There is no vital and authentic ministry apart from spiritual preparation, which entails a life committed to prayer and worship, personal spiritual growth, and the study of the Bible and devotional classics. Courses in this portion of the curriculum provide ample opportunity to deepen students' own spiritual lives as well as their capacity to offer ministry as a result of inner leadings and promptings from the Holy Spirit. Courses in the spirituality area of the curriculum include: Individual Spiritual Direction, Prayer; Spirituality and the Body; Spirituality and Suffering; History of Christian Spirituality; Quaker Spirituality, and Spiritual Formation in Contemporary Faith Communities. Before doing Supervised Ministry, residential students who choose this emphasis undertake an extended (no less than eight days), personal, directed spiritual retreat, and participate in ongoing spiritual direction for a minimum of 24 sessions in a period of no more than two calendar years