The Spiritual Formation of Recent College Graduates and Residence Life Influences Attributed to the Spiritual Formation

This study investigated the spiritual formation experience of alumni from a Midwest Christian college six months to five years after graduation and the spiritual formation factors they attribute to their Residence Life experience. The data revealed that alumni persist in their Christian faith, and seek growth in Christian beliefs, attitudes, and experiences. Findings regarding Residence Life were consistent with the literature, revealing that the most significant source of spiritual formation for alumni are peer relationships, interactions, and conversations. Programming was not a significant factor in a student’s spiritual formation. This study led to several recommendations for application including a re-orienting of Residence Life’s mindset regarding spiritual formation. This mindset would conclude that the most spiritually significant role is that of community facilitation and development, the context for most spiritual formation. Recommendations for further study include studying specific aspects of peer relationships, interactions, and conversations that may be spiritually influential. 26 Introduction Emerging adults are experiencing the world in dramatically different ways than previous generations, and many of these changes usher in new challenges for these adults to face and navigate. The steady drift of emerging adults away from their Christian faith after graduating high schools is only one example (Kinnaman & Hawkins, 2016, p. 9–19). This reality has been attributed to many things, and although one may anticipate college to be the trigger for faith abandonment, it is often not the reason for these emerging adults. This pseudo-trigger provides higher education professionals the context and opportunity to use the college experience to impact an emerging adult’s spiritual formation and development. The experiential impact on emerging adult spiritual formation could happen through multiple avenues on campus, but one common experience for college students is that of Residence Life (Blimling & Schuh, 2015, p. 59). Most Christian colleges not only offer residential housing, but often require students to live on campus for some duration of their time at the school. This requirement could be a natural vehicle for spiritual formation. Intentionally including elements of spiritual formation in the Residence Life experience could ensure that students grow into thriving Christians and Kingdom contributors. In order to do this effectively and efficiently, it is important for Residence Life staff to know how to maximize spiritual formation within the department and through the programs offered. In order to understand more about the influence Residence Life has on a student’s spiritual formation, it is important that a student’s current context, understanding of spiritual formation, and college experience are taken into consideration. Christian Smith conducted substantial research on the emerging adult experience in multiple aspects of life, as well as the various challenges they face that are unique to their demographic (Smith & Snell, 2009). There is also significant literature on spiritual formation, which can be defined in multiple ways and with many metaphors (Nouwen, Christiansen, & Laird, 2010, p. vii) (Fowler, 1995, p. 3) (Greenman & Kalantzis, 2010, p. 24) (Hagberg & Guelich, 2011). Spiritual formation is fluid and complex, which means understanding the nuances and diverse perspectives on spiritual formation is vital if Residence Life professionals are to understand how to facilitate it. Finally, a student’s college experience is the context in which his or her