At a time when momentum is growing in state legislatures to pass laws prohibiting the use of nondisclosure agreements in cases involving child sexual abuse, three seminaries and one Christian college are partnering with a discipleship and leadership program with connections to Kanakuk Kamps.
The Kanakuk Institute is an 8-month program designed for graduate-level students to be equipped with “biblical skills for a lifetime of ministry.” The campus, located in the mountains of Branson, Mo., sits on the shores of Lake Taneycomo. Its website says its staff will “guide young men and women as they devote time to study God’s Word, establish a foundation of beliefs, work through their broken past, and create a vision for their future.”
Upon graduation, students receive a Certificate of Leadership and Biblical Studies with up to 24 credits that can be transferred to partner seminaries or colleges.
But some critics are concerned that by partnering with Kanakuk, these seminaries and colleges are sending the wrong message by potentially glossing over Kanakuk Kamps’ checkered past.
One of those critics is Trey Carlock’s sister, Elizabeth Phillips. Phillips is working tirelessly in honor of her brother, who took his own life after suffering sexual abuse at the hands of Peter Newman at Kanakuk Kamps. Newman, a camp counselor and leader, was sentenced to three life terms in 2010.
The history of sexual abuse allegations against Kanakuk Kamps, along with claims that its leaders were warned about Newman’s abuse but failed to act, causes Kanakuk advocates and survivors deep concern about the discipleship program and its partnership with seminaries.
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Advocates and survivors have “received allegations of abuse related to Kanakuk Institute, and are particularly troubled by the fact that its students are often encouraged to spend one-on-one time with children, including staying overnight in host families’ homes, despite the organization’s history of abuse occurring in exactly those settings,” Allison Bradley, spokesperson for Elizabeth Phillips, said. More information about these concerns can be found on the Facts about Kanakuk website.
The student handbook for the Kanakuk Institute does have “kid contact guidelines” that allow personal communication with children by phone and electronic means with “parent involvement and/or approval.”
The Institute was started in 2002 by Keith Chancey, a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. His bio says he has ministry experience at Denton Bible Church, Kanakuk Kamps, and KLIFE, a student ministry started by families who sent their children to Kanakuk.
His wife, Karen Chancey, is the Kanakuk Institute director of women, and was also the women’s director at Kanakuk Kamps.
The Institute costs $26,000, but because of donors, students receive a scholarship of $12,000, reducing the cost to $14,000. It claims to have graduated at least 1,000 students.
“We are profoundly concerned about Kanakuk’s role in ‘forming’ Christian leaders,” Bradley said about the Institute. “A leadership model that teaches young graduates to ignore systemic failures is not biblical leadership. It is institutional preservation.”
Transfer credit partners include Southwest Baptist University, Dallas Theological Seminary, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Southwest Baptist University will give transfer credits ranging from 3 hours to 12 hours in five master’s-level degree programs, including Master in Business Administration, Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership, Master of Science in Sports Administration, Master of Science in Education Teacher Leadership, and Master of Science in Educational Administration.
Bradley pointed to the interconnection between Kanakuk and these institutions of higher education, citing the honorary doctorate that Southwest Baptist University awarded to Kanakuk CEO Joe White.
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary will honor up to 18 hours of credit from the Kanakuk Institute and through work experience. It does not list which degree programs the credits would transfer to.
Dallas Theological Seminary will honor 12 hours of direct transfer credit from Kanakuk Institute and offers up to 16 additional hours for students who take advanced standing exams.
Midwestern Baptist Seminary claims students transfer 1/3 of their necessary credits from Kanakuk Institute. It lists Master of Divinity, Master of Applied Theology, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Biblical Studies, and Master of Christian Studies as options for transfer students.
The website claims that 32% of its graduates eventually go into ministry roles.
“When seminaries validate this program with master’s level credit, they are sending a message to the next generation of pastors and ministry leaders that child safety, truth and accountability are secondary to institutional preservation,” Bradley said.
None of the seminaries nor Southwest Baptist University replied to questions from MinistryWatch about their partnerships with Kanakuk Institute.
In the MinistryWatch database, Kanakuk Ministries has a 4-star financial efficiency rating, a D transparency grade, and a Donor Confidence Score of 57, meaning donors should exercise caution in giving to this ministry.
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