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A Multi-Dimensional Spiritual Assessment Program

Timothy L. Cooley2

First Core Value of ABHE:

Spiritual EngagementWe will fulfill our mission as a

spiritual enterprise

united under Christ our Head, led and empowered by the Holy Spirit,

faithful in biblical truth and prayer.

Retrieved January 21, 2012 from http://www.abhe.org/pages/NAV-OurMission.html

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Spiritual Transformation

is the shaping of the interior life —

Cognition,

Commitment, Character/Conscience,

Communion, and Compassion

— so that life flows out in an integrative

wholeness (head, hand, and heart)

increasingly more like Christ 4

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A Multi-Dimensional Spiritual Assessment

• Cognition

• Commitment

• Character/Conscience

• Communion (κοινωνια)

• Compassion10

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Bloom’s Domains

Cognitive

AffectivePsychomotor

RememberingUnderstanding

ApplyingAnalyzingEvaluatingCreating

ReceivingResponding

ValuingOrganizingInternalizing

PerceptionReadiness to ActGuided Response

Complex ResponseAdaptationOrigination

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Dettmer’s Suggested Domains

Cognitive

Affective

Sensorimotor

Social

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James Fowler’s Stages of Faith

Based on the developmental theories of

•Jean Piaget

•Erik Erikson

•Lawrence Kohlberg

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Conventional Conforming Faith

• Ages 11/12 to 17/18 and many adults

• Interpersonal Relationships very important

• Not yet Reflected on their Beliefs and Values

(Formal Thinking just emerging)

• “Faith-crowd” provides much of their

Meaning

The LoyalistThe LoyalistThe LoyalistThe LoyalistThe LoyalistThe LoyalistThe LoyalistThe Loyalist

Fowler Faith Stage 3

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Individuative Choosing Faith

• Ages 17/18 and onward (or 30s/40s and onward)

• Evaluating their Beliefs and Values

• Cannot Tolerate Second-Hand Belief

• Faith Becomes their Own

• Transition to this Stage can be long and traumatic

The SearcherThe SearcherThe SearcherThe SearcherThe SearcherThe SearcherThe SearcherThe Searcher

Fowler Faith Stage 4

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Sharon Parks’ Dimensions within Fowler’s Faith Stages

Form of Knowing

Form of Dependence

Form of Community

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Attachment TheoryJohn Bowlby

Robert Karen

The way a person relates to the primary caregiver in childhood develops a perceptual filter that

tends to govern all other relationships even toward God.

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Dilemma

• If spiritual transformation, or Christian

formation, is a summary category that

includes everything . . . .

• If spiritual transformation is a separate

category . . . .

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Qualitative Research?

or

Quantitative Research?

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Likert-type Response Ratings

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Spiritual Transformation

is the shaping of the interior life —

Cognition,

Commitment, Character/Conscience,

Communion, and Compassion

— so that life flows out in an integrative

wholeness (head, hand, and heart)

increasingly more like Christ 24

Romans 12:2

Be ye transformed (metamorphosed)

by the renewing of your mind,

that ye may prove what is that

good, and

acceptable, and

perfect, will of God.

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II Corinthians 3:18

But we all, with open face

beholding as in a glass

the glory of the Lord,

are changed (metamorphosed)

into the same image

from glory to glory,

even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

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A Multi-Dimensional Spiritual Assessment

• Cognition

• Commitment

• Character/Conscience

• Communion (κοινωνια)

• Compassion

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Cognition

Propositional truth (doctrine) cognitively grasped and believed about God (as personal

and Trinitarian), humans (as free moral agents), sin (as both act and nature), salvation (received

by grace through faith) as a present relationship, sanctification (including a

Wesleyan understanding of entire sanctification as an instantaneous purging of one’s nature, as well as the ongoing process of becoming more

and more like Christ), personal assurance of one’s relationship with God, eternity (as

duration and as destination), ultimate meaning, even general knowledge of creation as it

connects with ultimate meaning.

Cognition

Propositional truth (doctrine) cognitively grasped and believed

about God (as personal and Trinitarian), humans (as free moral agents),

sin (as both act and nature), salvation (received by grace through faith) as a

present relationship, sanctification (including a Wesleyan understanding of

entire sanctification), personal

assurance of one’s relationship with God, eternity, ultimate meaning, even general knowledge of creation as it

connects with ultimate meaning28

Commitment

Personal commitment to God and His Word as having “supreme value for me”; personal

choice, going beyond a conventional, second-hand faith (based more on family, church, and

friends) to a convictional faith (based on personal reflection) (Fowler, 1981/1995);

personal commitment to Jesus Christ, to His commands and His commission; practice of the

spiritual disciplines; and self-discipline (disciplined choosing of the more excellent, choosing even against one’s own short-term

gain, and willingness to suffer for spiritual value).

Commitment

Personal commitment to God and His Word as having “supreme value for me”; personal

choice, going beyond a conventional, second-hand faith (based more on family, church, and

friends) to a convictional faith (based on personal reflection) (Fowler, 1981/1995);

personal commitment to Jesus Christ, to His commands and His commission; practice of the

spiritual disciplines; and self-discipline (disciplined choosing of the more excellent, choosing even against one’s own short-term

gain, and willingness to suffer for spiritual value).

Commitment

Personal commitment to God and His Word as having supreme value for the individual; personal choice, going beyond a conventional, second-hand faith (based more on family, church, friends) to a convictional faith (based

on personal reflection) (Fowler, 1981/1995); personal commitment to

Jesus Christ, to His commands and His commission; spiritual disciplines; self-discipline, disciplined choosing of the more excellent, choosing even against

one’s own short-term gain, willingness to suffer for spiritual value

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Character/Conscience

Integrity, consistent living out or

“incarnating” one’s faith and values, obedience to Scripture; conscience as

consciousness, conscious sensitivity to moral right and wrong; openness to

the direct dealing of the Spirit; conformity to Christ, fruit of the Spirit;

wisdom, discretion, choosing the things

that are excellent; personal stewardship of time, talent, and treasure (financial

responsibility)

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Communion

Koinonia (Gr. κοινωνιακοινωνιακοινωνιακοινωνια) with God (prayer, worship, personal trust in God,

sense of forgiveness from God), and koinonia with one’s spiritual community,

with family, with people in general (including acceptance of others,

forgiveness toward them, and global acceptance of the full diversity of

humans as created in the image of God); acceptance of self; relationship to

spiritual authority

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Compassion

Willingness to serve Christ through serving others

(servanthood),

sympathy

for the suffering, the poor, and

the imprisoned

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What should be?

How to Close the Gap?

What is?

Assessment and

Planning Cycle

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Spiritual Assessment should be

• Couched in Biblical terms or concepts

• Aligned with your theological and ecclesiastical commitments

• Linked to your spiritual formationprogram

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Can we assess

Spiritual Transformation?

We can only assess

“Spiritual Indicators”

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Very true of meMostly true of meMore true than untrue of meMore untrue than true of meMostly untrue of meVery untrue of me

6

very

true

of me

5

mostly

true

of me

4

more

true

than

untrue

of me

3

more

untrue

than

true

of me

2

mostly

untrue

of me

1

very

untrue

of me

Likert-type Scale

Trait is Characteristicof student

Six-point Likert-type Scale

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The Study Analyzed

• The level of students’ Spiritual Transformation

• Their rating of the Bible College

Experience

• The correlation between these two

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Spiritual Transformation Component Means (#2-6)

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Spiritual Disciplines (#7)

Exercise 2x week or more 1x day or more

• Devotional Prayer 91% 70% #7a

• Devotional Bible Reading 88% 60% #7b

Exercise 2x week or more

• Church Attendance 91% #7c

• Chapel Attendance 96% #7d

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Spiritual Disciplines (#7 continued)

Exercise 1x week or more

• Small Group Fellowship/Prayer 63% #7e

Exercise 1x month or less

• Witnessing . . . 51% #7f

• Fasting and Prayer 59% #7g

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Bible College Experiences (#8)

• School Revivals . . . 5.34 #8d

• Fellowship w other students 5.04 #8c

• Christian Service 5.01 #8k

• Academic Courses 4.97 #8a

• Chapel Services 4.93 #8e

• Campus Atmosphere Great Commission4.89 #8j

• Fac/Stu Interaction outside of class 4.86 #8b

• Visiting Ministers/Missionaries 4.78 #8i

• Campus Prayer Meetings 4.64 #8h

• Discipleship Groups 4.54 #8g

• Dormitory Life 4.29 #8f

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Bible College Experiences (#8 continued)

• Mean of All Lines #8a-k 4.84#8a-k

• Correlation of

Mean of #8a-k

and

Mean of #2-6 Pearson r = .512

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Campus Atmosphere (#9)

5.30Mean of all line items

4.97Mean of all line items relating to students

(#9f, #9a, #9d, #9g)

5.60Mean of all line items relating to faculty and staff

(#9b, #9c, #9,h, #9e)

4.86#9g The students are committed to the spiritual purpose of the school

5.01#9d The students are quick to help each other

5.01#9a The students are devoted to serving the Lord

5.02#9f The students make each other feel loved and accepted

5.38#9i The campus atmosphere encourages everyone to spiritual growth

5.41#9e The faculty and staff make students feel loved and accepted

5.48#9h The faculty are devoted to serving the students

5.72#9c The general staff are devoted to serving the Lord

5.78#9b The faculty are devoted to serving the Lord

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Summary

• Students who enrolled in these Bible

Colleges were already aligned with the

mission before coming.

• Students rated their own spiritual

transformation very highly.

• Students testified that they are practicing

many of the spiritual disciplines usually

associated with spiritual growth.

• Students testified that Bible College

Experiences and the Campus Atmosphere

are contributing to their spiritual growth. 44

• Participants who rated their own level of

spirituality higher also tended to rate the

impact of the Bible College experiences

more highly.

• Age, number of semesters, and gender

made very little difference in the way

students rated their own spirituality, the

Bible College Experiences, and the Campus

Atmosphere.

Summary (continued)

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Implications

• Are students are growing spiritually?

• Are students aligned with your mission?

• Are your recruitment efforts bringing the kind of students you want?

• Are your distance education students pursuing and/or reaching the same objectives as your face-to-face students?

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Recommendations• Further development of the instrument

• Suggestions for improvement?

• Related article in current Biblical Higher

Education Journal

• Today’s paper and presentation available

• Dissertation available by pdf file

• Author email: TimCooleySr@pvbi.edu

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May the Lord

prosper your efforts

to increase students’

spiritual growth!— Timothy L. Cooley, Sr.

Email: TimCooleySr@pvbi.edu