Kairos Discipleship school

Parents and pastors

We believe most young Christians these days lack a strong faith rooted in understanding God's Word, discipleship from older followers of Christ, and a commitment to sharing the Gospel. For 20 years, we have come alongside and taught our students how to have a passion for God, a compassion for the lost, a love for fellow believers, and a desire to make an impact for God’s kingdom.

Kairos Discipleship School is for students, age 18-26 (high school graduates), who want to take a season of their life to focus on their relationship with God through discipleship, leadership, and missions. We are passionate about equipping young adults to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. This is done through classes taught by pastors, professors, and other ministry professionals, small group interactions, weekly one-on-ones with staff, different ministry opportunities (local outreach, internships, and mission trips), and the openness of a student to allow the Holy Spirit to mold their hearts.

Who Should Attend?

Anyone (age 18-26) who wants to grow as a follower of Christ!

As followers of Christ, we are all called to a life of ministry, vocational or otherwise. Whether our students are interested in becoming pastors and missionaries or doctors and lawyers we believe that a strong Biblical foundation is vital to a life of ministry. We welcome young followers of Christ regardless of vocational pursuit or educational background to apply for Kairos Discipleship School.

why take a gap year?

What value is there in taking a gap year? And then spending it in a discipleship school? Kairos provides students with the knowledge to develop and strengthen their Christian worldview, ultimately equipping their hearts and minds to serve Christ. They will experience a healthy community as they learn, grow, and serve together. We do life alongside our students, creating space for them to process, ask questions, and apply what they are learning. Small group leaders meet one-on-one with students to individualize discipleship.

Class Topics

Our class subjects are chosen based on our three core focuses: personal and biblical foundations, leadership, and missions. Students are in class for 15 hours most weeks, hearing from speakers and pastors on subjects ranging from intimacy with God to cross-cultural evangelism. Our classroom is interactive and students will learn from a variety of teaching styles. Our goal in the classroom is for our students to be transformed by the teachings through application of what is being taught.

Staff & Leadership

All of our staff work full-time for Reign Ministries and raise their own financial support. They have dedicated themselves to student development and discipleship. Additionally we may have seasonal interns, usually previous Kairos graduates, to assist the staff in daily responsibilities. Director of Kairos, Erika Zimmerman, oversees the staff and every aspect of the program.

Our classes are taught by our full-time Reign Ministries staff as well as pastors, professors, missionaries, authors, and ministry leaders. Students get to learn from teachers who are passionate and knowledgeable with a variety of teaching styles.‍

Ignite Your Faith

We know that sometimes students come with baggage that can prevent them from whole-heartedly pursuing Christ. This may come in the form of personal sin. It’s hard to be passionate about God while hiding from Him because of sin in your life. Our staff are continually examining their own lives, and we encourage our students to examine theirs as well. We also know that misplaced priorities can keep our faith stagnant. Kairos is a safe place to develop a passion for God by reining in other passions that can distract us from Him.

It is true that we teach a lot of knowledge such as the Old and New Testament, World Religions, and our identity in Christ, but we also spend a lot of time wrestling through related questions. For example, why do they believe what they believe about a certain subject in our culture? In order to help students get excited about what they believe, we help them see that the Christian worldview is reasonable and true.

We also help them understand why the Bible, and what it says, should matter to them. They are able to see how certain truths impact their lives. They see how it changes the way they view themselves and the world around them. The truth that comes from the Word of God begins to guide and protect them.‍

Impact the World

It has been said that discipleship and evangelism are like two sides of the same coin. You can't have one without the other. We believe that God has given us a global mission and that our students should be active in this Great Commission. As our students’ passion for the Lord grows, we want them to spread that passion locally and around the world! We will take a stateside trip to share with high school and college-age students about missions and we travel to the inner city of Chicago to serve the homeless. We also take an international mission trip to Kenya to share the Gospel and disciple new believers.

Cost

All fees are broken down into four payments throughout the year:

August: $550 initial deposit

September: $6,000

January: $3,450

Total for Kairos Discipleship School: $10,000

This covers room and board, books, excursions, a stateside mission trip, and an international mission trip. Along with personal contributions, students are encouraged to raise financial support for Kairos. This is a great opportunity for friends and family to invest in their life and spiritual development. Once accepted, we will guide each student through the support raising process.‍


College Credit

Kairos partners with Oak Hills Christian College (OHCC) in Bemidji, MN. OHCC recognizes the value and importance of a discipleship school. Students who graduate Kairos in good standing can be granted up to a year’s worth of transfer credits to OHCC. OHCC is committed to working diligently to grant the most generous transfer possible for all Kairos students. In addition, they will offer a $2,400 scholarship per year to all Kairos students.

For more information about OHCC, visit their website at www.oakhills.edu. For students planning on furthering their education after Kairos, colleges and universities may grant credit for coursework and training from a program such as ours, but they may require the student to provide the proper documentation. The field of study that a student chooses to go into can also determine whether credits will be given. The student is responsible for contacting their school and/or academic advisor regarding receiving academic credit. We will provide the student with the proper documentation that may be required. While students may be eligible to receive college credit for graduating Kairos, we are not an accredited school.