Knowledge into wisdom
Sunesis exists to renew the Church by cultivating theological depth, spiritual discernment, careful reflection, and faithful witness. Rooted in the Reformed tradition as part of the wider body of Christ, we seek to foster a community where pastors, scholars, students, and thoughtful Christians pursue understanding together, loving God with all their heart, soul, and mind.
In a time marked by haste, distraction, and polarization, we envision a church that slows down long enough to listen, reflect, and discern deeply. A church where wisdom, not reaction, shapes her leadership; where insight, not noise, guides her speech; and where theological understanding strengthens both her inner life and her outward mission.
We are called to be and to make mature disciples of Jesus Christ, which includes loving God and one another with all of our mind. We envision a church that is nourished by wisdom, anchored in truth, and guided by the Spirit, where theological reflection and discussion are not reserved for the academy alone but integrated into the life, witness, and mission of God’s people in and through the Church.
At Sunesis, we believe that a theologically maturing faith is not a luxury, it is an essential form of discipleship. In a world of shallow answers and rapid change, we aim to form leaders and communities who think deeply, live wisely, and serve faithfully. Not everyone is called to be a vocational scholar, but we are all called to love God and one another with all our mind. Sunesis exists to be a facilitator and a resource for this dimension of Jesus’ call to discipleship and to this dimension in our participation in God’s mission for the church here and now.
Sunesis (Gk. σύνεσις, synesis)
- the faculty of comprehension, intelligence, acuteness, shrewdness.
- the content of understanding or comprehension, insight, understanding.
Sunesis Rationale
By grace and through faith in the promises of God Sunesis aspires to be an ongoing theological source for good, to the glory of God, and for the upbuilding of his church and her mission to be and to make mature disciples of Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:28–29) as we witness to, rely on, and grow in him who is the true way that leads to life (John 10:10; 14:6). We are all called and promised the possibility to know more and to know better today than we did yesterday. The pursuit of this knowledge is not driven by mere curiosity or vanity but by our love of God and by a sense of service to our neighbor. We believe this knowledge is gifted to us through prayer and study, and through discussion and debate undertaken within the fellowship of those who, like the prophet Daniel, have simultaneously set their mind to gain understanding and to humble themselves before the Lord as an act of faith, service, and gratitude.
Today the practice of theology and the life of the church are in many instances noticeably bifurcated from one another. However, the life of faith and the life of theological reflection are unavoidably intertwined. Whether we realize it or not, what we think about God and what we think God thinks about us (consciously and less consciously) has significant ramifications for all of life. In this basic sense we are all theologians who stand to benefit from sound and insightful theological reflection. And we are called to do this together, not simply in isolation, and to do this continually, not merely during preparatory periods for ministry. As a society for theological understanding Sunesis exists to cultivate a community focused on the mutual flourishing of the practice of theology and the life of the church for the benefit of both.
The benefits of ongoing theological reflection in community ought not be overlooked. Outside of the seminary and university context making time for this to happen often requires intentional effort. Sunesis aims to make this effort, in various ways, in order to facilitate ongoing opportunities for growth in theological understanding.
Sunesis 