval approaches to knowing God through mysticism, monasticism, popular piety, sacraments, worship, art, music, architecture, and symbolism. Explore their relevance to spirituality today.
Ministering to Women in Pain
Develop an adequate Christian theodicy for addressing pain and a deeper understanding of the complex presenting problems many women experience. Refine pastoral care skills by identifying effective ways to help women manage painful events and circumstances within the context of a truthful Christian theodicy.
Pastoral Counseling
Develop the knowledge and skills to offer pastoral care and short-term counseling in a variety of ministry and church settings through principles and techniques grounded in a biblical-theological framework and informed by historical and psychological perspectives. Examine biblical foundations for pastoral care, pastoral care and counseling in church history, listening and empathy, counseling and community, multicultural competence, basic counseling problems in ministry, the church as an agent of healing and mental health, self-care, and the lifelong practice of a hermeneutics of charity within personal, spiritual, and pastoral formation.
Reformation Era Spirituality
Examine Reformation-era spirituality as the interface between Christian theology and human existence, focusing on the Christological, eschatological, and experiential character of the evangelical spirituality developed in Luther’s Wittenberg Reformation. Analyze the distinctive contributions of Luther, Calvin, the Anabaptists, and St. Ignatius of Loyola against the background of medieval spirituality and the competing spiritualities of the period through extensive engagement with primary sources.
Spiritual Formation & the Arts
Explore an independent study, any session by petition. See section on reading and research courses in the Academic Catalog for information.
Practicum
Students in the Spiritual Formation Certificate are required to complete four personal retreats (for low-residency students, these may be in their local area) and two semesters of a supervised spiritual formation practicum through one of the following:
- Mentored ministry
- A LifeStory Exegesis™ small group (for residential students)
- A Pierce Center soul care group
- A discipling relationship through the Discipleship Experience Program
- A certificate in spiritual direction through programs such as Selah
Further Study
In Fall 2021, Gordon-Conwell will begin offering a concentration in Spiritual Formation for two of our MA programs: the MA in Christian Ministry (MACM) and the MA in Theological Studies (MATS). The Certificate in Spiritual Formation provides a foundation for both degree programs and all certificate courses can be applied toward the MACM or MATS.
Have Questions?
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