What are Spiritual Life Credits?

Spiritual Life Credits are a co-curricular requirement for all WJU traditional undergraduate students. SLCs exist to engage students in intentional spiritual growth while at Jessup.

 Warriors Are Set: They are immersed in the Word, led by the Holy Spirit, and rooted in healthy community.

FAQs

  • The number of Spiritual Life Credits required for each student is dependent upon the number of units accepted by the Registrar’s office upon their admission to the university. The required credit scale is broken down below:

    • 0-44 units = 12 Spiritual Life Credits required to graduate

    • 45-59 units = 10 Spiritual Life Credits required to graduate

    • 60-74 units = 8 Spiritual Life Credits required to graduate

    • 75+ units = 6 Spiritual Life Credits required to graduate

  • There are a TON of ways to earn Spiritual Life Credit. We find that it is easiest to break down opportunities by category:

    Service Credit Options

    Service is focused on introducing people outside the church to the love of God and being the tangible hands and feet of Jesus. These experiences involve students sharing the love and hope of Jesus with others in a personal and intentional way. Service credit is a required category. You need to obtain at least 1 credit of Service.

    • Local Outreach: 1 credit for every 4 hours of service

    • Global Outreach / Mission Trip: 4 credits*

    *Minimum of 7 days on the field

    • Local Church Service: 1 credit for every 4 hours of service

    • Community Service: 1 credit for every 4 hours of service

    Discipleship Credit Options

    Discipleship is focused on students being immersed in community and being poured into by spiritual mentors that can guide them along in their walk with Jesus. Discipleship is a required category. You need to obtain at least 1 credit of Discipleship.

    • Jessup Spiritual Formation Group (SFG): 2 credits

    • Church Small Group: 2 credits*

      *Must meet for at least 1 hour every week for at least 9 weeks during the semester

    • Intentional Mentorship: 2 credits*

      *Must meet for at least 1 hour every week for at least 9 weeks during the semester

    • Discipleship Retreat: 1 credit*

      *Must complete at least 4 hours of workshops, sessions, or intentional training to receive credit.

  • Because we believe that both Service and Discipleship are integral parts to dynamic and growing Christian life, engagement with both kinds of credit is required. You need to obtain a minimum of 1 credit of Service and 1 credit of Discipleship. Past that, you can mix and match the credit system as you’d like!

  • You are able to earn a maximum of 4 credits each semester. This includes fall, winter, spring, and summer.

    You will not need to earn more than 12 credits total to meet your requirements (and even less if you transferred in units!). That means you can complete your total SLC requirement in less than 1 calendar year if you are committed.

  • If you do not complete your Spiritual Life Credits, you will not be able to receive your diploma at graduation. There is no way around this – no fees or exceptions. Because SLCs are a graduation requirement, you need to complete them much like you need to complete all of your required coursework for graduation.

    If you are a graduating senior and you still have outstanding Spiritual Life Credits, your diploma will not be conferred until you submit the required paperwork.

  • TONS of things DO count for Spiritual Life Credit, but there are some experiences that are not eligible. They include:

    • Participation with churches, organizations, businesses or functions that do not align with William Jessup University’s Statement of Faith or Community Covenant.

    • Paid internships, student teaching positions, and other paid or for-credit activities.

    • Service and Discipleship experience prior to enrollment at William Jessup University.

    • Volunteer work that benefits William Jessup University (i.e. scanning ID cards for Chapel, giving tours, tutoring students, etc.).

    • Service that is done on behalf of family members.

  • You can earn SLCs at a variety of places – here at Jessup, at your local church, or working in the community! Check out our resource pages below if you need help finding a place to serve or be discipled:

    • Pre-Approved Partnership Organizations

      • This list is by no means exhaustive! If you find a place that you want to serve that is not on our list, by all means, go and serve there! If you want to know for sure if the experience will be eligible for credit, you can email campusministries@jessup.edu for official approval.

    • Local Church Guide

    • Jessup Local + Global Outreach Opportunities

  • You can apply for Spiritual Life Credit by submitting a Spiritual Life Credit Form. Paper forms can be found in the Student Life Office. Online forms can be found by clicking here.

    Both forms will require verification from your supervisor. Paper forms require a signature. Online forms require leaders to fill out an online form sent to their email.

  • YYES! We would love to help you plan out your Spiritual Life Credits.

    You can use the Spiritual Life Credit Planner to outline how you want to earn credits each year.

    If you want to set up a 1:1 advising meeting, email campusministries@jessup.edu.

  • SLC forms are due within the semester in which the service or discipleship was completed. If a Spiritual Life Credit activity was completed during the winter break, then the form is due by the end of the first week of Spring semester, and if it was completed during the summer, then it is due by the end of the first week of the Fall semester.

    If forms are turned in after these deadlines, they will be subject to a $25 fee per form.