The Role of Spiritual Fortitude

An interview with Sara Barton, chaplain at Pepperdine University, by Assistant Professor of the Practice of Preaching and Chaplaincy Jaclyn Williams.

Jaclyn Williams: How does university chaplaincy create space for students, staff, and employees of the university?

Sara Barton: Chaplaincy creates a welcoming space for everyone in a university setting, extending spiritual support to students, faculty, and staff, wherever they are on their spiritual journeys. In a setting where grades, graduation, tenure, and promotion are identity markers, I remind the flock in my care of who they are as human beings, not “human doings.” As a follower of Jesus, I seek to treat each person in my care as Jesus would treat them. When people are welcomed into a physical, spiritual, and emotional space of grace, they are able to find rest in the belovedness of their spiritual identity with God. Chaplains have a unique role in cultivating such welcoming spaces.   

JW: Based on your experience, can you describe the spiritual, emotional, and relational needs and desires of university students?

SB: Many graduate and undergraduate university students fall into the developmental stage of emerging adulthood, which is largely marked by identity formation. This formation includes intellectual and vocational exploration, investing in friendships and romantic partnerships, and navigating changes to their relationships with nuclear family members. A chaplain joins students in the religious and spiritual dimensions of this often unstable stage in their journey as a confidante and guide. In a world increasingly busy and lonely, students benefit from the presence of a chaplain who prioritizes nonjudgmental and attentive listening when religious doubts and other big questions about life and identity arise.

JW: What new or expanded resources are needed to meet these needs?

SB: I am interested in resources that prioritize spiritual fortitude. Resilience currently holds a leading role in the discourse of many academic disciplines and conversations, and I believe expanded resources on spiritual fortitude would complement those efforts. Religious and/or spiritual fortitude is an underlying trait in resilience and can help us overcome obstacles in many facets of life as we navigate our spiritual journeys.

As emerging adults encounter rising mental health concerns, loneliness, and big questions about doubt and religious belonging, I find that spiritual fortitude is a helpful topic of conversation and prayer. I describe spiritual fortitude not as an intellectual motivator but as an outcome of the habits and practices we immerse ourselves in as we join the Holy Spirit in training our passions and attentions to reflect those of Jesus. Spiritual fortitude is the capacity to keep doing intentional spiritual work even when difficult situations arise.

I recently had a conversation with a student coping with the loss of his mother during his senior year of college. We explored how to identify the role of spiritual fortitude in seeking the joy he knew his mother wanted him to experience during his senior year, even while navigating the grief of losing her. I prayed with another student who survived a mass shooting during her freshman year of college, and we explored spiritual fortitude as her guide not only to endure but to find hope on the days when there is news of yet another mass shooting, which are terribly difficult days for survivors. While these examples are serious and involve loss and fear, spiritual fortitude can be a helpful resource in all types of life challenges, from the greatest to the everyday—which is exactly where chaplains are called to show up for others.