The World Is Our Classroom
The story of the Harris Institute begins with a family from Manchester, Georgia.
As a child, Antipas Harris, the first son and second of eight children, faced learning challenges and a speech impediment. Yet even then, he carried extraordinary dreams. He dreamed of attending some of the world's leading universities, earning two doctorates, building theological schools and community centers, training future pastors, mentoring young men, and helping change the world through education.
Those dreams were nurtured through faith, determination, and a love for learning. Antipas learned to read by reading missionary stories, and those stories awakened a lifelong curiosity about people, cultures, and God's work around the world.
After graduating from Christian Way Academy, a small school affiliated with a rural church his parents founded, he continued his education at LaGrange College, Emory University, Yale University, Boston University, and St. Thomas University. Along the way, he discovered a profound truth: education happens not only in classrooms but also through meaningful encounters with people, cultures, communities, and experiences around the world.
That conviction became the foundation of the Harris Institute. Responding to John Wesley's famous declaration, "The world is my parish," Dr. Harris often says, "Yes, indeed. And the world is my classroom." Today, that simple idea shapes everything we do at Harris Institute.
Our Mission
Harris Institute Global exists to cultivate innovative leaders who transform the church and the world through the Christian witness in education, mentoring, service, leadership, ministry, and global engagement.
We believe that transformative leadership emerges at the intersection of learning, faith, service, and experience. Through mentoring programs, global think tanks, educational pilgrimages, mission experiences, virtual learning opportunities, and leadership exchanges, we prepare leaders to engage the world with wisdom, compassion, and Christ-centered conviction. At the heart of our work is a commitment to exploring the relationship between theology and practice—forming leaders who not only think deeply but also serve faithfully.
Our Vision
We envision a world where leaders are formed through lifelong learning, cross-cultural engagement, theological reflection, and practical service. By leveraging modern technology, strategic partnerships, and a global network of scholars, practitioners, churches, universities, and community organizations, we are building a worldwide ecosystem of learning and leadership that equips people to make a meaningful difference in their communities and beyond.
We travel. We teach. We learn. We serve. Together.
A Global Community of Learning
The Harris Institute is building a global community through strategic partnerships with universities, churches, international NGOs, local organizations, and community leaders around the world.
Our work creates opportunities for:
- Experiential education
- Leadership development
- Public theology
- Cultural immersion
- Service-learning
- Global networking
- Missions and community engagement
- Mentorship and youth formation
Through our Global Conceptual Centers, we mentor teenagers, convene faith leaders, support local communities, and cultivate transformative leadership across cultures and continents.
Our Global Conceptual Centers
Oxford & Cambridge, United Kingdom: Faith, Leadership, and the Public Square
In the historic university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, the Harris Institute convenes global think tanks that bring together senior faith leaders, scholars, and practitioners to address the pressing theological and cultural questions shaping our world.
The Oxford Colloquy
The Oxford Colloquy is a weeklong gathering of senior faith leaders hosted at the University of Oxford. Centered on the question: “What is the future of faith in the public square?” the Colloquy creates space for theological reflection, rigorous dialogue, collaborative learning, and Spirit-led discernment. As societies navigate religious pluralism, secularization, globalization, and rapid cultural change, participants wrestle with how Christian witness can remain faithful, credible, and transformative for the common good. This is where leadership meets discernment. This is where faith is reimagined for the sake of the world.
The Cambridge Colloquy
The Cambridge Colloquy gathers Christian leaders and scholars at the University of Cambridge around another urgent question: “What is the Holy Spirit doing in our volatile world?” Through lectures, worship, dialogue, and collaborative reflection, participants explore how Spirit-filled communities discern and embody faithful witness across diverse cultural contexts. At its core, the Cambridge Colloquy is devoted to spiritual formation, theological reflection, and global learning.
Through our partnership with North Central University, participants may also earn academic credit while engaging in immersive international education.
This is formation. This is education.
Accra, Gold Coast & Kumasi, Ghana
Education, Pilgrimage, and Cultural Immersion
The Ghana Educational Pilgrimage is an immersive journey that combines history, culture, education, leadership development, and spiritual formation.
Participants engage in:
Visits to Cape Coast and Elmina slave castles
Exploration of African and African diasporic history
Ghanaian worship experiences
Cultural immersion through food, music, drumming, and dance
Educational exchanges and STEM outreach
Leadership development opportunities
Service-learning initiatives
Relationship-building with local communities
For many participants, especially young leaders, this is their first international experience. What begins as a trip often becomes a transformational encounter that expands vision, deepens identity, and cultivates global awareness.
Through service, worship, dialogue, and cultural immersion, participants return home with renewed purpose and a deeper understanding of their place within a global community.
Rwanda, Uganda & Kenya
Community Development and Sustainable Impact
In East Africa, the Harris Institute partners with local leaders and organizations to support sustainable community development and educational initiatives.
Our work includes:
Primary and adult education
Orphan care and family support
Medical missions
Leadership development
Economic empowerment initiatives
Water projects
Feminine Hygiene Care
Community partnerships
We believe meaningful transformation occurs through long-term relationships, mutual learning, and local collaboration. Our commitment is not merely to serve communities but to walk alongside them as partners in a shared mission of flourishing, dignity, and sustainable growth.
Harris Teen Forge (HTF) | Forming Global Leaders
At Harris Teen Forge, we believe young men are not simply the leaders of tomorrow—they are leaders in formation today.
HTF equips teenage boys through:
Mentoring
Leadership development
Spiritual formation
Service-learning
Global travel experiences
Cultural immersion
Educational enrichment
For many participants, international travel is a life-changing experience that broadens horizons and expands possibilities. Students learn to see themselves not only as members of their local communities but also as citizens of a global world. Through historical reflection, service opportunities, educational outreach, and cross-cultural engagement, they develop confidence, empathy, resilience, and a sense of purpose.
Whether teaching at a STEM camp in Ghana, serving local communities, exploring the history of the African diaspora, or engaging peers across cultures, participants learn that leadership begins with service. When young men are given opportunities to see the world, serve others, and discover their purpose, their lives—and the communities they will one day lead—are transformed.
Our Commitment
At Harris Institute, we are committed to lifelong learning through:
Experiential Education
Public Theology
Cultural Immersion
Leadership Exchange
Service-Learning
Missions and Global Engagement
Mentorship and Youth Development
Christian Leadership Formation
We believe transformative leadership is formed when people encounter the world with humility, curiosity, wisdom, and faith. Our goal is simple yet ambitious: to cultivate leaders who love God, serve others, think deeply, lead courageously, and transform the world. Because education is more than information.
It is leadership formation. It is service. It is discipleship.
And ultimately, it is preparation for faithful leadership in God’s world.