PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORK
Each generation is tasked with developing new and effective models of collaboration that invite students, the church, and all the various stakeholders within a system of theological education to collectively participate in the mission of God.
As we steward followers of Jesus who flourish in their vocations and engage in the work of partnership and collaboration, the focus is on working with others to make known the Kingdom of God. It鈥檚 not about what we 鈥渙wn,鈥 or who we are. We seek to discern and follow the Holy Spirit and respond to the opportunities for partnership that appear along the way. In doing so, we discover others who have a shared heart for God鈥檚 work.
We have created a partnership framework that 1) helps us think through how we discern and implement collaborative initiatives or partnerships and 2) provides a continuum of partnership possibilities.
When considering potential partnerships, we engage in the process of discernment by asking the following questions:
With this question, we are discerning how well a partnership aligns with the work to which God is inviting the Kairos community to engage in. We use the phrase 鈥渟trategic direction鈥 rather than 鈥渟trategic plan鈥 because we do not pretend to control the future. Rather, we are constantly seeking to discern the direction in which God is calling the community. These conversations about strategic alignment are wonderful opportunities to see how God is weaving together the people of God to engage in the mission of God. We refer to these as questions of strategic alignment.
When we have discerned there is strategic alignment, we then consider the operational requirements for a given partnership. Because we want to honor those with whom we partner, we want to ensure that we have the capacity and bandwidth to adequately collaborate with each partner according to the needs and expectations of that partner. In these conversations we address any financial, legal, or accreditation realities, as well as system or process integration or support. We refer to these as questions of systems alignment.
Finally, we take time to consider how will we steward each partnership once it begins. We take seriously our commitment to partnership and collaboration so we work to ensure that a partnership starts well, is supported over time, and that lessons are learned from each and every partner within the movement. By engaging in these questions of stewardship alignment, we are continually reminded that we are stewards of God鈥檚 abundant blessings rather than owners or managers of finite resources.
The questions listed above help the Kairos community discern where God might be leading in terms of partnership and collaboration. As Kairos has grown and taken shape, we have learned that partnerships with other kingdom-minded ministries exist on a continuum. On one end of the continuum a partnership becomes more like a union and on the other end it is a commitment to sharing resources, processes, or personnel.
Below is a brief description of the three primary categories on that continuum.
Legacy partners are institutions that have ceded management and governance to 乌鸦传媒. Like a school within a university or brand within a larger company, legacy partners become part of 乌鸦传媒. Their heritage, unique identity, and stakeholders are preserved. Legacy partners join Kairos because they feel the best way to fulfill their mission is to partner with a community committed to a similar vision.
Contextualization Partners blend their independent governance and identities with shared Kairos resources鈥攍ike courses, degrees, and human resources鈥攖o craft accessible, affordable learning experiences. Each partner customizes its engagement, leveraging the Kairos Project to fulfill its mission. These partnerships preserve autonomy while embracing collaboration, creating innovative pathways that serve both students and the organizations themselves.
Finally, Operational Partners are related to many of the back-office functions of education. In some cases, it means sharing costs with another organization or working together to provide a service to students. In other cases, it means finding ways to reduce costs by sharing services or software packages.
