March 5, 2018
What do a fast food executive, an instructor at a major hospital, and a manager for an aerospace company in the Middle East all have in common? They are all part of the first cohort of Kairos Project students in the Master of Arts (Bible and Theology) intercultural studies track, referred to as the MABT-IC.
The group, who recently met together in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is made up of twenty-two bi-vocational pastors and church workers who are directly involved in planting churches in the region. A few of these churches are located in one of the most religiously restrictive nations in the world.
The cohort, which is in partnership with a church planting movement in the Philippines, is the culmination of two years of conversations and work. Because of my role at the seminary and my experience in helping train hundreds of this movement’s cross-cultural missionaries when I lived in the Philippines, I am excited to see everything come together! It was a real pleasure to be in Dubai to inaugurate this first “gulf” cohort. The participating students are extremely dedicated and hardworking bi-vocational ministers who would have not been able to obtain formal theological education without something like the Kairos Project.
The Master of Arts (Bible and Theology) with intercultural studies emphasis was developed specifically for the many western and, especially, non-western missionaries and church planters who have little access to formal theological education. Through the Kairos Project, the program follows the mentor team approach, allowing participants to do their coursework from a distance and in context. Though many seminaries have distance learning options, the Kairos Project track at Sioux Falls Seminary pairs students with mentor teams and helps them best adapt coursework to their specific ministry contexts.
It is an honor that we can develop servants for the global church. We look forward to the possibility of more international partnerships like this one. I am excited to see how God continues to work through the MABT-IC and in the lives of our cohort participants!