Welcome to ACU and to the Spiritual Formation website. We know you have questions about what it means to attend a Christian university, and we want to provide you with honest answers.  Christian is more than our middle name; it’s our identity.  Our greatest desire is to reflect Jesus in all that we are and in everything we do.  

Spiritual formation is the process by which your inner self is given “form” or “character.”  At ACU, to be formed spiritually is to be formed Christianly—to have your inner being become more and more like the inner being of Jesus. This act of God’s grace comes freely to those who choose to intentionally engage the journey of a transformed life.  We invite you to join us on this Spirit-driven expedition whereby God’s grace calls you to Jesus, gathers you with others who have also been called, teaches you to think in new ways, and sends you out as representations of his love and mercy.

Sounds simple, right?  It isn’t.  In fact, those who dare to walk this journey are revolutionaries in the truest sense.  If you sign on with this mission, you’ll live in the real world facing real questions, and the answers we explore will not be the patent, simplistic answers you might be use to.  Instead, you’ll be challenged in ways you never dreamed were possible, and your faith will be stretched and grown in unbelievable ways.

Chapel is part of this journey, but it’s not the end in itself.  Instead, Chapel is the time when we all come together to remember whose we are, and to express ourselves in worship to God through Jesus Christ.  We think it’s important, so like other aspects of your educational curriculum, it’s required.  

Small group Bible study is also essential for spiritual formation.  You’ll have a variety of opportunities to join a Bible study in your residence hall or your local church.  You’ll take Bible as part of your required coursework at ACU, but that’s just the beginning.  Once you look to scripture for a better understanding of Jesus, you’ll find new and exciting ways to live your life according to his way, and exploring this new life is best when you’re with your closest friends. 

Ministry opportunities abound at ACU.  Some organized activities will involve you in serving others by ministering to children through Wildcat Kids, building a Habitat house, serving meals through Meals on Wheels, or confronting AIDS through Awake 3:18.  Weekend and Spring Break Campaigns will intensify these experiences and allow you to connect with others who enjoy being Jesus to a hurting world.  Every ministry is a further expression of what it means to be sent—to be the light and life of Jesus.

For the really brave souls, internships, Let’s Start Talking, and other short-term mission opportunities are always available during the summer months.  Some students even consider taking an entire semester or year to devote to these intense training regimens, sometimes called World Wide Witness.  You might want to consider how God is calling you to another country, or to the inner city of a large urban area in your own country.  Your worldview will be expanded to understand that God is huge, and his care and concern for our world is much larger than our own hometown.

I could go on and on about all the ways you can be transformed in your Christian walk.  Suffice it to say, lack of opportunity will never be the problem.  All that’s left is your decision.  Do you want to become all that God has created you to be?  Do you hear the call of Jesus to follow him and to be his disciple?  I hope you’ll join others who dare to be different—to resist conforming to the masses and become part of an elite group of people.  A group of people who end up first by being last, who live by dying to themselves, and who lead by serving.

Let me know if we can help you sign up for the journey,

Wayne Barnard, Ph.D.
University Dean of Spiritual Formation