A Growing Need
for Concerted Training Ministry
Latin America is changing
rapidly. Globalization, technology, communication,
travel—these and other factors are accelerating this change.
Latin American countries are tired of poverty. They
recognize that education is key to improving society. But
only Christian education produces true change through
transformation of heart and mind.
National churches are maturing. After decades of growth, our
leaders recognize the urgent need to train workers at all
levels in order to advance Christian values and to sustain
growth. They’re learning to work together to maximize
training efforts to reach their continent and beyond. Who
will guide this new cooperation and interdependence?
The face of missions is changing. Missionaries make
disciples and teach them how to live for Christ. Although
this basic missionary goal remains the same, methods and
strategies must change. Christian Education has become a
strategic priority for Latin America.
Training and educational programs are growing exponentially.
Half of our Bible schools and training centers, and half of
our in-classroom students worldwide are in Spanish-speaking
Latin America! Thirty years ago there were only a few
Christian day schools in the region. Today there is an army
of more than 6,000 teachers, ministering to more than
100,000 children and youth in more than 350 schools. Who
will orchestrate needed training?
The work of missions is evolving. Although the basic
missionary task to win, train and send is the same, methods
and strategies are changing. The unfinished missionary task
will be to anticipate, embrace and encourage the growing
emphasis on education and training ministries. The LARTC
stands ready to create new paradigms, to build and
strengthen partnerships and to raise up Christian leaders to
prepare Latin America to win, train and send harvest workers
to the ends of the earth. |
“Train a child in the way he
should go, and when he is old
he will not turn from it.”
—Proverbs 22:6
“If you don’t like change, you’re
going to like irrelevance even less.”
—Ret. General Eric Shinseki
Former Chief of Staff, U. S. Army
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