A Day in the Life with Clay Kannard
Lead Mentor Clay Kannard gives us a window in on a “day in the life” of our Rome Learning Community.
The Istituto di Cultura Evangelica e Documentazione (Institute for Evangelical Culture and Documentation) lies in the historic city centre of Rome, a few minutes walk from the Colosseum and just around the corner from Trajan’s Column and Piazza Venezia. Established in 2016, ICED serves the city of Rome, and through it the nation of Italy, by promoting evangelical culture in a country that never experienced the Reformation nor a revolution.
In 2017 ICED became a Union Learning Community in order to offer high quality, European accredited theological training to Italians who previously would have had to leave the country to find it. The Rome LC began by offering the GDip under the mentoring of Dr. Leonardo De Chirico. Then in 2020 the Rome LC began offering the MTh. While I have always played a support role for our students, I officially became the Lead Mentor for the GDip students for the 2020/2021 academic year, and what an encouragement it has been!
In Italy Evangelicals are a very small minority, as is the case in many European contexts. Now, thanks to our partnership with Union, in the heart of Italy’s capital city, surrounded by the largest Roman Catholic seminaries in the world and the nation’s political buildings, evangelicals have a place to participate in accredited theological training that equips them to serve their local churches for the advancement of the Gospel and the glory of God in Italy!
Additionally, many of our students are bivocational. Therefore, the LC provides an opportunity for students to remain in the workplace where they have a strong testimony for the Gospel, while also allowing them to grow in their knowledge of God and service to the bride of Christ.
The LC provides an opportunity for students to remain in the workplace where they have a strong testimony for the Gospel, while also allowing them to grow in their knowledge of God and service to the bride of Christ.
On a typical day our students begin in prayer for one another, for their studies, for their churches and for the city of Rome. Then they begin their coursework. This includes watching lectures, engaging in learning activities and having conversations to help deepen their understanding of lesson content and how it applies in their ministerial contexts. Apart from the video lectures, students use their time at the LC to research and write papers.
They have access to digital resources via the Union Cloud and online library system, as well as the books that are available in our institute’s library. Union also provides dedicated tutors to each LC in case a student has questions about coursework or needs additional help with their studies. The fellowship in our LC is always encouraging. Since we are in Italy, students enjoy a cafè during breaktime and an occasional lunch together that would lead you to worship, I promise! I must say, however, that after the students have watched their lectures they tend to drink more tea. I wonder why that is?
On a typical day our students begin in prayer for one another, for their studies, for their churches and for the city of Rome.
If you are a prospective student and are currently on the fence about joining a Learning Community, I want you to know that the formation our students have received has enabled them to be faithful to God’s calling on their lives. It has been such a blessing to see the students of our LC grow in their knowledge of God and their love for Him and for His Church.
Learning Communities are more than just classrooms, lectures and coursework…they are communities! Our students have been enriched and equipped to carry out the calling God has given them as they lovingly serve their local churches and the communities where God has placed them. The Italian evangelical churches and their Italian neighbors have been blessed in return. We continue to pray that God would raise up new leaders for the planting of more churches in Italy. And I am certain that one way He is answering that prayer is through our partnership with Union to grow leaders to grow Christ’s church. Glory to God!
Learning Communities are more than just classrooms, lectures and coursework…they are communities!
Clay is a pastor sent to Rome, Italy from Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, through WorldVenture. Clay and his wife, Lauren, were commissioned and sent by their church to serve as a resource to Italians in communicating and living out the Gospel, developing new leaders, and planting new churches. They are members of Breccia di Roma in Rome. Clay earned a Bachelor of Science in Biblical Studies from Moody Bible Institute and a Master of Theological Studies with emphasis in Preaching and Pastoral Ministries through Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Twitter: @claykannard
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