“So…Bakke Graduate University (BGU) has three colleges (business, urban studies and Christian theology) requiring students from 60+ nations to study in all three before they can graduate. Why? Those three subjects don’t really fit well together. I thought graduate degrees were for people who want to be ivory tower professors. What kind of three-headed impractical monsters do you create?”
Over the next three days I’ll share the stories of three June 2024 graduates and you can see whether BGU’s 20+year mission is insanity or genius. As we approach our fiscal year end on June 30, if these stories make sense to you, please consider joining the adventure by donating at bgu.edu/giving.
Dr. Brad Smith
Chancellor
Meet Dr. Andreas Andersson:
“I live in Sweden together with my wife, Lena. I combine serving as a local church pastor, with working as a management consultant and leading Kingdom disciple-making movements. We operate mainly in Africa. We are now in 13 different countries. For example, in Uganda, over 16,000 people have gone through our discipleship training program in 33 different districts. We have even received letters from the President and the Vice President of the country saying that we need to continue this important work because it is helping to transform their nation.”
What happens when a pastor who is a global business management consultant with discipleship movement experience works on a graduate degree?
“My dissertation project was about the art of building movements that change the world. I invented a new concept called ‘ownership chain management.’ I proceeded from the disciple making model of Jesus to developing a six-step process for transferring ownership of material and immaterial resources in a movement or in an organization. It's like a relay race. In order to build self-multiplying transformative, sustainable Kingdom movements, you need to pass on the baton, or a torch of ownership from one link in the chain to the next, as effectively and as efficiently as possible. Through my research, I identified 24 key factors that optimize the growth and the transformational impact of the kingdom movement. I also identified 11 paradigm shifts that churches need to go through in order to be relevant and effective in their cultural context. These disciple-making movements are not typical church programs. We work with local churches to help them equip men and women to impact their families, their workplaces and their communities.”
Did your BGU graduate degree make you jump through non-relevant academic hoops?
“BGU has been of great help to me. I did not know it was possible in such a short amount of time to grow that much as a person, as a transformational leader, and also as a follower of Jesus Christ. The studies have been even more practical and more contextual than I had imagined, which has helped me develop concrete tools and concepts that will be used in the movements I lead. But also, hopefully, in many other movements and organizations serving as a management consultant. Because of BGU, my work is actually more focused and less complicated than before. Also, I've written a book based on my research findings. I hope and pray that this book also will reach transformational leaders and help them on their transformational journey.”
Dr. Andreas Andersson: Pastor, management consultant and global discipleship-making movement equipper working beyond the silos of church, business, community, family and government.
We are grateful for how Andreas has been a blessing to us all and will be used of God in even more powerful ways in the future. Please consider a year-end gift to BGU at www.bgu/giving and help BGU continue to serve others such as Andreas doing powerful, practical, transformational work.