Office of Spiritual Development

Our Christ-centered mission includes the exciting journey of spiritual formation and it's not just about personal beliefs or studying in isolation; it's a shared adventure. That's why, every week, we've got a range of engaging spiritual formation opportunities waiting for students to explore.

Keli Pennington, Chaplain

Keli was introduced to Greenville University because she’d had Greenville grads who attended her home church in Peoria, Illinois, and who had fabulous Greenville experiences. While GU ended up being the last place she visited, it immediately felt like home. As a student, Keli participated in the choir and served in residence life. She graduated in 2016, double majoring in theology and communication. After graduating, she worked in the GU admissions office.

After her time in admissions, she and her husband (Willem ’17) moved to Durham, North Carolina, to begin her master of divinity at Duke Divinity School. Keli worked at a United Methodist Church and began teaching online theology and bible classes for GU. An assessment job offer at GU for Willem allowed them to move back to Greenville, and Keli was a natural fit for a role in residence life in her old home, Burritt Hall.

Chaplain Keli Pennington 

While serving at GU, she started the ordination process to become an elder in the Free Methodist Church. Throughout the year, it became clear that she was being called to serve college students. With the untimely death of then-chaplain Lori Gaffner, there was a need and a desire to continue that good work.

Keli was ordained in March 2022 and became university chaplain that fall. In this role, she has cultivated student chaplains as leaders on campus and increased programming for spiritual formation, serving as an interconnector with the community life team, athletic coaches, and throughout campus.

Read more about Keli and her journey here.

Explore Spiritual Formation

The Office of Spiritual Formation plays a pivotal role in shaping the traditional undergraduate Greenville University experience. It is our hope that students will have the chance to engage deeply with the teachings of Jesus Christ and seamlessly integrate crucial social, moral, and intellectual topics into the framework of Christian faith and education.

Empowering Student Leaders

Our chaplain collaborates closely with dedicated student leaders who share a profound passion for the gospel of Jesus Christ and a strong commitment to the Christian faith. Student chaplains play a vital role in fostering spiritual growth across campus and ensuring that every member of the student body feels not only represented but also receives valuable support in their faith journey.

Organizing Small Groups

Every semester, our chaplain collaborates with a diverse team of dedicated Greenville University staff, faculty, and community members to curate an array of enriching small group experiences tailored specifically for our students.

These small groups serve as a cornerstone of our spiritual community, offering invaluable avenues for connection, personal growth, and deepening one's faith.

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25, NLT). 

Facilitating Spiritual Formation Opportunities

Emphasizing Gospel Exposure and Relational Discipleship for Transformational Growth"

In a time when biblical literacy is declining, it's crucial for us to focus on the core message: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as Good News for all. While sermons are essential, we understand that the Gospel is often shared through our daily actions and relationships. A student's college experience is most heavily influenced by relationships and social context. When we reflect on how Jesus' relationships helped people discover God's love and truth, we recognize the immense potential for relational discipleship on our campus.

Throughout each semester, we provide many spiritual formation gatherings across campus showing our commitment to nurturing relationships that are not just transformative but also rooted in the love of Christ.