2023-24 Academic Catalog

Certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship

Overview

The Certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship is a non-degree program designed to train students in the transformative work of Christian formation and discipleship. The entire curriculum pathway is designed to prepare you to companion and serve like Christ, the Way. 

 The Certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship is designed for:

  • Individuals who desire to walk more deeply with Christ and who seek the companionship of academic and formation guides 
  • Persons who feel called to spiritual direction and/or retreat ministries 
  • Individuals who desire more biblical and formational training in order to serve more effectively as lay leaders in local churches or parachurch settings 

The certificate is focused on expanding biblical and theological knowledge, deepening awareness of God and self, integrating life experiences, and enhancing Christ-like spiritual practices so that students can demonstrate the characteristics of Jesus in their vocational contexts. Our understanding of spiritual formation involves the intersection of Scripture, theology, psychology, and social-cultural factors. The focus of our curriculum, therefore, is on developing awareness, increasing empathy and compassion skills, and building distinct spiritual practices that promote authentic Christian discipleship.

Program Competencies

The Certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship will equip and form students to think with clarity like Christ, live with integrity in Christ, and serve with the heart of God for Christ. 

To think with clarity like Christ students will

  • Analyze ancient sources and contextualize meaning  

  To live with integrity in Christ students will

  • Embrace identity & belonging in Christ
  • Deepen self awareness for Christ 
  • Engage the sacramental life with Christ
  • Embody listening and discernment with the Holy Spirit 
  • Cultivate hospitable community for God’s world  

To serve with the Heart of God for Christ students will

  • Form communities of shalom and grace

Degree Outcomes

  • Equip students to develop habits of authentic disciplines that center on thinking and living in Christ's presence
  • Identify and evaluate one’s own spiritual formation journey of conforming to the image of Christ.
  • Develop skills and practices for guiding the journey of others as disciples of Jesus
  • Foster socio-cultural awareness and relational skills that cultivates maturity into God’s fullness

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the Certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship program must hold a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university† with a minimum GPA of 2.5. In addition, applicants must complete the following to be considered for admission to the program:

  • Submit Portland Seminary application form and application fee
  • Submit one official transcript from each college/university attended
  • Resumé
  • Personal mission statement and statement of faith
  • Three letters of reference (as specified in admissions materials)
  • An interview

†Applicants who do not hold a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university may apply to the university and will be required to submit additional documentation to be considered for admission.

Transfer Credit

Transfer of up to 11 hours credit is allowed toward the Certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship program from ATS accredited graduate schools, as appropriate to the curriculum. Students must have earned a grade of B or better for a course to be considered for transfer. In addition, only courses taken elsewhere within 10 years of the date of matriculation to the Certificate in Spiritual Formation program will be considered for transfer. Transferability of credits earned at this institution and transferred to another is at the discretion of the receiving institution. Consult the registrar's office for information on eligibility of transfer credit.

Residence Requirements

Residence, as described in this section of the catalog, does not refer to the time a student spends on campus. It refers to the portion of a degree program that students are required to earn with Portland Seminary, as compared to transfer credits and credit applied as advanced standing. With regard to the Certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship program, students are required to complete half of the certificate (11 semester hours) directly with Portland Seminary. A leave of absence is valid for up to one year, after which the student must reapply to the program. Reinstatement to the program after withdrawal requires Admissions Committee action and may subject the student to additional requirements for the certificate.

Course Requirements

The Certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship program is generally two years in length with 23 semester hours of coursework required as a minimum for graduation. Of the total hours required for the degree, 6 are in biblical and theological foundations courses, 3 are in pastoral studies courses, and 14 are in spiritual formation courses.

Graduation Requirements

In order to receive the Certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship students must:

  • Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 23 semester hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
  • Successfully complete each milestone
  • Successfully pass candidacy
  • Be recommended by the seminary faculty for graduation from Portland Seminary of George Fox University

Curriculum Plan

Complete the following:
Examines and reflects on stories of various persons in both the Old and New Testaments that emphasize narratives of spiritual transformation. In particular, students will reflect on the patterns and practices of formation. The course will invite deep reflection on character building, ethical formation, and the application of such narratives to Christian ministry contexts.
Complete the following:
Examines movements and people within Christianity who have brought spiritual renewal to the church, including monasticism, the mystics, the Reformers, Pietism, the Wesleyan/evangelical revival, and certain present-day examples. Focuses not only on history, but also on themes within spiritual renewal and on insights that can be drawn for the contemporary believer and church.

Complete the following:

Introduces the pastoral counseling role of the minister or spiritual director. The purpose of the course is to acquaint the student with a basic counseling method in relation to the typical situations encountered in ministry. Special attention will be given to healthy differentiation and ministerial ethics. One of the principal objectives will be to help the student recognize when and how to refer persons to qualified mental health professionals.
Complete the following:
Provides an opportunity for students to identify their deep longings and giftings as they discern their vocational way of being in the world for the sake of others. This discernment is rooted in a growing knowledge of the biblical and theological roots of identity and belonging. Students will be invited to integrate their way of being in the world with the God who calls them.
Provides an invitation for students to embrace the calling to belong within a faith community as an essential of Christian spirituality. Locating their past and present sources of belonging, students will integrate those experiences in order to grow in their understanding of self in relation to community. Students will support this awareness by reflecting on the cultural forces and narratives that shape both individuals and communities.
Provides an invitation for students to engage in prayer and other spiritual practices for greater awareness of self, others and God. As students practice they will be introduced to the gift of a contemplative life and will begin to experience a groundedness in Christ’s presence. This groundedness helps them embrace themselves, God, and others. As students learn to experience this space, they will be able to invite others into a more contemplative life.
Introduces students to the concept of three-way listening: listening to another, listening to themselves, and listening to the Spirit with hospitality to all. Quaker, Wesleyan, and Ignatian spiritualities help shape this understanding of listening and discernment. Part of this journey is to begin to notice the barriers that arise in listening this way. Growth will occur as students learn how to sift through their interior and exterior experiences to determine their origin and the movement of the Spirit in themselves, their community, and the world.
Introduces students to the rhythms of ritual, mystery, and beauty as pathways for Christian formation. Moving from the specific to the general, students will cultivate the ability to experience the sacred in the ordinary through tangible practices. These practices will be guided by theological reflection on the implications of the Incarnation, thus allowing students to both explore and notice God’s recreative presence in the arts, creation, and all of life.
Leaning deeper in reflection on areas of disintegration and integration, students will be invited to practice self-acceptance, generosity of spirit, boundaries, and to recognize invitations of growth. Analyzing the theology of spiritual leadership and reviewing elements which invite leaders to sustain a leadership role with integrity and health, students will reflect and create a rhythm of life that will serve as a fluid document to sustain them as they live out their vocational call within the communities they serve.
Invites students to experience and explore images of God and understandings of spirituality through Scripture and the writings of the mystical traditions of the Church. Studying the spiritual writings of others through history opens one to consider their own image of God and concept of spirituality. This recognition, often shaped from childhood and life experience, offers an invitation to an expanding understanding of God. Mystics invite us to move beyond knowledge about God into an experiential relationship with God that impacts everyday life.
Invites students to explore God’s transformative action and desire for restorative justice and Shalom through the writings of the biblical prophets, Christian mystics, and activists. Students will broaden their awareness of unjust systems while considering their personal participation in oppressive structures. Reflective practices and discussion will invite students to actively join with God and create practices for response and reconciliation that extend God’s hospitality and restores the humanity of all.
This course focuses on hosting spiritual conversations for soul companions. Generous listening is a core practice for intentionally guiding persons in their spiritual growth and at the center of training for spiritual directors. This course explores the historical, theological, biblical, and psychological premises for soul companionship and introduces students to core practices. Students will reflect on meaning and definitions of hosting spiritual conversations in light of their own experience and the course teachings and personal discernment regarding vocational spiritual direction. Note: it is required that students take SFAD 571 & SFAD 572.
This course continues the students’ training in the discipline of spiritual direction. It addresses professional issues related to being a spiritual director and gives students practical experience in being spiritual directors, under the guidance of certified supervisors. (Note: it is required that students take both SFAD 571 & SFAD 572. Additional fees: The cost of personal spiritual direction is covered by the student.)