Bridging Chasms
Dear Reader,
This is an unedited copy of the Statement of Purpose I submitted while applying to the Doctor of Theology program at United Theological Seminary. While researching what a statement of purpose is, I was helped by what others posted online, this is my small way of making a similar contribution.
The call to ordained ministry became apparent a year after graduating from the Ohio State University. For reasons I now consider providential, I found myself reading about the lives of different saints. I was nominally Christian, with a strong belief that being saved was about going to heaven after death; I had no concept of abundant life now. Reading the saints disrupted all of that. As I took in the lives of these glorious ones, I began to think, “If this is possible for Christians, I want it for myself, and I want to help others have it.” That thought dominated my mind and launched me into pursuit of an M.Div at the United Theological Seminary.
Classes in Old and New Testament studies, Ethics, and Systematic Theology stretched me to read deeply, faithfully, and think “Christianly.” Preaching and Pastoral Care taught me the ministry of presence. Upon graduating, I was ready to go and set the world on fire. Then, I ran into an unexpected reality.
A few years of pastoring, and familiarizing myself with our denominational system, left me with a sneaking suspicion that we were not arranging our communal lives to actually “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Indeed, in many churches and clergy gatherings, that did not even appear to be our intention, just a mission statement.
Around that time, God sent another saintly figure into my life — Dallas Willard. His work opened my eyes to the gospel of the Kingdom and the role of spiritual disciplines in a disciple's life. His teachings were like a bridge being built across a chasm, showing me how to follow Jesus and experience the promised transformation from the inside out. Most importantly, I discovered that this way was not new but an ancient path that has transformed many disciples and Christian communities, including Methodists!
As I began to pay attention to and practice how Jesus and his great friends in history lived, not just what they believed, I started experiencing my own transformation; I sensed the Spirit purifying me from within. I remember thinking, often through tears, “It works!”
Soon I began pastoring differently. “Life in the Kingdom of God as a disciple of Jesus” became a phrase congregations would hear me say frequently, as I made it the focus of sermons, classes, and any other ministry opportunity I received. The responses varied, but some wanted more! For those, we began forming smaller communities to learn, practice, and grow together.
This renewed journey has led me to ask new questions about the church (local and at large). Questions like:
What are the real, unstated goals behind church gatherings today?
What were the thoughts, beliefs, and intentions that led those early notable Christian communities to gather and experience transformation as they did?
Do we need to rethink our corporate practices to ensure discipleship is primary and Christ is central? If so, where will we need to begin?
I am applying for the ThD program at United because there are more questions to be asked, and I want to pursue the answers in an academic environment guided by the Spirit. In addition, the scholarship of professors like Drs. David Watson, Scott Kisker, and Peter Bellini have been very helpful. It would be a great joy to have them and other professors and scholars as guides as I research and seek answers to these questions so that I can be of more excellent service to God and his church.
The world needs a church that is known for being a disciple-making factory. People are longing to live well, beautifully, abundantly! By God’s grace, I would love to help pastors, scholars, and Christians from every corner understand how we can become such a church again.
I appreciate your consideration,
Rev. Meshach Kanyion