Missions exposure and training : the development and assessment of a cross-cultural training programme for two-thirds world msiionaries Two-thirds world missionaries

Abstract

Those who take the Great Commission of Christ seriously realise that enlarging today's mission force is crucial. The Two-thirds World church is in a prime position to meet the need. Cross-cultural mission training would greatly enhance and accelerate the fulfilling of Christ's final mandate to the Church. As founding director of Missions Exposure and Training (MET), a Christian ministry located in Pretoria, South Africa, the author of the thesis lays out the details of the programme for the reader. MET is the case study being considered, with particular emphasis placed on Missionary Candidate School (MCS), the backbone of MET. Before MET is introduced, the thesis begins with the challenge facing the universal Church today: the need to strengthen and enlarge the current mission force. The theological implications of Jesus Christ's mandate to the Church, the missionary purpose of the Church, as well as eschatological concerns build a strong argument for the need of a larger mission force. Demographic changes taking place within the Church mean that Two-thirds World Christians should be considered as a primary resource for cross-cultural mission endeavours. To maximise the potential of the new recruits, which the writer refers to as 'missionary candidates,' further discussion is given for the need of systematic training and equipping of Two-thirds World missionaries. After describing MET and MCS, the programme is critically evaluated. MCS is proven to be effective in training African men and women for intercultural Christian mission service, and as such it becomes a model worth investigating. The clear findings that result from the candid evaluation, and assessments made in light of current theological and missiological issues, should prove to be beneficial to those developing programmes with the purpose of training and equipping Two-thirds World missionaries.