Last week, I closed the article by writing “Integrated partnerships bring about collaborative participation in disruptive innovation. By thinking differently about how organizations work together, we can create systems of theological education that honor local contexts, embrace the heritage of schools and faith communities, and provide unique opportunities for students to engage in a journey of discipleship.”
Sioux Falls Seminary has two of these partnerships, one with Taylor Seminary and one with Evangelical Seminary. Today, we are going to look at our growing integrated partnership with Evangelical Seminary.
Evangelical Seminary is a growing and innovative seminary located in Myerstown, Pennsylvania. About 18 months ago, Sioux Falls Seminary began talking with the leadership team at Evangelical Seminary about various ways to the two schools could collaborate. The conversation led to an exciting opportunity to enhance and expand the Kairos Project, which Evangelical felt could serve its students well, while simultaneously creating opportunities for innovative doctoral programs, which meant Sioux Falls Seminary might be able to offer a research-oriented doctoral degree.
Today, we continue to consider what the future might hold as these two schools submit to the lordship of Christ and mutually discern the best path forward. Already, we are seeking approval to offer a Doctor of Theology degree that is made possible through this partnership, expanding access to digital library resources, and working closely with churches and kingdom-minded ministries in Pennsylvania to launch the Kairos Project in their region.
What makes this type of partnership possible is the fact that Sioux Falls Seminary and Evangelical Seminary have a common mission and vision – both are focused on offering development pathways rooted in the transformational power of Jesus Christ. In short, we do what we do because of our shared desire to develop followers of Christ who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind.
Going forward, we expect the partnership with Evangelical to grow deeper as we lean into what is possible when we work together. Already, we are seeing exciting fruit from our work together. The partnership is, indeed, a collaborative journey through disruptive innovation!
This post originally appeared on the Kairos University blog.
