Lausanne World Pulse – Training for Missions Requires Passion

July 2007

By Adriaan Adams

FTLT makes use of the Live School curriculum. The Live School is a video curriculum developed by the World Mission Centre (WMC), available on DVD. Some of the important issues addressed are:

  • Character development
  • The high rate of attrition
  • The difficulty of adjusting to culture and ethnic customs
  • The skills needed for a successful mission outreach

The length of the training program is eleven months. For the first month, the major focus is on character development and dealing with personal issues of the past. Thereafter the students are introduced to the biblical fundamental issues regarding missions: why missions, who we are in Christ, perseverance in ministry, etc. In the fifth month they are taken on a one month “Bush Phase” training where they are exposed to some of the realities they might face in a pioneering field: sleeping in tents, limited water, food preparation on an open fire, hiking, training in radio communication, navigation and even evacuation. After the bush phase there is a greater focus on the practical issues important to missions: cross-cultural communication, cultural anthropology, ethnographic process, chronological approach, etc. 

Those involved in FTLT see outreach as
integral to training.

For the last three months students are sent on outreach to one of the least-reached people groups of the world, situated in a least-targeted geographical area. After their outreach they go through a re-entry phase lasting one week, after which comes graduation.

FTLT firmly believes that true leaders are people of character, and that it is character that gives credibility with people. They therefore believe strongly in the “CAR” of leadership: character, accountability and responsibility.

While FTLT may be a young school, the aspiration is to see a generation that will rise up prepared to live a non-compromising lifestyle for God.

To date nearly every person that has gone through FTLT is serving in some ministry capacity. Some are mobilising their congregations to missions; some are at university mobilising their friends. Some have gone into the business world supporting missions financially. On a more full-time basis there are graduates currently serving FTLT in a leadership capacity, some in the WMC office, others in Malawi. Another graduate has started a mission school with the help of WMC in Zanzibar, training locals to reach out to their own people.

The school has a policy of continual change. The objective is to train young people who will impact their sphere of influence through a focused lifestyle, working with others in a team, expressing godly character and continuing to develop themselves and those around them into more effective leaders.

For more information, visit www.ftlt.org.

Adriaan Adams is the founder and co-director of Focus Team Leadership Training (FTLT), an organisation focused on “Training the Mission Leaders of Tomorrow.”

Comments on this article

You are doing a wonderful work and taking care of the generation of leaders to come and emerging leaders. I humbly ask that you come to one of our annual conferences to build relationships for impacting our nations. I am based in South Africa, Limpopo Province. You can reach me at 0824225777.

PASTOR STEVE :: 2 Aug 2007