Spiritual Formation

A different kind of education waits for you at Lipscomb.

Different, in that a Lipscomb education is transformational in its added concentration on the formation of students’ spiritual lives, challenging you in areas of faith and character and ethics before you are called on to exercise those skills and characteristics in your life beyond the university.

You will be adding Bible classes to your academic development. You will be attending chapel regularly. You will be involved in service to others—all activity that is not part of most students’ college experience, all to gain an education that has more dimension than most students’ college experience offers.

Some basics about faith here: Our foundation for faith is the mission and Good News of Jesus Christ as revealed in Scripture. With a high view for the authority of Scripture, we seek to exercise our faith in God, the Father; Jesus, the Son of God; and the Holy Spirit.

Where we have come from:  While our faith began with the historic reality of Jesus’ death and resurrection more than 2,000 years ago, our historic roots in recent history are in the American Religious Restoration Movement of the early 1800s with the Churches of Christ and its characteristic commitment to the authority of the Scripture in daily life.

Where our path leads us:  At Lipscomb, faith is a verb. We believe that faith is Jesus-centered discipleship in action and expresses itself through community worship, prayer, service and other spiritual practices. Yes, that makes us somewhat “counter culture” in 21st-century America compared to other universities, but we are quite comfortable being different in this way.

So we invite you to a closer look at this added dimension in higher education. And the added dimension it will give your life and work.

Sincerely,
Steve Davidson
Senior Campus Minister
steve.davidson@lipscomb.edu

First, faith is learned. 

Even Jesus Christ had instruction in faith as He grew.  From teachers in the synagogue to mentors in his family and faith. At Lipscomb, students also engage in these important formative experiences.

Bible Class: Yes, Bible classes are required of all students as part of their Lipscomb experience—18 hours if you attend here a traditional four-year period. These are rigorous, academic studies ranging from several fairly basic topics in your early college career that all students take to classes later in your program that likely relate to your professional choice.  We’re so serious about this that Bible is as integral to your grade-point average as any other area of study.

Taught under the leadership of the College of Bible and Ministry which houses the ATS-accredited Hazelip School of Theology, these classes are intended to enrich your professional choice as a vocation, not just a career. The first three semesters include the courses: The Story of Jesus, The Story of the Church and The Story of Israel. Those are followed by courses chosen in such areas as Biblical ethics, Christian living disciplines, faith and culture and other courses related to specific professional tracks.

In the classroom: At Lipscomb, student have the unique experience of being spiritually impacted by the instructors in every classroom. All faculty members are practicing Christians who have not only been selected for their proven academic expertise in specific areas, but their ability to help students search for God’s purpose in their vocations. Thus, prayer in class is very common. 

Mentoring: Students have the opportunity to form mentoring relationships with faculty, staff, alumni and other students, intended specifically for spiritual maturing. Called The Joshua Project, this voluntary program involves hundreds of students and mentors annually.

Academic majors in ministry and theology: Who knows? Through Lipscomb’s spiritual formation emphasis, you may discover that spiritual formation is your professional choice! The undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Bible and Ministry as well as the Hazelip School of Theology offers one of the only ATS-accredited programs in the area that is focused on practical application within church and parachurch professional work.

Sometimes faith is a team effort.

Spiritual growth is often best done — and most joyful — when done with others.  Students at Lipscomb have multiple opportunities to learn and grow spiritually in community activities.

Chapel 
We ask students to engage in communal meetings "chapel" several times a week to practice the disciplines of worship, prayer and time in God’s Word, among others. The 30 required chapels per semester can be met in the campus-wide “Gathering” and/or with more than a dozen smaller special-interest chapel gatherings to choose from, including men- and women-only chapels to gatherings of like-minded students around specific professional disciplines such as theater, business, and more.

Campus Ministry
Lipscomb University maintains a staff of full-time professional ministers who lead activities such as chapel, small group studies, prayer sessions, leadership development and more. But beyond these more formal organized activities, the campus ministry staff is available 24/7 to help students with spiritual challenges, opportunities and growth.

Mentoring
Students have the opportunity to form mentoring relationships with faculty, staff, alumni and other students, intended specifically for spiritual maturing. Called The Joshua Project, this voluntary program involves hundreds of students and mentors annually.

Faith lives in the residence halls:  Some of the richest spiritual activities a student will have at Lipscomb are in the midst of everyday life in the residence halls. Small-group Bible studies and devotionals are typically available throughout the week. And just as faculty is carefully chosen with a strength in spiritual leadership, so are the residence hall directors (RHDs) and student resident assistants (RAs) who live in each residence hall. These men and women are not only committed to students’ well-being and safety, but are also committed to intentionally creating a welcoming and positive environment conducive to spiritual well-being as well.

Spiritual life for athletes
If your Lipscomb career will include involvement as an athlete here at one of the few Christian NCAA D1 universities in the nation, be prepared to not only be challenged in your sport but also supported in your faith. Practice times and travel schedules can be challenging, so the athletics department includes a men’s and women’s minister to help ensure that athletes achieve the spiritual and academic growth they want along with their athletic success. Also, many Lipscomb athletes are involved team mission trips related to their sports passion, such as building athletic facilities for children in Haiti.

Find a church home
While on-campus opportunities for corporate worship and spiritual living and learning at Lipscomb are deep and wide, the university is committed to helping each student to find a church home within the city. The benefits of this important relationship are many, including fellowship outside the student body and the opportunity to connect with residents who are intensely interested in making sure their student members feel at home and are well loved! Each year, a Church Fair event is hosted on campus to link students with congregations, and the Lipscomb Office of Church Services stands as a resource to any student who is looking for the right congregational match for them.

The mission of Jesus to the ends of the earth.

Each year, more than 800 Lipscomb students, faculty, staff and community members are sent out in more than 50 mission trips, from a few miles away around town to thousands of miles away around the world for the purpose of being and revealing Jesus to the world. 

Some are a few days; some are a few weeks. All are unforgettable experiences with people and in places that will forever change its participants.

Trips are led by carefully trained and equipped leaders who help students direct their passion and purpose to accomplish good they never thought they could do.  Take a look at some great stories, as well as upcoming activities, from this very active area of student life.