SoulCare: An Introduction

SoulCare - Wesleyan Small Groups

Derived from SPU’s Wesleyan/Holiness heritage, Wesleyan small groups embody a practice in Christian formation and reconciliation that exposes UFDN 1000 students to Christian community, and facilitates growth in awareness and love of self, neighbor, and God. To accomplish these purposes, participants gather weekly under the leadership of a trained facilitator to ask and answer the question, “How goes it with your soul?”

Learn more about SoulCare Leadership

Applications for the 2023-24 academic year are now closed. 

To learn more about what is involved in being a SoulCare leader, check out the Become a SoulCare Leader page.  

SoulCare origins

Begun in the 18th century by John and Charles Wesley, these meetings brought people together, as the Wesleys put it, “to inquire how their souls prosper; to advise, reprove, comfort, or exhort.” The groups created a space for people at any level of faith (no faith, exploring faith, new faith, mature faith) to grow in community.

What it is, and is not

SoulCare is SPU’s adapted version of these historical groups. They’re not Bible studies or prayer groups, or groups guided by a curriculum. Rather, their sole content is the state of one’s soul — your deepest self, which lies underneath surface experiences and emotions.

Start with UFDN 1000

Undergraduate students in UFDN 1000 classes participate in co-curricular SoulCare groups as an alternative learning opportunity. They learn about spiritual formation in class — and in weekly SoulCare groups. Each one-hour meeting is led by a trained facilitator under the supervision of Seattle Pacific Seminary interns and SPU staff.

Learn more about becoming a SoulCare group leader, read what others say about the leadership experience, or recommend someone for leadership.



alvin

Alvin Loupatty '21

Being a SoulCare leader was a gift because it helped me step out of my comfort zone and challenged me to provide a safe and sacred place for others to share about their life journey. By listening to their sharing, I learned so much as well. Being a SoulCare leader is one of the biggest blessings God has put in my life.

emily

Emily Bogle ’22

Through my experiences in SoulCare, I have learned in deep, intimate, and vulnerable ways what it means to be human, to care for the soul, and specifically within the Christian context what it means to be an image bearer.