Formation Groups
In addition to the rich learning opportunities offered each semester by our 18 Faith Development Organizations, University Ministries offers several other opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, staff, faculty, and administrators at Belmont. These groups are ideal for connecting with others and exploring the deep resources of Christ-centered learning that draw on gifts from many Christian traditions. These groups welcome everyone: lifelong Christ followers, new Christians, seekers, skeptics, and community members from other faiths and none.
Our offerings include groups organized and led by our student Spiritual Life Ambassadors, as well as several offerings developed in partnership with the Belmont Formation Collaborative.
For the 2025-2026 year, a new roster of short-term group opportunities will be announced each month.
Our SEPTEMBER 2025 line-up includes
- WHAT: A conversation about Christian spirituality drawing on Rowan Williams’s book Being Disciples: Essentials of the Christian Life (books will be provided).
- WHO: For any undergraduate or graduate student
- WHEN: Fridays at 11:00am, Sept. 5, 12, 18, and 26
- WHERE: University Ministries offices (near the Bell Tower in Gabhart)
- WHAT: A facilitated group conversation developed by Parker J. Palmer’s Center of Courage and Renewal designed to nurture introspection, promote deep listening, and create communities of mutual support.
- WHO: For any undergraduate or graduate student, staff, and faculty
- WHEN: Wednesdays at 2:15pm, Sept. 3, 10, 17, and 24
- WHERE: Ayers 1044
- WHAT: A discussion focused on scriptural passages about hope, as illuminated and commented upon by visual art works compiled in the Visual Commentary on Scripture.
- WHO: For any undergraduate or graduate student, staff, and faculty
- WHEN: Fridays at 10:00am, Sept. 12, 19, 26.
- WHERE: University Ministries offices (near the Bell Tower in Gabhart)
- WHAT: Engage gusty translations and musical settings of biblical Psalms
- WHO: For any undergraduate or graduate student, staff, and faculty
- WHEN: Fridays at 8:00am, Sept. 5, 12, 19, 26
- WHERE: This is an on-line group—particularly suitable for students studying off-campus and online graduate students along with anyone on campus
- WHAT: Lively discussion of Pope Francis’ 2020 book Let Us Dream (books will be provided)
- WHO: For any undergraduate or graduate student, staff, and faculty
- WHEN: Fridays at 12:00pm, Sept. 5, 12, 19, 26 (Please bring your own lunch)
- WHAT: University Ministries offices (near the Bell Tower in Gabhart)
- WHAT: Lively discussion of Martin Luther King Jr, Strength to Love (books will be provided)
- WHO: For any undergraduate or graduate student, staff, and faculty
- WHEN: Fridays at 2:00pm, Sept. 5, 12, 19, and 26
- WHERE: University Ministries offices (near the Bell Tower in Gabhart)
SOUL
Many of this year's groups will be focuses on the "L" of SOUL: "living the dream together with hope."
As we learn together, we will pay deep attention:
- to Christ-centering ways of describing "the dream," including how biblical terms like "shalom," "the kingdom of heaven," and "the kingdom of God" expand our vision;
- to the theological virtue of hope and all the ways a Christ-centered vision resists both despair and naïve optimism.
Building Community and Deepening Understanding within the SOUL Framework
Insights from these groups will contribute to a growing repository of materials on campus that deeper and enrich our understanding of each aspect of the SOUL framework.
Each group will begin with an introductory session (no reading required) and continue with 2 or 3 additional sessions. For each session, participants will typically be asked to read about 20 pages (or one chapter) in advance.
Care Groups
In recent years, University Ministries has also co-sponsored a variety of care groups, many in response to particular needs in the community including groups on grief and loss, chronic illness, untangling faith, and more. Please reach out to us for care groups that would help you or someone you know in this season of life.