NTM

As we began the candidate process to join New Tribes Mission, many people asked why we, as veteran missionaries, had to go through training to work with New Tribes.

The initial answer seemed obvious due to New Tribe’s unique ministry — but it wasn’t the complete answer.

New Tribes’ purpose is to plant churches among the more than 3,000 people groups in the world who have never heard the Gospel. These people typically live in remote, primitive areas & use languages that are unwritten & undocumented. Hence, it requires special training to reach them effectively.

However, as Sherri & I began our studies here at New Tribe’s Missionary Training Center in Missouri, we discovered that the training is much more than simply learning how to acquire a new language & reach tribal people with the Gospel.Looking over the variety & depth of the courses will make it clear why New Tribes Mission takes the stand it does about thoroughly training every candidate, whether veteran or not.

The training each New Tribes missionary receives is extremely well rounded & thorough. For example, we receive practical language training in such areas as phonetics, phonemics & grammar in order to help us learn how to learn an unknown language. We also are taught the nuts & bolts of planting a church in a tribal context.

But, the training goes much deeper than that. We’ve discovered that all of the classes are immensely valuable for preparing to carry out any missionary endeavor while maintaining inter-personal relationships that glorify God, & growing in a personal walk with the Lord.

In fact, we’ve often found ourselves wishing we’d had this training when we started out in 1989! Nevertheless, we’re praising the Lord that we’re getting it now.

Our studies here at the Missionary Training Center can be broken down into roughly three categories: Practical Ministry, Personal Ministry & Personal Development (These categories aren’t official, they’re simply groupings we’ve come up with to help classify the type of courses we’ve gone through).

For those who are interested, below are brief descriptions of many of the classes we’ve taken so far:

Practical Ministry

Animism – Teaches the basic premises & daily life applications of animism in the lives of most tribal people. The tribal church planter must understand the animists’ worldview in order to predict barriers to the presentation of God’s Word. Shamanism, the work of the leading practitioner/s in an animistic culture, is also discussed.

Biblical Foundation – Presents an abbreviated Phase 1 of the Foundational Bible Teaching using the Chronological Bible Teaching method, which is the basis for biblical themes in the Old Testament & the four Gospels necessary for a clear understanding of the Gospel & Justification.

Cross-Cultural Communication – Helps the candidate understand how his own cultural upbringing will affect his ability to build relationships & communicate God’s Word in a cross-cultural setting. It will enable him to be more sensitive & adjust to cultural differences encountered in cross-cultural ministry.

Form & Meaning – An in-depth explanation of the appropriate relationship between form & meaning in Bible translation.

Grammar – Equips the student to clearly distinguish between form and meaning in language, understand the way in which different languages express common meanings using different forms than English, & be able to apply a grammatical analysis methodology to data from multiple languages.

Hermeneutics – Provides the student with a basic understanding of literal, grammatical-historical hermeneutics & how these principles relate to dispensational & covenant theology. The principles of literal, grammatical-historical hermeneutics will aid in “rightly dividing” the Scriptures for effective church planting.

Missionary Technology – Teaches students how to acquire, store, & use energy on the field. Specific topics include water purification, sewage systems, DC electricity, meter use, equipment selection, batteries, communication technology, & solar electric systems. Students also learn how to design, install, & use a battery-powered system on the field.

NT Church Principles I – A detailed overview of the missionary candidate’s future with New Tribes Mission, clarifying what is involved in tribal church planting & how the different components relate to the whole/complete work.

NT Church Principles II – Introduces New Testament teaching that provides foundational principles for planting New Testament churches in any cultural context.

Philosophy of Biblical Foundations – Presents the rationale for the foundational teaching of God’s Word to animistic people.

Phonetics – Presents the concepts of articulatory phonetics by describing points of articulation, manners of articulation & the speech apparatus. Besides learning phonetic theory, the student will also practice hearing, producing & writing various phonetic sounds.

Worldview Seminar – This module addresses worldviews: (a) what they are, (b) how they form, develop & change, & (c) how they can be analyzed to guide effect ministry strategies & methodologies. Since God’s Word both accommodates culture through critical contextualization & confronts the worldview system of a people group, the cross-cultural worker will learn the what, why & how to minister at a worldview level.

Personal Ministry

Biblical Conflict Resolution – Examines biblical principles for dealing with conflict within a team setting.

Partnership Development – A theology of partnership development, effective communication with supporters, ideas for church & home meetings, resources through NTM communications.

Learning Styles – Introduces the student to a variety of learning style preferences. The impact of individual learning style preferences will be examined both on the individual level & on the teamwork & interpersonal level. Application will be made for the student to discover his/her style & modality & their influence on the field. Additionally, the student will gain understanding of distinctives in learning differences, which will have a significant impact on his/her future ministry.

Student Teaching – Helps students improve their verbal communication skills.

Teaching Skills – Helps students develop & enrich their teaching skills.

Teamwork – Hones skills needed to work together effectively as a team.

Personal Development

Child Security – Covers the prevalence of child abuse & practical ways to protect children from abuse in every situation.

Dollars & Sense – A basic understanding of Biblical stewardship as it relates to money & its management as a child of God.

Effective Parenting – Biblical principles of parenting & the underlying importance of good parenting & family life in relation to ministry.

Husband & Wife – Practical insights into the differences between men & women, as well as practical applications for living & growing in those relationships. The emphasis is on motivation for growth through a right relationship with God. The majority of this course is based on the “Love & Respect” DVD series by Dr. Emerson & Sarah Eggerichs.

Safety Seminar – Discusses the risks in the world today & steps missionaries can take to safeguard themselves & their families.

Tax & Finance – Explains income tax filing for those in ministry emphasizes adequately preparing for retirement & equips with resources for proper financial planning.

Time Management – Covers the basic skills of setting & meeting goals, good decision-making principles, & practical organizational & time management skills. The class recognizes the value statements of “A Sense of Urgency in Ministry” & “Excellence in What We Do”.

Do we give the Word of God its rightful place in our lives? Do we let the whole counsel of God be the foundation & rule of our life? Or, do we only adhere to the portions of the Bible that suit our own personal preferences?

Here are a few thoughts on the subject by a powerful preacher from the past:

    "There is a great need of earnest, prayerful study of the whole Word of God with a view to bringing all of our life into practical subjection to it.

    "The servant of God in the New Testament is exhorted to "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)

    "It is not a question of following some favorite teacher or cleaving to a particular line of doctrines. Rather, it is giving the Holy Scriptures, in their entirety, that honored place which God intended they should hold as the complete guide for His people and the suited food for their souls.

    "Nor is it merely Bible study that is enjoined, but we are called to be "doers of the Word" (James 1:22), allowing no portion of it to be a dead letter to us, but giving it all its due weight and authority over our hearts and consciences, seeking to walk in all that is written therein.

    "How easy it is to make much of externals while habitually careless as to the true piety and sincere obedience to the weightier matters of the Word of God!

    "The hour is late. The Judge is at the door. "The coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (James 5:8) Lowliness and self-judgment become us all. May we have grace given to discern the signs of teh times, and to bow our hearts to His Word."

    - H.A. Ironside (1876-1951) - An American Bible teacher, pastor, & author.

Life is full of minor mishaps & we have had our share of them since arriving here at the Missionary Training Center.

In September, Matthew fell out of a tree & broke his left arm just above the wrist. Thankfully, it was a simple "greenstick" break & not a major fracture. In fact, he only had to wear a cast for 3 weeks.

The same week in which Matthew broke his arm, David injured his knee.

David was running a computer cable in our apartment & was repeatedly up & down on his knees. One of those times his left knee "popped" loudly. David immediately felt pain & after that was able to walk only with difficulty.

The doctor’s initial diagnosis was torn cartilage within the knee. However, it now appears that it may only be a torn ligament external to his knee.

Regardless, David continues to suffer from this injury. It has yet to completely heal & still gives David trouble from time to time.

Please pray that David’s knee will totally heal & we will be able to avoid surgery or further doctor’s visits.