About The Imprint Institute

The Birth of Imprint

Ten years in the making, The Imprint Institute, was birthed out of a season of reflection. Looking back at his days as a student, Founder and Executive Director John Owuchekwa, recalled two things: he had a burden to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he wanted to communicate God’s word clearly and effectively. John didn’t feel fully equipped to do either of these things. He felt he needed to know God’s word inside and out. The only option outside of personal study, at the time, was seminary. As a seminary student, John quickly discovered a few phenomenons:

Every seminary student needs lots of time, and access to a lot of resources in order to be successful.
With the exception of a fortunate few, most of the content is learned divorced from the context that each student will work in respectively.
The learning environment is not necessarily a collaborative one.

With these facts in mind, a vision emerged. A vision of a place where believers could gather to be equipped for life as a disciple through a collaborative learning environment, unlimited access to elite resources, and a presentation of biblical content married to the urban context. A place that did not require anyone to “put their lives on hold” in order to engage in a quality educational institution. And so, The Imprint Institute was born.

What is Imprint?

Imprint, currently housed in Atlanta, GA., is a cohort-based discipleship program driven by the local church. Through the course of the program, you will get the best of the best content as you study under some of the best and brightest seminary professors from around the country. This content will be married to your context as you learn from pastors, missionaries and leaders who have spent their lives in the trenches of ministry in the urban context.

Our Focus

Forming Identity vs. Transferring Information

The Imprint Institute has education as its primary focus. Unlike many educational programs, we do not agree that education is about filling up on knowledge. We understand that knowledge is important. Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding”. The acquisition of knowledge is good; people who do not have knowledge are considered fools. However, it is not good to seek or acquire knowledge for the sake of knowledge. 1 Corinthians 8:1 warns that, “knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” With Imprint, education is not just about information, but identity formation; utilizing a knowledge of who God is to then identify who you are, leaving a lasting imprint of His character on yours.

Establishing a Great Foundation for Everyone

Our first program year was made up of students whose lifestyles and backgrounds were as diverse as their ages. Moms, students, CEOs, missionaries, grandparents, and entrepreneurs have a place in the Imprint Institute. Regardless of the stage or season of life you are in, getting a low-cost, contextually aware, quality, biblical education is possible at The Imprint Institute.

Providing a Stepping Stone to a Lifetime of Learning

We know that 9 months isn’t enough time to prepare someone for a lifetime of ministry. Therefore, our goal is to help our students make the first step. For those desiring to continue on to seminary, our students can earn up to 18 credit hours through a partnership with select local seminaries.