In 2005, Koinonia House launched the Koinonia Institute fulfilling a dream of Chuck Missler to promote Biblical literacy among 21st century Christians. In the past, Koinonia Institute had 3 basic levels of membership, each with its own cost: Monthly KI Membership, Yearly KI Membership, and Lifetime KI Membership. Since its inception, Koinonia Institute has greatly grown in membership and available study courses. In honor of his memory and in keeping with his dream, we have made some exciting new changes that we feel will expand the availability of the teaching ministry of Koinonia House through the facilities of Koinonia Institute.
Now you can join Koinonia Institute for FREE!
How do you join? Here is the simple step-by-step procedure:
- Using a web browser, go to https://koinoniainstitute.org
- On the opening page, click the button “Become a Member.”
- On the pricing page, click the button “KI Membership
Sign-up” - On the signup page, fill out the required information and then click “Continue”
- Please make a note of your Username. This is your login username. Please remember it, you will need it to log in.
- Provide a password that meets the requirements shown on the screen and then click “Continue”
- Be sure to click the “Submit” button to open the account.
As a Basic KI Member, you receive:
- A lifetime access to Koinonia Institute,
- Unlimited access to all of the online courses available through Koinonia Institute,
- 20% members discount on all material available in the Koinonia House online store at www.Khouse.org, and
- Access to all free content and articles associated with Koinonia Institute.
KHouse TV (renewable monthly or annually), you receive:
- You can watch all of the Koinonia House on-demand videos online (audio also available). That’s more than 1,000 hours of instruction available at the click of a button. Topical Studies are free!
- App also available for iOS, Apple TV, Android/Android TV, Roku and fireTV
- To purchase KHouse TV, go to https://www.khouse.tv
Koinonia Institute - Mission Statement, Philosophy & Approach
Koinonia Institute is dedicated to training and equipping the serious Christian for ministry in today’s world. For several decades, the ministry of Koinonia House has been to create, develop, and distribute educational materials for those who take the Bible seriously as the inerrant Word of God. As an affiliated ministry, the Koinonia Institute is focused on three supporting areas:
- To provide instructional programs to facilitate serious study of the Bible among thinking Christians;
- To encourage and facilitate both individual and small group weekly study programs for personal growth; and
- To develop an international cadre of believers who answer God’s unique calling on their lives, especially as they see prophetic trends unfold and discern what is really happening in the world.
The Institute is committed to accomplishing these goals through a program of lifelong learning–exploiting the Internet in order to achieve the “training and equipping” in our mission statement.
The Koinonia Institute - Course Structure
The Koinonia Institute is designed around a Threefold Structure. “…
a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”1
The programs at the Koinonia Institute are organized around three “tracks” or avenues of study which are concurrent paths of achievement:
- The Berean Track;
- The Issachar Track; and
- The Koinonos Track
It is the objective of the Institute to encourage the student through a balanced program of simultaneous progress along each of these tracks. (Think of them as three legs on a stool: balance is an essential requisite for effectiveness.) The three tracks include a wide variety of classes to permit a tailored curriculum to match the specific gifting of each individual student. With a large selection of courses, students can get right into studying the Word of God based on in-depth Bible commentaries, exploring topical studies related to a wide variety of ministry opportunities as well as interacting with the online KI community.
Grading guidelines for the courses can be found at https://ki.studycenter.com/resources/KI-Grading-Guide.pdf and from a link in the classrooms. In addition to the traditional testing, nearly all the Issachar and Koinonos classes use a self-assessment tool known as KWL. This is a written assessment identifying what you Know (K), what you Want to know (W), and what you have Learned (L). This must be submitted to receive credit for the class, but it is not graded or seen by other students in the class. This approach allows you to reflect and record your personal insights for each course, as the Lord leads. It also allows you to give special attention when certain parts of the subject are especially important for you.
The Berean Track is the primary backbone of the Institute, motivated by the diligence of the Bereans:
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, yet searched the Scriptures daily, to prove whether those things were so.
Acts 17:11
The program begins with a strategic overview of the entire Bible, with an emphasis on its integrity of design, its extra-terrestrial origin, and its inerrancy in the original autographs. The Silver and Gold courses concentrate on studying specific books of the Bible, verse-by-verse, with in-depth expositional commentaries based on a commitment to the inerrancy of the Word of God.
The Issachar Track is motivated by the diligence of the Sons of Issachar:
And of the Sons of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do;
1 Chronicles 12:32
The Institute’s course of study is aimed at encouraging an in-depth understanding of God’s plan of redemption and an awareness of the times–and challenges to ministry–we currently face. The Sons of Issachar understood the times, knew what to do, and did it. In the same way, the serious study of the Word of God should precipitate positive changes in the life of a Christian, based on understanding, discernment, and action.
As we draw closer to the return of our Lord and Savior, it is important to remember Matthew 9:36-38 and Luke 10:1-2 when Jesus told His disciples to look at the harvest and ask “the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest.” He was directing the disciple’s attention to the people around them with eternal souls who were lost and like sheep without a shepherd. But He did not just tell them to “look” and then go merrily on their way. He was directing their attention to the needs of the people, to see the opportunities for ministry all around them, and then ask the Lord how He wants them to serve in the great harvest.
The combination of new Issachar courses and the corresponding new Koinonos courses are designed to work together to help our members focus their attention on finding the ministry to which God is calling and preparing them to engage.
To this end, the Institute endeavors to provide courses aimed at encouraging an in-depth understanding of God’s plan of redemption and an awareness of the times and challenges we currently face.
The study of prophetic Scriptures gives us the right perspective of the world, but we must apply that understanding to our daily lives. The Issachar Track deals with prophecy, discernment, and realizing what kinds of service God intends for us.
The Koinonos Track is taken from the Greek word for a partner or participant; it also implies a fiduciary–one who puts his partner’s interests ahead of his own. The Koinonos Track is intended to emphasize being a doer of the Word, not a hearer only.
The Koinonos Track takes its imperative from the Third Commandment:
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.
Exodus 20:7
It is our view that this has little to do with vocabulary (as is often supposed), but refers to ambassadorship. If we are to take the name of the King, we need to be prepared to represent Him faithfully and competently, in actions, not just in words alone. The Koinonos Track focuses on discipleship, servanthood, and ambassadorship. It also strongly encourages participation in and leadership of a small study group as one of the most effective means of personal growth.
In the Koinonos Track, you put what has been learned in the Berean and Issachar tracks into action, while diligently seeking to know God better.
All members are required to keep a “Ministry Journal” during their studies with the Institute. This journal is used to record how God is leading you in service and ambassadorship. Your Ministry Journal should be updated often as you witness the hand of God directing your path. During your upper level of studies, your Journal should become an ongoing record of how God is using you to accomplish the ministry for which He has been preparing you. The Koinonos Track is the culmination of His leading; it’s where faith produces works.
Distinguished Achievement Awards
As an incentive to maintain a balanced program among all three tracks, a series of Medallion Awards have been established. The Medallion design is centered around the passage in 1 Corinthians 13:12 (in Greek), and Luke’s admonition to diligence in Acts 17:11 (which has been a trademark of Koinonia House for several decades). This is all embedded on the background of the symbol for Israel, the Shield of David, and the Sh’ma, Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (in Hebrew), the Great Commandment.
We must always remember that these milestones are intended only to be encouraging markers on our pathway to the “golden crowns” to be placed on that glassy sea and are not an end in themselves. We are in a “boot camp” for heaven, and just as a track contestant in training never confuses the stopwatch in a trial run with meritorious performance in a main event, we too must never confuse the “odometer” with the road map!
KI Upgraded
During 2020 we hope to be systematically and sequentially upgrading the whole KI online experience. “Workbooks.” That one word became the seed for what we know as Koinonia Institute or simply “KI.” Since 2005 people interested in Chuck’s teachings enjoyed privileges through membership in KI which allowed them to interact with and delve into his presentations. The idea of workbooks carried with it the idea of assignments and assessments along with dialogue and dissection of Chuck’s teachings. Chuck welcomed this commonwealth of critical thinkers and, when he referred to its membership as members of a think tank, he anticipated everybody to be challenged by, as well as to be contributors to, this ambitious adventure. I heard him say on several occasions, “If both of us agree, one of us is redundant!”
Throughout the years, the KI experience has been tweaked to better accommodate the requests of the membership along with the priorities of the ministry. Unchanged and unchallenged is Chuck’s enduring commitment to “equip each saint for the work of the ministry.” Nobody listens to Chuck for very long without hearing his frequent question to his audience. “How many of you are in the full-time ministry; can I see a show of hands?” He followed his quick scan of the crowd with a mumbled “20% … hmmm. Let me ask another question. How many of you are saved by the blood of Jesus?” The hands would reach high all around the room and a mischievous smile crossed Chuck’s face. “Most of you – I gotcha! Let me ask the first question again. How many of you are in the full-time ministry whether or not you know it?”
Whether preparing his listeners for informed and profitable debate or equipping them to answer the call God placed on each one of them, KI became that interface and infrastructure that promoted these two enduring objectives. In November 2019, KI announced that membership was free – that’s right, FREE! And if you missed the announcement or the article, go to the link below.2 Ron Matsen writes, “(At KI we) believe in a heuristic approach in our teaching methods. Our goal is to emphasize techniques which establish ‘self-feeders’ – students of the Word of God who are equipped to discover for the themselves – within the pale of the hermeneutics of the inerrancy of the Word. We also favor establishing not only effective communication techniques but also skills in discernment within our contemporary environment.” We had the teaching from Chuck and other trusted ministry partners. We developed an instructional program that promoted self-feeders which Chuck and Ron both desired. We implemented the infrastructure to manage the terabytes of data the program would generate. Eager to remove any objection or obstacle in becoming a membership and pursuing the program, membership is offered free-of-charge to all who are interested in being a part of this grand adventure.
The Repository of Christian Knowledge
There can be no doubt that Koinonia House represents a substantial repository of educational materials as developed by Chuck Missler and his associates. With over 1,500 hours of video/audio teachings plus over 100 books, a diligent student could spend a great deal of time just listening to or watching these great studies. But, the ultimate goal of Koinonia House is not to create great students but to assist Christians to become great disciples of Christ Jesus.
In many of the modern English translations the central message of the Matthew 28:18 Great Commission is to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” Yet, the more classic English translations say, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.” Is there a translation error here? I think not. The difference within these two translation versions points to two ends of the same objective. In order to “make disciples” we need to “teach” the nations and when we “teach” the nations we “make disciples.”
In simple terms, each Christian is charged with the responsibility of reproducing their knowledge of the truth in others. Therefore, we are all taught that we might teach others. We do not do this alone as it is the Holy Spirit that first reveals truth to us and will be the agent for understanding in the minds and hearts of those that hear what we pass on to them.
One of the ways we hope to facilitate this necessary Christian growth within KI is in the creation of the Repository of Christian Knowledge (“ROCK”). The idea is to simply create a personal online database that is specifically assigned for each KI member to store their personal notes, outlines, references, reflections, insights, etc. in a repository of their own Biblical knowledge. This will allow each KI Member to create their own permanent storage (repository).
Our goal is to help each KI Member do the following:
- Store their personal notes and references that relate to their personal journey through the Bible
- Share their information with their own personally approved sub-groups or individual people
- Share their information through their own Social Media outlets
- Share their information with other KI approved groups
- Share their information that may be otherwise controlled or censored by the global mass media police
- Create and maintain a blog within the safety of the KI member environment
- Link the Missler Ministry video/audio library with their personal notes or references
This will be Cloud-based resource that can be available on any computer or mobile device. No more searching through old scraps of paper, sticky notes, or book margins. Now you will able to do word searches on your own ROCK library. The target release for this upgrade is December 2020.
Notes:
1 Ecclesiastes 4:12
