In the fall of 1998, CD groups were instituted for United Methodist students on campus in cooperation with the Office of Pastoral Formation in the Nashville Episcopal Area. While the shape and theology of these groups are Wesleyan, they are also adaptable to the main strands of Christian tradition; and some students from other traditions are now participating.

This has had a salutary influence on the whole student body, especially in the raising of consciousness around spiritual disciplines and social issues such as the death penalty. A major grant from The Lilly Endowment, Inc., has financed a number of Practicums in Discipleship, whereby students give leadership to CD groups in local congregations.

At Vanderbilt University

Christine Henchar Reed, a Vanderbilt student and a College Ministries Intern at West End United Methodist Church in Nashville had this to say:

"Our covenant outlined specific commitments within the areas of justice and environment, and our experiences witnessing for justice, inclusiveness, and equality in the world — as well as our responses to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We have tried to help one another improve in our practices of daily devotion and prayer, healthful living, tithing, and observing Sabbath time. On October 29, we responded to a prompting of the Holy Spirit by bundling up leftover food from the monthly college ministry fellowship event and taking it to homeless men living in the streets near the bus station on Eighth Avenue.

It is a joy to grow in faith with such an energetic, dedicated group of young adults who are committed to living Christian lives and making a difference in the world. I think that John Wesley's heart would be warmed by [our] efforts to love God and [our] neighbors as [ourselves]!"

At Lambuth University

The following covenant was written by a group of students and faculty at Lambuth who meet weekly to be accountable for their discipleship. It was adopted by the group October 10, 2000, and continues to be the basis of their meetings:

We are a group of sojourners unified in a call to Christian ministry in The United Methodist Church. We continue to discern and find consolation in one another and in the collective nature of our discernment together. As a university community, our group for accountable discipleship is born out of mentoring, and our purpose is to find God's way for each of us, teacher and student, as we work to serve in the Lambuth community.

With God as our collective mentor, we pledge to be faithful to our own witness:
By meeting regularly as a covenant group;
By praying for each other daily;
By attending worship weekly;
By reading the Bible daily (outside academic requirements);
By seeking out at least one person weekly who appears to be left out or who is living in isolation;
By being responsible to my academic life, which is preparing me for ministry in the professional sense;
By getting to know personally each semester a person of different ethnic background and tradition;
By taking on one task of environmental proportion that represents God's love for creation (a year-long task);
By keeping a journal of our prayer life.

We therefore commit to hold ourselves accountable for the aforementioned goals as bonds of devotion and practice to the higher call we attest that is taking shape in our lives for Christ.

This article is adapted with permission from Pastoral Formation: An Occasional Bulletin, Office of Pastoral Formation, Nashville Episcopal Area.