Lausanne World Pulse – Overview of Missionary Training Resources
By Rob Brynjolfson
Theological education entered the twentieth century with the Church dividing itself over such issues as the social gospel and the decline of a distinctly Christian cosmology, thus provoking the evangelical reaction known as the Bible School movement. During the first three decades of that century, several institutions focusing on missionary training emerged. Mount Hermon Missionary Training College (1911), Ridgelands Bible College (1919) and All Nations Missionary (Union) College are examples. These three eventually amalgamated (1971) and formed All Nations Christian College. Another example is the Sydney Missionary and Bible College which was established in 1916.
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Higher theological education and missiological |
Sending agencies, on the other hand, saw a need for specialized training. The emergence of organizational training programs signaled the need for more specialized training. Examples of such are WEC International which began developing a series of Missionary Training Colleges, first in Glasgow and then in Tasmania, and now include a total six such colleges. Bethany Fellowship opened the school (1949) that continues under the name Bethany College of Mission.
As evangelicals began to rekindle a trust in higher theological education, a new-found interest in the social sciences led to the development of missiological training. The opening of the Fuller School of World Mission in the 1980s signaled a broad recognition of the need for missiological studies, and for deeper reflection and analysis of the missionary movement.
The idea of non-academic missionary training was also kindled in the hearts of some. The vision of Phil Armstrong (FEGC) and R.E. Thompson, along with support from Clyde Taylor (EFMA) spawned a new kind of training that led to the beginning of Missionary Internship (Now Missionary Training International). In its initial phase, missionary candidates spent seven months in a cross-cultural or urban internship and were coached through the process by experienced people. This was a novelty for missionary training and a program ahead of its time.
Toward Integral Missionary Training
It was only a matter of time before missionary agencies realized that trained missionaries required more than just an understanding of biblical/pastoral subjects. Early efforts to determine the areas of need in training were helpful, but not definitive. The ReMAP projects (Reducing Missionary Attrition Project and Retention of Missionaries and Practices) demonstrated empirically that specialized missionary training can make a difference in field worker longevity. These two projects studied the causes of attrition and factors leading to retention of field missionaries. Although ReMAP I (Reducing Attrition) did not clarify the role specialized missionary training plays in addressing attrition issues, the study helpfully clarified that the majority of preventable reasons of attrition relate almost entirely to character and spiritual issues and that participation in a dedicated missionary training program was one of the three identifiable factors which helped to reduce attrition. ReMAP II (the study of practices leading to the retention of field workers) demonstrated that dedicated missionary training played an important role in the longevity of workers.
It was only a matter of time before missionary agencies realized that trained missionaries required more than just an understanding of biblical/pastoral subjects.
After the findings of the first ReMAP project were published in the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) publication Too Valuable to Lose (1997), agencies and schools began to take a serious look at addressing the critical training needs for today’s missionaries. Time and again the call was made to address the issues of spiritual and character formation in pre-field candidates. Along with this, a growing interest to provide new workers with “job ready” skills has led to the emergence of whole person, holistic or integral training approaches.
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