Spiritual Formation
What if God wants what is best for you? What if God wants it even more than you do?
Spiritual Formation at Bethel is about participating in God’s work of shaping us into the likeness of Jesus, for the sake of the world. This happens as we learn to arrange our lives to be touched and transformed by the Holy Spirit. It happens as we lean into relationships with mentors and friends who support and challenge us to follow Jesus. It happens as we learn to be on mission in our Father’s world.
Shift for first-year students
The shift from high school to college can be an exciting one. New school. New friends. New experiences. It can also be a scary one. More options. More choices. More responsibility. One of the exciting and scary questions you will ask is, “Will I make my faith my own?”
Shift is a spiritual formation experience for first-year students that is designed to help you make your faith your own. As you forge new friendships, you will learn how to follow Jesus individually, in community, and for a lifetime.
Spiritual formation for all students
As we own our faith, Jesus invites us to become intentional with our influence. He invites us to lead. We want to help you develop as a leader who is intentional with your influence. Whether it is leading in a Christian Formation ministry area (or some other area on campus), starting a new ministry, leading your own small group, or participating in other leadership development experiences, we want to see you grow as a leader.
Community groups
Powerful spiritual growth happens in small group settings. Community Groups at Bethel are groups of 4–8 students who meet regularly for the purpose of growing in their spiritual life. Each group takes on its own format and personality, but there are three primary values for every group:
- Sharing lives (mutual exchange, accountability, care, challenge)
- Prayer (in some way, prayer plays a prominent role in the life of the group)
- Jesus as our model (encouraging students to be with Jesus to become more like Jesus so we can do what Jesus did)
To learn more about Community Groups, email Pastor Matt Runion at matthew-runion@bethel.edu.
Spiritual formation for specific audiences
Sometimes we grow as followers of Jesus through relationships with people who are like us, going through something similar to us, or ahead of us on the journey. Through our common experiences, we find common ground for the Spirit to grow us to be more like Jesus and on mission in our Father’s world.
To learn more, email Pastor Matt Runion at matthew-runion@bethel.edu.
Questions?
Have questions or ideas about spiritual formation at Bethel? Email Pastor Sara Richards at sara-richards@bethel.edu.