What Am I Doing At Oxford?

A growing chorus of voices is understandably wondering, “What in the world you doing at Oxford University?” As part of my re-engagement in the L3C space, I’ll try to begin to answer that question.

I’ve recently begun sharing what will turn out to be an ongoing series of posts reflecting on my recent sabbatical, and the season that has opened up on the other side of that time. My natural tendency would be to wait until I can tidily, sequentially share about the term at Oxford once I’ve caught everyone up on what preceded it …

… however long that will take! You can ask my dear wife about this; it does drive her a bit nuts sometimes. “Just cut to the chase, get to the point of what *we* want to hear!” :-)  

I of course am inclined to believe that what may appear to others to be a rabbit trail often really does matter, filling in details that are an important part of the story! And some of you know that I decided a long time ago that part of what is missing in the Body of Christ is telling the *whole* story, including the “backstory” and the “other side” of the story, as well as the story “while in process” (not just the shiny outcomes). 

But in deference to my (disproportionate amount of) TJ friends who *just want to know what I’m doing at Oxford*:

I’m a visiting member of the “Senior Commons Room” (“SCR”) at Regent’s Park College - one of the colleges that comprise Oxford University, and the primary Baptist ordination & degree-granting entity in the UK. In Oxfordian, the SCR is short-hand both for the faculty of Regent’s Park and for the faculty lounge where they hang out. Similarly, the “Junior Commons Room” refers to both the undergraduate lounge and the undergrad student body. Right? Who knew.

Regents has a program where they invite “visiting academics” to spend a term at Oxford, researching a topic of both general and professional interest (useful to you and others) while interacting loosely as part of the faculty community. In classic Oxford style (as my son warned me), it’s somewhat loosely defined, vaguely communicated, and predicated on your initiative as an adult learner to make the most of.

And yes, it opens up an unimaginably rich world of resources - human, institutional, and archival - that I find myself navigating, wide-eyed, on a daily basis. 

It’s a stunning opportunity, a rich space that I am daily grateful for, a reality customized by the Father as He leads me into yet a new season … the kind of storyline I could - and would - never have conceived of, much less written. A script only He could come up with, fulfilling His purposes in ways that you’ll only truly *get* as I share more of the backstory :-). Which I will.

Long story short, I applied for the program, telling them I’d like to study the role of learning communities in the formation and long-term life-impact of Kingdom leaders (more on that separately). I was accepted and - just over a year later - arrived in Oxford mid-April for the start of Trinity Term 2017. 

Charlene was with me through mid-May, then returned to the US. I’ll be here through the end of June. 

For those interested, in further posts I’ll share additional windows into how this came about, my research focus, and vignettes from the journey.