The John Palm Show

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Persecution purifies the heart and distills it’s intentions. And that, my friends, is the exact reason I may cross party lines this November and cast my vote for Mr. Obama.

Self-willed and self-induced persecution.

Maybe that’s not very wise. You say.

Maybe I’m in the mood to be a fool. I say.

Definition of Persecution: the systematic mistreatment of an individual/group by another group

Church Based Missionary Training.

It’s shocking that there are people sent out as missionaries with little or no training in cross-cultural studies. As more and more churches are sending their own missionaries directly to the field, the trend should also include Church Based Missionary Training.

WHO needs training? Everyone who is going overseas for cross-cultural ministry. Whether for one week or as a career, everyone benefits from training.

WHAT should a training curriculum look like? Understanding culture, basics of cross-cultural communications, tips and taboos when going overseas should be the essentials. Other subjects:

• Role of the short-term missions
• Dynamics of religion
• Interpersonal relations

WHERE should the training take place? Not all people want or need to attend seminary or Bible College. The time and expense of second career people going to a missionary training center can be cost prohibitive. If a church is committed to Church Based Missions, they should also be committed to Church Based Missionary Training and need to develop a structure for equipping those they are launching into cross-cultural work.

HOW can it be done? Find the right people to do the training and create a budget to provide the needed training. Bring in experts for a weekend, or a week or two of intensive training. It’s a great deal more cost efficient to find qualified teachers to do training in-house than attending far away and costly programs.

The main thing is DO SOMETHING in training for those going out from your local church. Missions is serious stuff and it deserves more than just a passport and a cheap plane ticket. 

Paraphrased from Dr. Richard Lewis.