The below policies apply to each student as of August 2019.
- 15 chapel credits are required per semester, per grade level
- 10 of the 15 are standard credits that must be acquired through primary chapel services and programs (such as our Thielman Lecture Series or Faith and Culture Symposium)
- 5 of the 15 credits are electives. You may also get them by attending regular chapels, but you have additional options including (but not limited to) community service, writing a response to a classic Christian text, and/or attending other specified events with a spiritually formative focus.
- Note: All elective options must be pre-approved by the Dean of Spiritual Formation before the end of the first month of the semester in order to receive credit.
- Students may participate in the Alpha Film Series for standard chapel credit. Participation in Alpha is limited to a first come, first serve basis. For more information email Rachel at rachel.toone@montreat.edu.
- For more information and for delinquency consequences, see our FAQs.
- For an in-depth view of our policies, keep reading.
Spiritual Formation Policy
Corporate worship is at the heart of life at Montreat College, reorienting our perspective on everything else we do. Chapel services create space for our community to do two things: encounter the power and relevance of the biblical narrative, and allow our worship of God to define our engagement with life. Chapel provides the platform for staff, faculty, students, local pastors, and outside speakers to address the reality of the Gospel and its impact on the world. The Alpha Film Series is an opportunity for students struggling with faith to engage their questions directly.
All full-time students who matriculate after August 2019 are required to accumulate fifteen (15) spiritual formation credits per semester. Ten (10) of these credits must be acquired by attending any combination of the following: chapel on Monday or Wednesday, the Alpha Film Series, fall symposiums, and/or the Thielman Lecture series. Five (5) credits are electives, and may be attained by attending any of the opportunities listed above or by the following options: community service, writing a response to a classic Christian text, lectures or events around campus with a spiritually formative focus, and/or any other event pre-approved by the Dean of Spiritual Formation. All elective options must be pre-approved by the Dean of Spiritual Formation in order to receive credit, and the number of credits granted shall be at the discretion of the Dean of Spiritual Formation. The community service and writing options must be requested and approved by the Dean of Spiritual Formation before the end of the first month of the semester.
No student may graduate without meeting the spiritual formation requirement. Students with internships, student teaching responsibilities, and some commuters with extenuating circumstances may be eligible for an exemption by submitting a written request to the Dean of Spiritual Formation prior to registration or no later than one week following the beginning of classes each semester. Should any student fail to comply with the spiritual formation requirement, a $25 fine will be charged to their student account per missed credit. If a student does not wish to pay the fine for any reason, they may complete a written assignment to be determined by the Dean of Spiritual Formation. The length of this assignment will be based on the total credits missed, is due one week after the last chapel of the semester, and must be requested from the Dean of Spiritual Formation prior to the last chapel of the semester. The fine will be removed from the student’s account once they have completed the assignment to the satisfaction of the Dean of Spiritual Formation.