Solutions

For Churches and Parachurches

We walk alongside churches and parachurch organizations to strengthen their theological education. The Kinisi Theology Collective exists to strengthen Christians in their knowledge and practice of the Christian faith. We offer on-site, customizable courses in Christian doctrine that integrate the mind and heart.

For Individuals and Small Groups

We love meeting small groups with big questions about theology, the Bible, and how to integrate faith and life in a complex, modern world. We don’t shy away from the hard questions, and hope to equip Christians of all ages not simply what to think, but how to think with nuance, humility, and charity toward life’s thorniest questions.

Our Convictions

Theology Forms the Soul

We believe that theology is for everyone, and good theology is good not only for the mind but for the soul. The collective teaches minds but also forms hearts and souls to know and love God.
Theology helps us move in the world

We exist to walk alongside Christians as they move through most difficult questions. We build frameworks for how to think with nuance, humility, and charity towards the thorny discussions in our complex modern world.
We don't just tell what to think, we show how to think.

Theology is not just an ascent to a doctrinal checklist, it is understanding the why behind the what of our creeds and doctrines. For this reason our teaching philosophy is interactive, participatory, and dynamic.
Our aim: to know God and experience his love

At the end of the day, we are about knowing God and his love for us and the world. While we are not a church, nor a school, we hope to bridge the gap between churches and divinity schools by offering rigorous theology and formational soul-care.

Training thoughtful Christians not simply what to think, but how to think.

At the Kinisi Theology Collective, walking alongside Christians in the thorniness of the post-Christian world is what we live for.

The Urgent Need

For years churches have struggled with training lay leaders to think theologically. Pastors simply don’t have the time to offer theological training to their small group and ministry leaders. With time spent writing sermons, leading meetings, and visiting parishoners, there is no time for thoughtful theological teaching outside of the pulpit.

In addition lay leaders often work full time jobs, are raising families, and volunteering in multiple ministries within the church. Though they may take a christian education class or participate in a small group, many feel a lack of theological and biblical training but don’t know where to look for answers. If approached by a non-Christian friend with a serious and difficult question about Christianity, they feel unprepared to speak to the complexities with nuance and humility.

Further still, people raised in the church are ‘deconstructing’ faith at an alarming rate. We believe this is a trend that we can do something about. We want to listen to people who feel hurt by the church, but guide them in reconstructing and rediscovering the truths of their faith that were there all along. We aren’t afraid to talk about the difficult issues and help them process their difficult questions.

Our Principles

Moveable

The Kinisi Theology Collective exists to help Christians move in the world by strengthening their knowledge and practice of the Christian faith. We offer on-site, customizable courses in Christian doctrine that integrate the mind and heart.
Missional

The heart of good theology is formation of the soul. Our courses aim to train students not only to be more thoughtful Christians, but to love others better from the love of God they have experienced themselves.
Modular

Unlike many seminary programs aimed for lay people, the Collective offers no boxed or digital content. We create in-person, customized courses because we believe embodied presence and attention are at the heart of theological formation.
Formational

Theological education is not simply content, distributed from teacher to student. Rather it is the transformation of the heart, mind, and soul that can occur when we encounter the love of God.

Modalities

Theology Sequence (30-40 persons)

Our flagship program, the Theology Sequence is a series of three-four courses in Christian doctrine held over two years. These courses are intended to serve as an internal support for teaching ministry in the local church.
The four courses represent an extended series in Christian doctrine with the hope that parishioners could take the whole sequence as part of an internal credentialing process. Alternately individuals could dip into one course, recognizing that they will have missed some of the background preparation. Course size is flexible, with an estimate of 30-40 participants.
Fellowships (14-18 persons)

Smaller, individualized training to lay leaders or those seeking further church involvement. These courses would be limited in size (14-18 participants) and would be on a particular topic. One example might be a two-course sequence on the Apostle’s Creed, or a two- course sequence on Jesus: Person and Work.
Curriculum Development

We come alongside pastors and leaders to discern what courses would best equip your team. We develop a robust theological curriculum that provides your leaders a framework of not just what to think but how to think theologically as they walk through the complex modern world.
Contract one course at a time as needed. The topics would be contracted by local church leadership and would not follow a coordinated pattern. This course allows flexibility but does not promise a series or sequence of courses that would address theological deficits in a sustained way and would not allow internal credentialing for completion of a course sequence.