July 15, 2024
by Greg Henson, CEO Kairos University; President of Sioux Falls Seminary
Movements can be invigorating, exhilarating, and inspiring because they coalesce around principles (i.e., values) and practices that in turn give direction, shape, and form to the movement. It creates an empowering ecosystem in which centralized control is not the goal. For the same reasons, those of us who have been shaped and formed by Western culture’s ideals of “institutional sustainability” can find movements to be frustrating, stressful, and concerning. Over the past ten years, we have seen and experienced each of these feelings. Today, we are amazed by the work that God is doing through a community of Christ followers that is simultaneously both global in its reach and local in its impact.
In 2013, nearly every student enrolled in one of the legacy partners of Kairos University lived within driving distance of a legacy partner’s campus. In addition, most students came from a handful of Baptist, Wesleyan, Lutheran, or Reformed denominations. To put it plainly, the legacy partners served a particular group of people in a particular geographic location. Like Sioux Falls Seminary and Taylor Seminary, each school was also experiencing a growing disconnect between the local church and the seminary.
Over the past ten years, as we have lived into the interconnected and interdependent nature of theological education, we have progressed from a group of organizations to a distributed network of people—a movement—joining God on mission! By the power of the Spirit and to the glory of God the Father, this community practices the way of Jesus as it cultivates educational and clinical mental health pathways that are affordable, accessible, relevant, and faithful. Let’s take a look at what that means numerically.
For example, in 2013, the Sioux Falls Seminary student body included people from:
3 countries;
2 continents;
25 denominations;
13 states in the US;
2 provinces in Canada.
At that time, the school partnered with roughly a dozen partner organizations and schools.
Today, the Kairos University student body includes people from:
60+ countries;
6 continents;
70+ denominations;
46 states in the US;
6 provinces in Canada.
Now our total number of partner organizations and schools is approximately 100.
When we look at the dramatic change that has taken place over the past ten years, we are simply amazed by the work God is doing in and through the Kairos community. It is not about us or what we are doing. The Spirit of God is moving powerfully throughout the Body of Christ around the world, and we are grateful for the opportunity to join in that work. By setting aside our personal or institutional desires for control, growth, or influence and taking up the cross of Christ, we are blessed with the experience of being a Spirit-led community, something the early church experienced in the Book of Acts. One of the best parts of this way of being is that we have the privilege of seeing the Spirit work in various ways in different communities. This is where the “local impact” portion of the story unfolds.
Yes, we have grown into a global community but that growth is not for the purpose of developing a single, monolithic expression of theological education or integrated counseling. No, we are listening to the Spirit in each context. The goals of the institution are not the center of Kairos. Yes, we have a common set of principles and practices. Yes, the legacy partners of Kairos have had a significant voice in the articulation of those principles and practices. But, as it turns out, Kairos in the United Arab Emirates and Kairos in Brazil are not identical. Rather, the communities around the world who are part of Kairos embody the principles and practices in ways that are most conducive for stewarding followers of Jesus in their contexts. In doing so, we ensure that contextualized standards of excellence are informing the work taking place in each geographic location and denominational tradition.
Global reach is wasted if it leads to a myopic, monocultural, and/or singular expression of God’s work in the world. Such an approach to global reach impedes the local impact that can be had. We are grateful for how God has invited us to empower others. As a result, we are seeing churches planted in Saudi Arabia, theological schools being launched in Tasmania, artists proclaiming Jesus in Europe, and doctors praying with patients in South Dakota. In each place, the impact is local but the community is global. Praise be to God.
With so many localized expressions of theological education, one might ask, “How do we ensure the quality of learning that is taking place?” Great question! Let’s talk about that next week as we look at how we have stewarded the educational philosophy we embraced and the enrollment growth that we have experienced.