Spiritual formation is at the core of Biola’s heartbeat. One of the ways that we integrate spiritual formation into student life is through our Spiritual Development department! This department is near and dear to my heart, as I am part of chapel programs (which is one of the ministries they offer). So what exactly is Spiritual Development?

Spiritual Development is a department on campus which offers programs that seek to nurture and integrate God’s love into student’s lives. Biola students are able to both use the resources that Spiritual Development offers—such as Pastoral Care counseling—as well as get involved with the ministries that they run! The ministries range from on campus to local and global. Here are a few examples of those ministries:

On Campus

Worship Teams: Lead our campus into a conversation with God through song and prayer.

Torrey Conference: Run the Torrey Memorial Bible Conference, which includes marketing, creating spaces around campus to engage in discussion about the conference theme, hosting speakers and taking care of logistics.

Local

Manna Ministries: A ministry that seeks to love homeless and low-income communities in Los Angeles through offering physical resources as well as building relationships.

Salam: Educates students to effectively engage, foster friendships and share the Good News with Muslims.

Global

Honduras Service Project: Extend Christ's love through working on a water project with a local Honduran organization and bringing the living water through ministries and sharing the gospel.

Tijuana Ministry: Ministers monthly alongside an orphanage in Mexico.

One of my favorite memories being part of Spiritual Development (also known as SpiD), is my first spring retreat! Each semester, SpiD takes the department on a retreat where we get to grow together in community, learn from our directors and eat lots of food. All together, Spiritual Development has some amazing resources available to students, and it has been one of the biggest highlights of my college experience so far.

Hopefully this blog was able to give you a little glimpse of our Spiritual Development department on campus!

Til next blog,

Aubs