July 29, 2024
by Greg Henson, CEO Kairos University; President of Sioux Falls Seminary
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul reminds us that we are all members of the Body of Christ. Many of us have no doubt heard a sermon or two about that passage. As individual followers of Jesus, it can be a good reminder that each of us has a role to play in the mission of God.
At times, however, we can forget that 1 Corinthians 12 can describe the role communities or organizations play within the Body of Christ, as well. To be faithful participants in the work God is doing, we must recognize that we are not only connected to other organizations but also dependent upon them. The seminary cannot say to the local church, “We don’t need you,” and the ministry training organization cannot say to the seminary, “We don’t need you.” The harvest is plentiful and the workers are few so let us, as organizations, refrain from the hubris of a self-centered focus on institutional mission.
At Kairos University, we are grateful for the opportunity to link arms with partner organizations around the world as we cultivate educational pathways that are affordable, accessible, relevant, and faithful. The last ten years have been a wonderful lesson in stewardship. What seemed like so little in 2013 has been used by God to produce fruit around the world. During this time, we have come to appreciate the fact that we are not only stewarding resources and opportunities but also relationships. God works through relationships and we have been astounded by the exponential growth in the relationships we have been invited to steward.
Here are a few areas of numerical growth we have seen over the past ten years:
One of the most exciting aspects of our work with partners has been the development of a “people-and-process-based platform” that supports the work of our partners. Through this innovative approach to collaboration, we can leaven the good work God is already doing in and through the Body of Christ rather than simply trying to replicate ourselves through a “command-and-control” approach to working with others. In doing so, we steward relationships and collectively discern how best to keep in step with the Spirit.
It is always good to remember that we can rest in the fact that the Spirit is at work – to submit to the authority of the Spirit as we seek to join with God in that work. As a community that has been invested in theological education for nearly 170 years and clinical mental health for multiple generations, we have had the privilege of seeing God work in both arenas. The past ten years are no exception.
Next week, as we continue reflecting on the past ten years of stewardship, we will turn our attention to what God has been up to in the area of clinical mental health. As you might expect, some of the same themes emerge.