Cross-cultural stay has become transformative at Northwest College and Seminary
A bachelor of arts program in Christian leadership at Northwest College and Seminary was designed as a degree completion program. But instead of reaching Korean-speaking students in their 20s, the first cohort in 2021 consisted exclusively of “Korean moms,” says Jeehoon Kim, program manager.
Since then the program (NBSeminary.ca) has grown almost entirely through word-of-mouth, mom-to-mom testimonials. It currently has 35 students, mostly women, average age 43.
“We’ve had to adapt our approach,” says Kim, who is also lead mentor for the program as well as an assistant professor of biblical studies. The original design used an apprenticeship model focused on connecting students to various specific ministry contexts, but the students so far come mainly from a single ministry context – the home.
Most of the women enrolled came to Canada with their children for a cross-cultural experience – and perhaps a change of scenery or a kind of sabbatical from fast-paced life in Korea, explains Kim. But some found life in Canada quickly devolved into packing lunches and chauffeuring kids. They begin to think, “There has to be more to life,” Kim reports.
“The program equips students to become Christ-centred leaders in their churches, workplaces, families and communities,” according to Northwest.
“Students grow not only in biblical knowledge, but also in the practical wisdom and character needed to serve effectively in a changing world.”
Some program results have also been surprising, says Kim. “Some of them were nominal Christians, disenchanted with the Church, with negative views about Christianity. A lot of them find faith through our program. They leave saying, ‘I have a new faith.’ ”
Each student works with three mentors – “The heart of the program,” Kim says. “A lot of the students have said [mentorship] has changed their lives.”
“Through studying theology I came to understand why and for what purpose the Creator God made me,” says Jihee Kwon in an interview translated from Korean by artificial intelligence. “That realization allowed me to recentre my life around faith.”
Photo of Korean students by Northwest College and Seminary.