At Karam Forum 2020, we conveneda panel of leading theological educators from across the country to discuss the relationship between entrepreneurship, theological education and pastoral ministry. In this brand new video release from Karam Forum, three speakers cast a collective vision for how theological education can equip current and future ministry leaders to bring God’s […]
Archives for May 2020
Chicken Farming and Motorcycle Repair Training for Pastors in Kenya
Through my over 20 years of experience in teaching and administration in Christian higher education institutions in Kenya, two main challenges have become apparent. The first is the challenge of long-term financial sustainability of theological institutions. Students’ fees alone cannot sustain them, and donor funding is becoming very scarce to find. The second challenge is […]
Bruce Fields on the Image of God and Human Flourishing
My friend and colleague Bruce Fields joined the church triumphant late last month, after a 21-month battle with cancer. The Oikonomia Network’s Vincent Bacote offers him a magnificent tribute in Christianity Today. In the various remembrances of Bruce, one quote recurs frequently, and I hope the ON will always strive to live up to it: […]
Toward a Theology of Entrepreneurship: Core Questions
Powerful disruptions to the status quo, such as a pandemic, job loss or death of a loved one, can also create opportunities to think and act differently. In our own “cultural moment,” I have found myself contemplating how the Holy Spirit is at work among the “entrepreneurial” in our culture, among various industries, professions, and […]
Nazarene Theological Seminary’s Ministerial Entrepreneurship Initiative
Note: The author is an individual faculty partner in the Oikonomia Network. “A gym really needs a pastor.” Observations like this one sprinkle across a new curriculum offered by Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) focusing on entrepreneurship with ministry in mind. The comment comes from my interview with entrepreneur and pastor Brett Armstrong, founder of CrossfitRWOL in Mustang, […]
Seminary Spotlight: Bethel Seminary
This spring has found COVID-19 disrupting every facet of life. As a family, the Irvings are coming up on our fifth week of gathering with our church small group using Zoom, getting ready for our fifth week of online worship with our church community using Facebook Live, and joining with Christians around the world to […]