April 16, 2018
This week, over 120 students will attend our spring 2018 Kairos Project intensive. These students, joining us from around the world, will come to Sioux Falls for a time of learning, worship, encouragement, and development. Students who attend already know the value of Kairos intensives, but for those who don’t, below are five important ways that intensives develop and encourage our students.
Connections
Much learning through the Kairos Project takes place in context. The intensives provide a perfect environment for students to connect with one another and with faculty. Whether it is discussing a case study, working on a project, sharing the joys and struggles of life and ministry, or grabbing lunch between sessions, the intensives give students a chance to network and build long-lasting relationships.
Going Deeper
Intensives are called intensives for a reason! Each gathering focuses on a central question. This intensive we are asking “How can the Church be a creative witness?” By focusing on multiple aspects of one question for the entire week, intensives provide time and space for critical thinking and reflection. Through lectures, plenary and breakout sessions, and panel discussions, students explore answers and consider ways to integrate solutions into their local contexts.
Relevant Content
Intensives provide something for everyone. In addition to plenary sessions related to the intensive’s central question, students have the freedom to choose which breakout sessions they attend. These sessions cover a wide range of topics and ministry contexts so students can make the most of their time at the intensive. Students may also, sometimes, complete assignments or meet with their faculty mentors and groups of peers.
Hiller Lectureship
Each spring, the intensive week coincides with the seminary’s annual Hiller Lectureship. The lectureship gives students, alumni, and regional church and lay leaders the opportunity to hear from national speakers on a variety of relevant topics. The 2018 speaker is Dr. Taylor Worley, the Associate Vice President for Spiritual Life and University Ministries and the Associate Professor of Faith and Culture at Trinity International University in Deerfield, IL. Worley is sharing his expertise on Biblical virtues for a callous and confused culture. The Hiller Lectureship is a highlight for Sioux Falls Seminary, and Kairos Project students get to experience it first-hand.
Time for Reflection
No frantic note-taking, no late-night cram sessions, no worries. Intensive weeks are all about developing students for their participation in the kingdom mission. Students have time to think critically and ask big questions about faith and ministry without working for a desired grade. The hope is that, as each intensive concludes, students will return from their time away feeling refreshed and ready to apply what they have learned and continue the work to which God has called them!
Please join us in praying for all of our students this week. Whether at the intensive or elsewhere, pray that they will receive the rest and rejuvenation they need to continue their journey of theological education as they balance study, ministry, work, and life.