NTM

Our good friends, Phil and Fiona, at the cliffs in Bunglass, Donegal

This summer we enjoyed friends from down under and we went back over the pond to see our kids in the States.

Phil and Fiona Emery are good friends from Australia. We worked with them for many years in PNG. They were on their way to the USA for meetings so stretched their airmiles to visit us. We enjoyed showing them round and catching up on old times.

Then it was off to the States to see our kids. We had just over two weeks and enjoyed every minute with them and the grandkids. We also enjoyed renewing fellowship with our co-workers at NTBI Jackson.

Martha has now completely finished her training with NTM and is embarking on a time of partnership development. She went to the States to visit family and friends and while she was there she was asked to consider a position on staff at NTBI Jackson. She has agreed and will be starting there around springtime next year.

Deborah has started her new job as Learning Mentor and is finding it very challenging working with young girls to improve their study skills so they can resit exams. Still, she is glad to be working.

Isaac will be finishing college at the end of the year and hopes to stay on in the States for a year. He would like work experience, be near his girlfriend, Camille and work on applications for medical school.  He will need a visa, a job, accommodation and a car so we would appreciate your prayers for him.

Lisa’s mum is doing well physically although she is suffering from dementia and doesn’t recognize any of the family any more. Although so confused, she seems happy and content which is a great comfort to Lisa and her sister, Hilary.

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Biblical Studies Class

Ten years ago in September 1999, NTM opened it doors at North Cotes to their first students to go through the newly established European Bible and Missionary Training Centre. Having spent almost twenty years at Matlock which provided Biblical studies only, this was an answer to prayer to be able to offer the complete NTM training in the UK.

The search had gone on for some time before finding the North Cotes property and the day after placing an offer for 500,000, a gift for that very amount arrived the next day, giving assurance that God was in the move.

Ten years on, we have the privilege of being part of the training team, investing in the lives of 26 young people seeking to prepare them to live a life of service to God and to bring the gospel to unreached people groups around the world.

The students are from England, N. Ireland, Norway, The Netherlands, Germany and USA with ages ranging from 18-44. There are singles just out of school and a family with five children who have left their business to serve the Lord full time.

As well as teaching in the classroom, we have the opportunity to meet with six of the students on a weekly basis in a small group setting. This gives us the chance to get to know them more personally and be available to be used in their lives as the Lord leads and enables.

We were expecting 10 more students from the USA but, unfortunately, the certificate of accreditation did not come through in time to process their visas and so they were unable to enroll this year. Do pray that this process will soon come to completion so as to be open to non-EU students next year.

During the summer holidays, the classroom building was completely rewired at a cost of 36,000. Just last week, a gift of 50,000 was received for which we are so very grateful. Jehovah Jireh.

We would appreciate your prayers.

What does it take to plant an indigenous New Testament church among a tribal people group? New Tribes Mission exists to assist the ministry of the local church through the mobilizing, equipping, and coordinating of missionaries to evangelize unreached people groups, translate the Scriptures, and see indigenous New Testament churches established that truly glorify God. Take a few moments to look at the BIG PICTURE!

The journey from your home church to an indigenous New Testament church includes:

Missionary Training

Partnership Development

Arrival on the Field

Tribal Allocation

Culture and Language Acquisition

Evangelism

Infant Church

Developing Church

Continuing Church

If given the opportunity to plant a church among a tribal people group, where would you start?  NTM’s training helps you know what to do and provides training in the necessary skills.

New Tribes Bible Institute is the first phase of training with NTM and is designed to equip and establish believers in the interpretation and application of the foundational truths of the Bible.

New Tribes Missionary Training builds upon this biblical foundation and teaches crucial skills necessary to plant a church in a tribal setting including culture and language acquisition, cross cultural communication, translation and literacy.

The Big Picture

Next

After training, successful candidates are appointed as members of NTM.  However, this is the beginning of a partnership between NTM, the newly appointed missionary and their sending church.  This partnership enables local churches to fulfill their responsibility to go into all the world with the gospel and the new missionaries to follow the burden placed on their hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Usually, new NTM missionaries are not completely supported by their home church.  Partnership development is the time when these missionaries share their vision and passion with other churches and individuals seeking others to partner with them.

Once an adequate partnership team is developed, the missionary can make arrangements to head to the field.  Amid the excitement, there is the sobering reality of parting with friends and family for many years.

The Big Picture

Next

Arrival on the field plunges the new missionary into a host of different experiences.  They face a new location, new customs, new people, new language, new weather, new shopping, new …

Field orientation includes adjustments to the new country and to the practices and policies of NTM in that country.  As well as learning the national culture and language, missionaries get to know other potential team members with the view to forming a team to move into a tribal location.

Once a team is formed, surveys are conducted with experienced missionaries to find a suitable location to begin the task of planting an indigenous New Testament church among a tribal people group.

The Big Picture

Next

Moving into a tribe is done after surveys and an invitation from the tribal leaders.  The first thing to do is to build a house on land provided by the tribal group.  Often this is done with the help of work teams made up from the missionaries’ supporting churches and friends.

Relationship and discipleship are key from day one even when communication is only through the trade language.  Missionaries’ lives are the “letter seen and read by all men”.

Once the families are moved in the task of formal culture and language acquisition begins which could take 2-3 years 8 hours a day minimum.  Relationships again are key to gain trust and access to cultural stories that will give essential background for the presentation of the gospel later.

The Big Picture

Next

Culture is key to language learning.  As missionaries observe the culture of the people they are learning the language that describes that culture.  Learning proceeds from the very concrete issues like names for the parts of a house, plants, food to the issues regarding their explanation of where they came from, what they are doing here and where they are going.

In many tribal societies, animism is the predominant religion or worldview.  Animism is the idea that our lives are controlled by spirits, the spirits of every living thing around them and even the spirits of departed ancestors.  The key is to perform the necessary rituals to manipulate these spirits to do good or to refrain from doing evil.

Consultants assist the missionaries in their culture and language acquisition and help assess the missionaries’ proficiency and understanding.  Once they have attained sufficient understanding of the culture and proficiency in the language, they are freed to prepare Bible lessons in order to teach.

The Big Picture

Next

Evangelism begins with preparation of lessons, translation of key scriptures and literacy.  Most tribal groups are illiterate so it is important for them to learn to read and write in their own language to eventually read the scriptures once it has been translated into their own language.

Evangelism also involves asking questions to make the people think through their own worldview and to see inconsistencies or contradictions.  The goal is to ready the people to listen to the teaching of the scriptures.

Teaching is done chronologically to build a firm foundation on which to present the life, death and resurrection of Christ as God’s substitutionary sacrifce to pay for their sins that separate them from God.  Emphasis is placed on their helplessness to earn their own righteousness and that God’s righteousness can only be received by faith.

The Big Picture

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