Samford University

Who is responsible for my spiritual growth?

Samford aims to help students be all that God desires them to be; but in the end, it’s between the individual and God. That’s how it should be at a Christ-centered university. At Samford, the student is encouraged both to celebrate this freedom and to act upon it—for each person is individually responsible to God for the way that freedom is used.

The Samford distinction and mission

Practicing personal faith is openly encouraged at Samford, and faith perspectives are applied to the inquiry of academia and the issues and realities of life. Samford intends to be a university where students are encouraged to think holistically, to reflect thoughtfully, to relate authentically and to serve lovingly, constantly striving to embrace those values that Jesus lived and taught.

What does it mean to be a Christian university?

Before college, other people—parents, peers, teachers, ministers and friends—help to shape students’ beliefs and actions. Students continue to draw nurture from those sources; however, during college years, one begins to develop, strengthen and fine-tune personal convictions and to lay claim to personal beliefs. Samford respects God-given abilities, so persons are encouraged to think, reflect and reason. Individuals are challenged to weigh differing points of view and to arrive at their own conclusions and convictions. And, all of this takes place in a community of Christ-centered values. At Samford, a lively witness is defined by respectful dialogue, not by dogmatic indoctrination. Respectful dialogue helps create authentic friendships that, when attention is turned to spiritual matters, provide opportunities to sharpen and share personal faith.