May 20, 2025
The Center for Academic Ministry (CAM) which was dedicated in spring of 2025 has a charge to empower faculty and staff to shepherd students in faith integration and spiritual formation for the sake of the church and the world. As an outpouring of that charge, CAM sponsored the 2025 Koinonia Institute in May 2025. Twenty-five LETU staff representing upper administration, deans, chairs, coaches, faculty, facilities and services, student life, and IT gathered to discuss the challenges of being (and forming) a disciple of Jesus in our digital age.
The retreat had two goals, each of which would help strengthen LETU’s Christian identity. First, we wanted bring stakeholders from different roles on campus together in order to reflect on what being a disciple of Jesus looks like in our current context of digital devices and media. Second, we wanted this group to develop relationships that would help us work together across campus to help form students as disciples of Jesus. In order to accomplish this objective, the participants shared meals, met in discussion groups, had ample time to talk with other colleagues over coffee, and heard seven talks that provided a biblical view of discipleship and conceptual tools to analyze and consider the impact of technology on our spiritual lives.
As of fall 2025 the retreat is already bearing important fruit. Two professors devoted their summer to writing books on a Christian view of technology. (See the dean of engineering’s substack for more on his book.) Additionally, Student Life organized the fall student leadership retreat (about 160 students attended) around helping students to use technology so that they would grow in their relationship with God and serve the campus body. We are so encouraged by this fruit!
The feedback received and these results confirmed for us that a 2026 Koinonia Institute Retreat would be valuable for our campus community as we strengthen our Christian identity. Our 2025 speaker, LETU’s associate professor of theology and director of the Faith, Science, and Technology Initiative, Dr. Jonathan Lett, will return next May for the 2026 retreat. The retreat will be open to twenty-five new LETU staff from all areas of campus as we seek to shepherd students for His Kingdom.
