September 11, 2023
We think relationships are an important aspect of education. That’s why we work with mentor teams, cohorts, and partner organizations. To help you get to know the people who are part of the Kairos community, we spotlight partners, faculty, alumni, students, staff, and board members from time to time. Today we are looking at one of our faculty.
Name: Becky Towne
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Role within Kairos: President of Houston Graduate School of Theology and Professor of Christian Spirituality; administration and advisement to Master of Arts in Counseling and Doctor of Professional Counseling students; Doctor of Ministry faculty mentor
Education: Bachelor of Science in Religion; Master of Arts in Theology; Doctor of Ministry
Teaching and Research Interests: Spiritual formation and development for ministry and counseling students
How to connect with Becky: btowne@kairos.edu
We asked Becky a few questions to learn a bit more about her. Here’s what we discovered.
Why are you engaged in the work of theological education?
My journey in theological education began in 2008 when I was asked to join the faculty of Houston Graduate School of Theology as Director of the DMin Program. Spirituality and formation are my passions. However, I have found that they blend well with my administrative gifting, allowing me to work with people as well as programs. I enjoy relating to students and faculty, making connections that encourage them to continue their journeys of spiritual growth and development in their career paths.
When you are teaching or working as a faculty mentor, what kinds of questions lead the way?
In master’s learning experiences, which are largely self-paced learning experiences for me, I enjoy encouraging students as they post and interact with the material, but I also love sharing my heart when appropriate. As a DMin mentor, one of my main roles is to help students navigate their paths. Since it is a very different path than master’s work, I encourage students in the direction they need to take to make the most of their doctoral experiences.
What rhythms do you like to follow?
I have moved into a new phase of life. I am retirement age but not ready for retirement yet. So, I have learned to pace myself while still getting a lot done. I enjoy being available for student contacts and try to respond as quickly as possible to meet their needs. So, this means being rested enough to respond well while being engaged enough to address their needs in a timely fashion. I work listening—a practice I learned long ago—so that I can stay attentive to God in the midst of the many demands on my time. Another rhythm is to manage anxiety regularly and to think before speaking or typing. Reading what I write before I send or submit, to get a sense of how I am managing my anxiety, is also a regular practice. I call that thinking with Jesus about what may be coming across my computer. I also try to think with Jesus before speaking. That’s the more challenging discipline but I’m working on it!
When you are not teaching, mentoring, or engaged in some other aspect of your work with Kairos, where might we find you?
I am a mom and grandma. I have a husband, who is retired, four married children, and 10 grandchildren, and I love to connect with family. My parents just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary and their family has grown to more than 70 people, so family is and always will be important to me.
I serve on the pastoral team at the Friends church in Colorado Springs with my husband and two other semi-retired, recorded Friends ministers. It is fun and has been good to return to the church that my husband and I pastored for 19 years prior to my journey to Houston Graduate School of Theology. I teach a Sunday morning class, speak occasionally, and lead the music team. We are actively preparing for a new pastor someday but enjoying the work before us now. As part of that work, I serve as Recording Clerk for Rocky Mountain Yearly Meeting of Friends and now have the opportunity to use my administrative gifts to create a more functional structure for this group of churches for revitalization, hope for the future, and excitement for ministry. Good stuff!
I love the mountains. I also love the beach. Just shows that I’m a transplanted Texas girl, I guess!
We asked Becky to send us a candid picture of life outside of the classroom. Here’s what she shared with us:
