Spiritual Formation FAQ

• Students earn spiritual formation credits by participating in Chapel. 
  • Weekly Tuesday and Wednesday
  • Periodic Monday department, school, and special experiences
  • Periodic Evening worship experiences for special events and conferences
• Students earn spiritual formation credits by participating in a weekly (typically on Thursdays at 10am) Barnabas Group with an approved Barnabas Group leader.
• Students earn spiritual formation credits by participating in the Student Mission Fellowship (SMF) on Wednesday nights in WM 104 at 6:30pm.
• Students earn spiritual formation credits by participating in the Hmong Student Association (HSA) on Thursday evenings and held at various locations and times.
• Students earn spiritual formation credits by developing a relationship with an approved Mentor for the purpose of Christian formation.
  • Students are responsible for Obtaining, Completing, and Submitting a mentor proposal form from/to the Director of Spiritual Formation (DSF).
  • Students are required to choose an approved mentor as determined by the DSF.
  • Students receive 1 spiritual formation credit for participating in a mentoring session (typically 1 hour) and can earn up to a total of 5 spiritual formation credits in a given semester.
  • Students are required to pursue a mentoring relationship that focuses on spiritual formation. A student’s semester plan for formation should be broadly delineated in statement form and approved by the DSF prior to the initial mentoring session.
  • Students, at the conclusion of the semester, are required to submit a one-page, single-spaced, reflection report on the mentoring experience with an eye toward meeting the objectives of the original formation plan. This report requires the signature of the student and mentor.

• Students who are significantly involved in formative ministry in a local church setting are invited to work with the OSF in co-creating a Spiritual Formation Project that can satisfy a portion of the requirement to earn spiritual formation credits (typically, “5”) during the semester. Such project proposals must be developed in conjunction with the DSF and approved within the first 30 days of a given semester.
• Students can watch up to five Online Chapels and write a one page, double- spaced summary that reflects on the theme, content, and formative aspects of the entirety of the worship experience.
  • Students can access video footage of Chapels online here.
  • For each summary reflection submitted from the current semester, students receive one spiritual formation credit, and can earn up to a total of 5 spiritual formation credits in a given semester.
  • Summaries are due at 5:00 pm on the day of the last Chapel.

These activities do not qualify for SFCs. However, students are encouraged to maintain an ongoing practice of personal disciplines that nurture Christian formation (e.g., solitude, prayer, the study of Scripture, mission/evangelism, etc.). Students are encouraged to take advantage of sacred spaces set aside for personal and corporate times of prayer, reflection, and encouragement in residence halls, the beautiful outdoors, and the various prayer rooms. Furthermore, Christian formation requires participation in a local faith community. It is the expectation at TFC that all faculty, staff, and students attend, participate, and contribute to the life of a local Christian congregation of their choosing.

• Students are required to check in through the iAttended App to receive a credit for Chapel, Barnabas Group, Student Mission Fellowship, or Hmong Student Association gatherings.
• Students will either be given a QR code or a four digit code to enter.
• Students participating in a Mentoring relationship – one approved by the Office of Spiritual Formation – is required to submit an attendance and evaluation report for review to spiritualformation@tfc.edu, signed by the mentor, by no later than 5:00 pm on the day of the final Chapel of the semester.
• Students completing a Spiritual Formation Project – one co-created and approved by the Office of Spiritual Formation – is required to submit an evaluation report for review to spiritualformation@tfc.edu, signed by the onsite supervisor, by no later than 5:00 pm on the day of the final Chapel of the semester.
• Students are not encouraged, but are permitted to watch an Online Worship Experiences (current semester), write a one-page (double-spaced) summary reflection, and submit summaries for review to spiritualformation@tfc.edu by no later than 5:00 pm on the day of the final Chapel of the semester.

• Students on campus are required to earn 30 spiritual formation credits for Fall 2021.
• Students who reside off-campus but are still within a 15 mile diameter of campus (commuters) are required to earn 25 spiritual formation credits during a given semester.
• Students who reside off-campus outside a 15 mile radius of campus are required to earn 15 spiritual formation credits during a given semester. Students must email the Office of Spiritual Formation with their name and current address to receive a reduction in Spiritual Formation Credits.
• Students who are significantly involved in formative ministry in a local church setting are invited to work with the OSF in co-creating a project that may satisfy a portion of the requirement to earn spiritual formation credits during the semester. Such project proposals must be developed in conjunction with the DSF and approved within the first 30 days of a given semester.

• Students who fail to earn the required number (30, 25, 15) spiritual formation credits by the end of the semester will be subject to a $20 fine for each credit under the required amount (e.g., 10/15 credits – 5 X $20 = $100).
• Chapel fines are assessed at the conclusion of each semester and must be paid in full before resuming classes the following semester.

• Students leaders, who carry the title of Assistants of Grace (AoG), are available to serve you before, during, and at the conclusion of the worship experience.
• AoGs are located at the chapel entrances/exits, either in the lobby area prior to chapel and inside the chapel during the worship experience.

• Students leaders, who carry the title of Assistants of Grace (AoG), are available to serve you before, during, and at the conclusion of the worship experience.
• AoGs are located at the chapel entrances/exits, either in the lobby area prior to chapel and inside the chapel during the worship experience.
• Students must scan in with the iAttended app before 10:10 am or they are not eligible to receive Spiritual Formation Credit.

• Students are expected to participate in the chapel experience from start to finish.
• Students who scan the QR code after the 15-minute mark will not receive a spiritual formation credit for the day.
• Students who leave chapel (for reasons other than utilizing the restroom facilities) prior to its conclusion must sign out with an Assistants of Grace (AoG) and will not receive credit for that day, unless approval has been granted in advance by the DSF.

• Students are strongly encouraged to monitor their record of worship participation on a weekly basis through the iAttended App.
• Students are responsible to contact the OSF if they did not receive credit for a worship experience they attended.
• Students must submit a written request (spiritualformation@tfc.edu) that provides their full name, their student identification number, and the unaccounted-for date.
• Students are responsible to report this discrepancy by no later than three weeks from the unaccounted date.

• Students can monitor the number of spiritual formation credits earned at any given time throughout the semester by looking at their iAttended App.

• Students are welcome to contact spiritualformation@tfc.edu or jjbrown@tfc.edu with any request, question, or concern.
• Students are welcome to visit the Office of Spiritual Formation and pursue any request, question, or concern in person.
• Students can receive information and assistance with tracking spiritual formation credits with an Assistants of Grace (AoG) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays before chapel.