Formation Communities at Candler School of Theology support students in cultivating intentional communities of discernment and belonging. Focused on intentional community and spiritual formation, Formation Communities provide students a distinctive opportunity to journey together and grow in faith alongside their peers. Each Formation Community creates a unique set of intentional community commitments and discerns a shared focus they want to live into throughout one full academic year. Students may apply each year to renew their participation in the program for consecutive years.
The mission of the program in Formation Communities aligns with Candler School of Theology’s wider mission “to educate faithful and creative leaders for the church’s ministries throughout the world.”
The Formation Communities Program aims to cultivate communities of belonging that allow students to integrate their theological studies, their vocational aspirations, their spiritual practices, and their diverse identities.
Participants in the program graduate from Candler with greater clarity about their respective vocations, spiritual practices that can sustain those vocations for the long haul, and tools for building communities of belonging in and through difference.Click here to learn about Formation Community program offerings and housing details. Applicants are selected based on their fit with the community and the community's shared focus. You are welcome to apply for multiple Formation Communities. All students are welcome to apply to any Formation Community. There are three types of Formation Communities at Candler:
Residential: Residential Formation Communities live together in a home or apartment while participating in community life and spiritual formation in a collective context. All members of chartered communities sign a lease that starts on August 1. Lease details are specific to each property.
Neighboring: Neighboring Formation Communities are groups of students that do not live together and gather weekly with a focus on community building and spiritual formation.
Virtual: Virtual Formation Communities are communities that form around a shared focus and gather online. They gather to build community and engage in spiritual formation.
All applicants must complete an application which includes general information, as well as 5 essay questions (100-300 words each) to gauge if you will be a good fit for various Formation Communities. All applicants must complete a 30 minute zoom interview with a selection committee member. Students who apply by the priority deadline and who are accepted into the program will be notified at the end of April via email. Acceptance is based on the following criteria:
The application must be completed in one sitting. Below are the essay questions so that you may have time to prepare before starting the application. Please limit your answers to no more than 300 words.
The priority application deadline for Columbia Friendship Hall is March 29, 2026 at 11:59 pm EDT. After March 29, we will accept applications on a rolling basis.
We encourage all interested students to apply. Preference will be given to international students and students with families.Click here to learn more about Columbia Friendship Hall. Questions? Email our Housing Coordinator at candleradmissions@emory.edu.
Students are welcome to apply to multiple communities by ranking their choices on the application. All students are welcome in every Formation Community regardless of race, gender, nationality, class, faith, sexual orientation, and ability.
Learn more about the 2026-2027 Residential Formation Communities below:
If you have not paid your deposit, please do so before completing this application.Pay your deposit here!
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