University Chapel and Discipleship Ministries

Chapel Attendance

Chapel is central for our life together and regular attendance is a graduation requirement for most students.

Residential Students

All full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students on the Bolivar campus are expected to attend Chapel during their time at SBU. Students are required to attend a minimum of 75% of the Chapel services offered during the semester.

Students must scan their student ID card at the Pike Auditorium exits before and after each Chapel service to confirm chapel attendance. Any student who fails to present his ID may sign in and out with a chapel monitor. Any student who has lost their ID should get a replacement through the Department of Safety and Security, located at 803 S. Pike Ave., Bolivar, MO 65613 between the hours of 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Evening and weekend Chapel services may occasionally be offered for extra credit. Chapel is not a substitute for participation in the life of a local church and students are strongly encouraged to prioritize church membership

Commuting Students

All full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students who reside more than 15 miles away from the Bolivar campus are considered commuters. Commuters are encouraged to participate in chapel but are exempt from the attendance requirements. All non-commuting students are expected to meet the chapel attendance requirement.

Other Students

Graduate, part-time, and high school students are welcome to participate. All students who are not able to gather with us corporately are encouraged to attend virtually on the SBU YouTube channel.

Chapel Exemptions:

Semester-length chapel exemptions will only be granted to students whose academic program requires an internship, clinical rotation, or student teaching that takes place during the chapel hour. Exceptional circumstances may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Students requesting exemption must complete and submit the Chapel Exemption Request form during the first two weeks of the semester. Student will receive an email to confirm whether their request is approved or denied. 

Chapel Etiquette

We gather at Chapel to be reminded of the goodness of God in a variety of ways. All participants are asked to follow the Chapel behavior guidelines listed below.

• Arrive in a timely manner and be seated before the service begins
• Engage as an active listener and participant in worship
• Refrain from the use of electronic devices, including computers and phones
• Refrain from engaging in personal conversations or other distracting behaviors
• Refrain from studying or any other reading not directly related to the Chapel program
• Remove caps during times of prayer

Students who do not observe these guidelines will be subject to disciplinary action which may include, but is not limited to, losing attendance credit for that Chapel.

Chapel Credit and Discipline

Students failing to attend 75% of chapels in a given semester will be placed on chapel notice for the following semester. If the student missed four or fewer chapels, he or she must meet the attendance requirement and make up the missed
chapels. If the student missed more than four chapels, he or she must meet the attendance requirement, make up four chapels, and either complete a book report (assigned by the campus pastor) or pay a $20 fine for each additional chapel missed the previous semester.

Students who fail to meet the attendance requirement while on chapel notice will be placed on chapel probation for the following semester. While on probation, he or she must meet the attendance requirement, make up four chapels,
complete a book report (assigned by the campus pastor) and pay a $20 fine for each chapel not made up.

Students who fail to meet the attendance requirement in the semester after being placed on chapel probation will be suspended see page 22 of our Student Handbook.

Any student who scans in or out for another student will forfeit the chapel credit for both students. Both students will also be fined $25. Any student who scans in, leaves the auditorium for the duration of chapel, and then comes back to
scan out will lose credit for that chapel and be fined $25.

Students should check their chapel attendance weekly through their mySBU self-service portal.