History
Dreaming
The Institute for Community Transformation has a rich history, radiant with the leading and purposes of God. It began in 2001 when the staff at the US Center for World Mission launched INSIGHT (Intensive Study of Integrated Global History and Theology) as a one-year study program.
Building
This innovative, historically-focused interdisciplinary program was designed with a twofold purpose: grounding young people in a biblical and missional worldview before they completed college, and equipping world Christian leaders who can enter into the global purposes of God. The one-year INSIGHT program was itself a condensation of the World Christian Foundations Master’s Program at William Carey International University.
Growing
Over the years, INSIGHT was offered in nearly a dozen different cities by a team of people who had caught the beautiful vision of the program. Many young people educated through the INSIGHT program were mobilized into mission and sent out to some of the darkest and most troubled places of the world.
John Piper, Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, commented on INSIGHT, “. . . a God-entranced vision of reality that will make all other study, and all the rest of life, deeper, richer, and more in sync with God’s ultimate purposes for your life.”
Revitalizing
In 2014, we (Drs. Todd and Junia Pokrifka) took leadership of INSIGHT, while still teaching full-time in Theology and Biblical Studies at Azusa Pacific University (APU). As we began to revitalize the INSIGHT program, we saw the brilliance of the curriculum and its promising place in a new holistic and integrative model of college education.
Birthing
In 2017, God called us to birth Commission Training. It emphasized transformation of the heart and equipping of the “hands” with practical skills for cross-cultural work. It complemented INSIGHT’s emphasis on the transformation of the mind. Commission Training (CT) naturally led to the birthing of the Commission Community comprised of disciples who covenanted themselves with God and with one another to live a life of obedience to the Great Commandments and the Great Commission.
Resigning
During this time, God increased in us a deep yearning to develop a new model of education where the best of the spiritual, the practical, the academic, the ecclesial, and the missional are brought together through powerful, transformative learning and radical obedience to God’s mission.
To fulfill this long-standing call, the Lord led us to resign from our teaching positions at APU. Doing so gave us the time and freedom to fully envision and pursue innovative educational programs.
Innovating
Soon after, we found other like-minded and like-hearted comrades in both the academic and missions worlds. There was a shared sense that God was calling us to innovate a new type of college-level education to form students holistically and raise up global leaders who would catalyze God-honoring whole community transformation.
This would require writing a fresh, new curriculum, combining the best of our academic expertise, missiology, and mission practices with the best principles and practices of innovative online, experiential, and global learning. We began working together and, after much prayer, reflection, discussion, and countless revisions, the Institute for Community Transformation was born. This innovative, integrative, biblical, holistic, missional, and transformative program in Community Transformation is truly unlike anything else currently available.
Inviting
With everything, it is our desire to serve, prepare, and form students around the globe whose life mission is to bring God’s Good News and shalom to the world’s most vulnerable peoples, populations, and places. We invite you to partner with us in God’s work of transformation.
Drs. Todd & Junia Pokrifka
Directors of the Institute for Community Transformation
