Each new student has a unique story to share about what God is doing in their lives and why Kairos appears to be the right place to continue their journey of discipleship. We love to collecting these stories and getting a broad sense of what God is up to in our community.
Working as a pastor in the past and a counselor for children and youth, I have come to understand that we are never alone in our struggles and never alone in our overcoming. With this program, affordable and reachable came together for the perfect timing. A true God moment for someone in rural South Dakota with a passion for families. I appreciate the extensiveness of the training, the personal touch of expert professors, and the materials suggested.
When I was first introduced to Kairos, I was excited because it made possible what I had always thought seemed impossible. I enrolled in the BA program in order to prepare for a master鈥檚 degree. The flexibility of the program enabled me to engage in a way that fit my life and ministry.
After one year in the program, I can tell you that Kairos has been life-changing for me. I often refer to the experience as more of an intense journey of discipleship rather than a traditional degree program at a university. I have learned so much about God and myself.
I met a student of the Kairos Project at a seminar in Florida two years ago. There were two things that caught my attention: the name Kairos and the fact that she said the program was going to help her do her job. Upon investigating the opportunity, I discovered that I could afford the tuition. I also knew that a traditional class schedule may not work well for me because I was busy in ministry and working. The flexibility in completing outcomes that can be paced according to my schedule was very attractive to me. I wanted a curriculum that was meaningful, supportive, and relevant to my work in ministry.
I have experienced tremendous personal and spiritual growth as attested by my mentor team and my husband (who has a Master鈥檚 degree in theology from a 鈥渢raditional鈥 program at another seminary).
I was a bit skeptical at first when one of my friends told me about Kairos. Honestly, I thought it was a scam; how could something be that affordable and accessible but still of high quality and relevant? But then I started looking into the program and speaking with other students and staff and fell in love. I transferred into Kairos because even though I was excelling academically at my current seminary, there was something missing that made me feel like I wasn鈥檛 thriving. That missing thing was discipleship or as I like to call it, apprenticeship. Kairos has opened the door for that to be an important aspect of the educational process.
With the integration of mentors, cohorts of students, gatherings, case studies, and various learning experiences, I have been able to build a learning pathway that fits my learning style.
I enrolled in the Doctor of Professional Counseling because it was the only doctoral program that I could find that allowed me to advance my counseling competency while simultaneously developing my faith. It has been wonderfully practical! The core counseling and psychology classes have been well balanced between the theoretical and practical. I have personally been able to increase my competency to counsel through the doctoral work and this helps my practice staff and myself assist our clients.
I chose to enroll in Listening People to Life because I had been sensing God鈥檚 invitation spiritual direction for several years. In my vocational role, I found that I was often invited to help people consider what God is up to in own their lives and how that plays out on a very tangible level. I found these experiences to be life-giving and also discovered it was something that folks in our congregation seemed to desperately need鈥攕pace to consider who God is, what the Holy Spirit is doing, and what that means for their very real, messy, mundane lives.