By Shanda Stricherz, Chief Creative Officer
The past four years at Sioux Falls Seminary have been filled with creative moments of the Spirit. Over the next year, we will share some parts of our story as we give thanks for what God has done and continues to do.
Starting this week, we will spend time reflecting on some of the creative moments that God has used to help write this current chapter of our history. These are moments in which he has brought our community together, challenged us, inspired us, and presented us with great opportunities. As we have shared time and time again, God has done more than we could have asked or imagined (Eph. 3:20).
Looking back on moments over the past four years, we can see the movement of God in our midst and think of times when he guided us, blessed us, and even challenged us to lean into our mission in ways we never imagined were possible.
These creative moments of the Spirit and the gifts and abilities of the people God has called to serve this seminary at this time have contributed to the exciting story Sioux Falls Seminary now has to tell! As alumnus Barry Saylor referenced last week in his exegetical post on Ephesians 3:20-21, we must rely on God’s ability and recognize that his power is at work within us.
In the spring of 2014 as President Greg Henson was being inaugurated as the twelfth president of Sioux Falls Seminary, a renewed vision was beginning to form within our community. Instead of focusing on small incremental changes, we dreamed of taking giant leaps forward. Leaps that might help us
- Operate in a new paradigm;
- Reconnect seminaries and the work of the church;
- Integrate local ministry contexts, the essence of a formational community, and academic rigor;
- Focus on serving the Kingdom (and not our own) by working with others to build a new system of theological education;
- Make the cost of high-quality theological education truly affordable.
Stay with us in the weeks to come as we explore each of these core components and how, through God’s amazing work, they have shaped Sioux Falls Seminary and how we serve the kingdom.
