Who We Are

The Oikonomia Network is a learning community of theological educators dedicated to raising up church leaders who help people develop whole-life discipleship, fruitful work and economic wisdom for God’s people and God’s world.

The Oikonomia Network is an initiative of Karam Fellowship, an independent nonprofit organization that depends on funding from its own members. If you would like to support our work, please consider joining the Fellowship, which includes member benefits such as a subscription to our peer-reviewed journal of theology for the life of the world, Faith & Flourishing.

Our name is derived from the Greek term used in the New Testament to refer to discipleship responsibilities (“stewardship”) and also the management of business and the city’s public treasury (“economics”). This name embodies our conviction that discipleship to Christ leads us to value human flourishing and work to serve the common good of all our communities.

We’ve been at this mission since 2010. Check out our history.

If you’re confused about the two names – Karam Fellowship and Oikonomia Network – here’s a helpful way to think about it. “Oikonomia Network” is the name we use in our activities that are either partly or completely open to the public, such as our monthly newsletter and Karam Forum. For the activities that are exclusively for Fellowship members, such as Faith & Flourishing, we use the Fellowship name. It’s all run by the Fellowship.

Student Outcome Goals

The network’s mission is expressed in its six student outcome goals for theological education.

Bearing God’s Image

Because God made us in his image – reflecting his attributes, relational, and with stewardship responsibility – and he redeems us to bear his image in Christ, we affirm:

  • Discipleship toward maturity in Christ by the Spirit in all of life
  • Serving the common good of all our communities (family, church, workplace, neighborhood, city, country, etc.)

ON OUTCOME 1: Pastors, Christian leaders and local churches prioritize helping people live integrated lives wholly centered on discipleship to Christ, not limiting “mission” and “ministry” to church activities.

ON OUTCOME 2: Pastors, Christian leaders and local churches prioritize helping people live as stewards of God’s world, responsible to work with integrity for its flourishing – individually and collaboratively in communities.

Bearing Witness

Because we are witnesses – through what we are, what we say and what we do – that God became human in Jesus Christ and redeemed us by his death and resurrection, we affirm:

  • Manifesting (proclaiming and practicing) God’s holy love and loving holiness as found in Christ, contextualized to all our communities
  • Working for justice and mercy as prophets, priests and kings under Christ

ON OUTCOME 3: Pastors, Christian leaders and local churches prioritize helping people discern and support systems and practices that promote value creation while challenging systems and practices that extract value from others or borrow it from the future instead of creating it.

ON OUTCOME 4: Pastors, Christian leaders and local churches prioritize helping people recognize the poor, the marginalized and the culturally different as fellow stewards whose work is equally important in God’s plan, cultivating trust and economic opportunity rather than division and dependency.

Bearing Fruit

Because the Great Commandment and the Great Commission call us to be fruitful by the Spirit – in intimacy with God and neighbor, Christlike character and productive contribution – we affirm:

  • Working for authentic (image-bearing) human flourishing in all our communities, with a hopeful realism about what is possible now
  • Patiently and humbly awaiting the restoration of all things

ON OUTCOME 5: Pastors, Christian leaders and local churches prioritize helping people find meaning and fulfillment in callings outside the walls of the church that create value for others, provide for their households and help communities and economies flourish.

ON OUTCOME 6: Pastors, Christian leaders and local churches prioritize helping people take responsible action, individually and as communities – energetically pursuing justice, mercy and flourishing while recognizing the complex challenges and limitations we face in the present age.

Resources

See our Resources page for a variety of video, online and print resources we make available – most importantly, the Economic Wisdom Project.

Leadership

The ON is an initiative of an independent nonprofit organization, Karam Fellowship, which is supported by its own members. The governing board of the Fellowship includes:

  • Chris Armstrong, Christian History
  • Vincent Bacote, Wheaton College
  • Greg Forster (chair), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
  • Donald Guthrie, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
  • Jules Martinez-Olivieri, Global Faith and Work Initiative
  • Jay Moon, Asbury Theological Seminary
  • Charlie Self, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary
  • Philip Thompson, Sioux Falls Seminary

If you would like to support our work, please consider joining the Fellowship, which includes member benefits such as a subscription to our peer-reviewed journal of theology for the life of the world, Faith & Flourishing.

The ON was founded in 2010. In its first decade, the network was led by a steering committee of theological educators. To learn more, check out our history.

Have questions? Contact us!