Certificate in Spiritual Formation
Overview
The Certificate in Spiritual Formation, offered through Talbot’s Institute for Spiritual Formation (ISF), is an introductory yet intensive program designed to assist your personal growth, to provide initial training for ministry in the local church, and to give you an opportunity to understand your giftedness to determine whether the Lord is calling you to more training and preparation for ministry.
As an introductory program, this 18-credit certificate has coursework designed to orient you to the practices of soul care and spiritual direction, including opportunities for you to experience personal spiritual direction and participate in various retreats. But unlike ISF’s master’s programs, the certificate does not include (1) actual practice in doing soul care and spiritual mentoring with others in a church or university context or (2) professional supervision from a faculty spiritual mentor regarding your practice of mentoring others.
Should you discern a call to further studies, certificate coursework may later be applied toward a Master of Divinity or Master of Arts degree through ISF.
Yes! Tell Me More!
Why Pursue a Certificate at Talbot?
Study and Experience Spiritual Formation from a Trusted Program. Talbot’s Institute for Spiritual Formation is a trusted leader among Christian seminaries in the area of spiritual formation and soul care. Through your meditation on the Word, experiential prayer projects, retreats and personal experience in spiritual direction, this program aims to nurture your relationship to Christ, cultivate growth in character and develop behavior consistent with the faith.
Be Equipped to Serve Others. Develop your understanding of how the Holy Spirit works in a believer’s life with coursework in theology, biblical studies and spiritual formation. You will be better prepared to serve others in your current ministry or church as you learn, and personally experience, spiritual direction and the ministry of soul care.
Learn from ISF’s Reputable Faculty. All the courses in your program are part of Talbot’s degree programs, meaning you will receive the same high-quality education and training from ISF’s expert faculty and professional spiritual directors, each of whom are committed to God’s Word and to equipping men and women to serve the body of Christ.
Take a “Test Drive” of a Talbot Master’s Program. Not sure whether to pursue a full degree? This certificate program gives you a taste of what Talbot’s academic degree programs can offer. Should you choose to continue, your required courses can be applied to a Master of Arts or Master of Divinity degree.
Courses
Below are the course requirements for this academic program. For full program details, visit Biola's academic catalog.
Overview
The Certificate in Spiritual Formation is an introductory yet intensive, integrative program within the Institute for Spiritual Formation at Talbot School of Theology, designed to assist individuals in their personal growth, provide some training in lay ministry of spiritual formation in the local church and give the student opportunity to understand their giftedness in order to determine whether the Lord is calling them to more training and preparation for ministry.
The program is designed entirely around promoting growth in the believer's inner life of faith and prayer with God in the context of a shared community and developed knowledge-base in the Word, spiritual formation and soul care. It focuses specifically on ways to deepen one's knowledge and openness to God and His work as well as understanding of one's self and others in order to grow toward conformity of character and inner life in the image of Christ. In order to accomplish this, the program has a substantial emphasis on understanding the dynamics of the Indwelling Holy Spirit as they interface human personality and relational dynamics. These integrative endeavors are enhanced by the Institute's diverse university-wide faculty that draws particularly upon Rosemead School of Psychology and Talbot School of Theology, bringing a wide range of expertise and experience to bear upon the process of human spiritual growth and soul care.
Certificate course work may later be applied toward a Master of Divinity or Master of Arts degree.
Mission
The mission of the Certificate in Spiritual Formation is to introduce believers to the processes involved in knowing themselves honestly and openly before God and one another in Truth, in cultivating intimacy with, growth in and obedience to Christ, in the training in lay ministry of spiritual formation in the local church which, in turn, gives opportunity for students to explore their calling and potential need for more training in ministry.
Program Learning Outcome
Upon completion of the 18-credit Spiritual Formation Certificate, students will be able to:
- Explain the basic elements of Spiritual Theology, namely, the nature, process, and practices of spiritual growth (ULO 1).
Each Program Learning Outcome (PLO) listed above references at least one of the University Learning Outcomes (ULO 1, 2, 3), which may be found in the General Information section of this catalog.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college with a minimum grade point average of 2.6 (on a 4.0 scale). Applicants who do not possess a Bachelor of Arts degree or its academic equivalent from an accredited institution may still apply and may be provisionally admitted at the discretion of Talbot School of Theology.
For special admissions deadlines and requirements involved in the Certificate in Spiritual Formation, contact Graduate Admissions. Due to the unique nature of this program, all applicants will be personally interviewed.
Completion Requirements
- Satisfactorily complete all courses for a total of 18 semester credits as outlined in the curriculum below, including co-curricular requirements. Applicants who do not possess a Bachelor of Arts degree or its academic equivalent from an accredited institution may still apply and may be provisionally admitted at the discretion of Talbot School of Theology.
- Obtain a 2.5 GPA with no grade below a D- in all courses to be credited toward completion.
- At least 9 credits must be taken at this seminary.
- Complete the entire program in no more than five years.
Students are placed on academic probation if their GPA for any semester falls below 2.5 and will remain on probation as long as the single semester or cumulative GPA remains below 2.5.
Probation students are granted one semester in which to bring their academic work up to the required level (2.5) for continuance in the seminary. A student cannot complete the certificate while on probation.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| TTSF 521 | Introduction to Christian Spirituality and Prayer | 3 |
| TTSF 524 | History and Theory of Christian Soul Care and Direction | 3 |
| TTSF 532 | Developmental Spirituality and Contemplative Prayer | 2 |
| TTSF 543 | Personal Foundations of Spirituality and Retreat | 3 |
| TTSF 672 | Personal Retreat and Formation | 2 |
| TTSF 701 | Spiritual Formation Seminar | 2 |
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Hermeneutics and the Word in Spiritual Formation | ||
| Theology I: God, Scripture, Creation | ||
| Theology II: Christ, Humanity, Sin, Salvation | ||
| Co-Curricular Requirements | ||
| Contact the Institute for Spiritual Formation (ISF) for a full description of these requirements. 1 | ||
Didactic Therapy (Recommended) | ||
Faculty-Student Retreat | ||
| Personal Spiritual Direction (must be taken every term of enrollment) | ||
| Total Credits | 18 | |