Kairos’ Christ-Centered Core
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.”
- Romans 1:16
The Lord Jesus Christ is at the center of everything we do at Kairos. That does not change whether we are behind a podium, on a Zoom call, or cheering from the seats.
To borrow an analogy from C.S. Lewis, when your family interacts with our coaches, it should be like they are seeing the sun through a glass window as Christ comes into our lives and works through our teaching, encouragement, and prayers.
If awards and championships follow, we celebrate. But what is the benefit if we gain the world, but lose our soul (Matt. 16:26)? In the past, many competitors have shined like stars in the sky as they held out the word of life during their speech and debate careers (Phil. 2:14-16). But some also walked away from Christ thereafter (Jn. 6:66).
That is why Kairos believes it is mission-critical to biblically influence the minds of students now, and not just to equip them as proficient speakers. We are honored to take on that responsibility.
To those ends, our staff and coaches are encouraged to commit to the following:
- Inviting students to follow our staff and coaches as we follow Christ in pursuit of excellent Christian character (1 Cor. 11:1; Phil. 4:8; 1 Tim. 4:12).
- Serving the parent’s priorities and goals first and the student’s second as is commanded in Scripture (Ex. 20:12; Eph. 6:1-3).
- Praying with our students and/or delivering a short, Bible-centered devotional free of charge at the beginning of each coaching session, in addition to the scheduled coaching hour (Rom. 12:2; Phil. 1:9-11).
- Seeking ways to serve the Stoa and NCFCA communities apart from compensation, such as judging at tournaments, volunteering to prep teams in Parli, and giving feedback after rounds at NITOC.
The Lord searches the earth to strengthen the hearts of those who are fully committed to him (2 Chron. 16:9). When the Lord asks, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”, the staff and coaches at Kairos answer with Isaiah the prophet, “Here I am. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).
Meet Pastor Chris Fukunaga
Pastoral Advisor to Kairos
Hello Stoa and NCFCA families!
It is my honor to serve alongside the Kairos staff and coaches. I am here to encourage them to follow Christ and keep Him at the center of their interactions with your family and coaching of your children. They are an amazing group of talented and godly men and women.
I am the lead pastor of City Bible Church in Los Angeles, California. Before that, I was a youth pastor. I have a background in customer service, having worked at Nordstrom and Disneyland before I went into ministry. I am also the author of the book Church Movement in the Age of Spiritual Exploration (Jan. 1, 2027).
My wife Lorraine and I have three children (Darcy, Keene, Ethan) who have all competed in Stoa. I am an Apologetics and Mars Hill coach at Veritas Speech and Debate. Way, way back in the day, I was also a speech and debate competitor myself when I was in high school. The events I competed in were Platforms, Extemp, Impromptu, Mock Trial and Team Policy. So, I remember very well the highs and lows that come with competitive speech and debate as a teenager!
In my role as a pastoral advisor, I teach the Kairos staff and coaches on what wise, loving, and Christ-centered coaching looks like and train them on best practices of professional conduct. I also lead a couple sessions throughout the year for the online Kairos club on the topic of the good and bad side of pursuing excellence in speech and debate.
I look forward to helping your family grow in Christian character and rhetorical competitiveness through Kairos.