Missionary Training School: Global Frontier Missions

Mission Training School

Our Mission Training School is focused on training up Christians to be missional with their lives. It is a great school for people that plan on doing cross-cultural missionary work, but we highly recommend that every Christian get out of their comfort zone for seven months to do mission training to be more effective at changing the world around them whether or not they end up overseas. There is a strong emphasis on church planting and frontier mission work among unreached people groups in Oaxaca, Mexico and the 10/40 Window.

The Mission Training School is a seven-month missions internship that includes classes, homework, and tests. We read through much of the Bible during the program as well as many other books to help us understand God's Word, missions strategy, and cross cultural communication. The academic side of the school is somewhat challenging as there is a lot of reading involved (one book per week), but we also couple that with group discussions, videos, and guest speakers to keep things exciting.

There is also a strong discipleship focus in the training school including times of personal devotions, intercession, praise and worship, small groups, accountability, and fellowship. It's a great way for the students to get grounded in their faith and grow in community so that they can be more effective in the mission field. There is a strong emphasis on being the church and "one anothering" as that is one of the best ways of getting prepared to plant churches.

A large part of the missions training is also dedicated to hands-on experience doing missionary work alongside full-time missionaries among unreached people in Oaxaca, Mexico. At least three days a week, we spend time in our market town of Tlaxiaco participating in community service, teaching English, evangelism, discipleship, church planting, medical outreaches, children's programs, youth ministry, house visits, and church services.

We also encourage students to spend as much time as possible learning Spanish and befriending locals. Since people learn differently, some students enjoy spending their language time learning grammar and vocabulary from books, while others prefer hitting the streets to speak with the locals, or a combination of the two. Our goal is to have each student feel comfortable ministering in Spanish by the end of the school.

One other thing that we like to do during the Mission Training School is to expose the students to many different types of ministry. We have different missionary speakers come in to share about Bible translation, church planting, discipleship, relationship evangelism, inner-city ministry, medical missions, children/youth ministry, audio/video dubbing, tentmaking, research/investigation, missions mobilization, etc. We want students to see how many different ways there are to get involved in missions and to begin experimenting with their gifts to see how they can best be used to further the Kingdom of God.

After the seventh month in the Mission Training School, students will be involved in a very practical two-month long internship. They can choose to be a part of our Global Adventures Staff, our Missions Extreme Staff, or intern under another missionary or organization in a different part of the world. There will be a strong emphasis on language and culture learning for anyone that wants to stay on board with us as an apprentice.

Overall, this is a great missions training opportunity for people that know that they want to be involved in missions but want more Bible training as well as academic, practical, and spiritual discipleship under full-time missionaries before launching out.

Topics include: Old and New Testament survey, prayer, spiritual warfare, praise/worship, world missions, anthropology, church planting, language learning, relationships, knowing God's will, spiritual gifts, cultural adaptation, discipleship, storytelling, oral communication, teaching English (ESL), community health, tent-making, mobilization, support raising, as well as materials from the International School of Ministry (ISOM) and Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. You can click on our curriculum page if you want a complete list of topics.

Missions Books include: Youth Aflame, No Compromise, A Case for Christ, Intercessory Prayer, This Present Darkness, Emerging Church, The Calvary Road, Through Gates of Splendor, Bruchko, Is That Really You God, Intercessory Prayer, Ministering Cross-Culturally, Hell's Best Kept Secret, The Gospel According to Jesus, Eternity in Their Hearts, Peace Child, Friend Raising, Stories From the Front Lines, Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts, Where There Is No Doctor, God Chasers, and many others!!!

Credits: All students will receive a certificate from Global Frontier Missions. Students desiring to receive a Diploma from the International School of Ministry and a Diploma from Christian Leadership University have that option. It requires one extra book to be read each week as well as five multiple choice exams be taken. You also have the possibility of becoming a licensed minister through the Commission Ministers Network.

Dates: Classes will begin on Monday, Sept 8, 2008. There will be a Christmas break from Dec. 13 until Jan. 3 where you will have the option of going home or staying at the missions base. The school will end on April 2, 2009 with a graduation ceremony and then student internships will begin on the April 4th.

10/40 Window Trip: There is an optional 10/40 window mission trip from April 13 - 30. The cost for the 10/40 mission trip is approximately $1800 including travel and we will probably be going to Thailand to begin preparing the soil for the base that we would like to plant over there.

Cost: $450/month which includes tuition, room, board, books, outreach, and of course an occasional taco night! The cost also includes your $300 Mexican missionary visa.

That's a Christian Bible school education plus room, board, and hands-on missionary training and experience for under $3150!!!!!

Finances: Most of our students also join Commission to Every Nation which handles all of your missionary finances. All of your supporters can send money to you through CTEN so that they can get tax write-offs for their missions donations. CTEN will deposit all of the money into your personal account at the end of each month and then you will send your monthly tuition to Global Frontier Missions. They charge 10% the first year for administrative costs and then let you choose how much you want to give to them upon graduation from the school and becoming a full-time missionary.

Note: We recommend that each person planning on going into full-time missions raise about $800 of total monthly support for things like travel, insurance, and living expenses. Most students end up going directly to the mission field after the Mission Training School is over and it is good to have that support base in place.

Requirements: Applicants must be high school graduates that provide us with an application, pastor reference, and spiritual leader reference. We can currently only accept applicants from North America due to visa restrictions. Our main criteria for students is that they be teachable, hungry for the Word of God, and willing to do anything for Jesus Christ.

Application Process:

1) Fill out the Mission Training School Application before July 31, 2008. Sending in the application does not commit you to attending the school.
2) Have your pastor and one other spiritual leader fill out the Global Frontier Missions Reference Form.
3) Once we have received your application and reference forms, we will pray over them and let you know if you have been accepted as one of our Mission Training School students.
4) We will send an acceptance packet with all kinds of helpful information including what to bring, travel tips, expectations, etc. The info. can also be found on our Mission Training School acceptance page.
5) You can go ahead and book your flight into Oaxaca, Mexico (OAX).
Get your flights early! Continental has a flight directly from Houston (IAH) to Oaxaca (OAX) which is really nice but only has limited seating (about 60 passengers). Submit your Travel Information form as soon as your plans are set in stone.
6) Send in $900 as a school deposit to our regional office (Global Frontier Missions; P.O. Box 394; Goochland, VA 23063). Enclose a note saying "Mission Training School " and your name.
7) Send in your waiver of liability. This form must be filled out completely by each person or their parents if under 18 years of age.
8) Get ready for a life-changing experience!

For More Information: send us an e-mail.

Mission Training School FAQ: click here to learn more about housing, families, schedules, credits, and other frequently asked questions.

Missionary Training and Missionary School