Missionary Training Center: Global Frontier Missions

Our Missionary Training Center

We have almost completed the missionary training center in the strategic market town of Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca, Mexico. The facility will be used to train, disciple, and equip indigenous worke

rs who live in unreached people groups throughout the state of Oaxaca (Mixtecos, Zapotecos, Mazatecos, Chinantecos, Mixes, Cuicatecos, Chatinos, Huaves, Triquis, Nahuatl). The base will also be used as a training center for short and long-term missionaries desiring to work among unreached people groups.

Vision for the Missionary Training Center:

1) To train and disciple indigenous believers: We believe that the work of the church and of each individual Christian is to go and make disciples of all nations. Our desire is to see indigenous people throughout the state of Oaxaca discipled and trained to the point where they can go and make disciples of their own people groups as well as surrounding villages. Each year we host an indigenous Bible school for local leaders. It includes theological, doctrinal, and practical teachings. Most indigenous pastors in Oaxaca have had no formal Christian training and would benefit greatly from a Bible school such as this. We also like to implement carpentry and other skills as a part of the school so that pastors will have some sort of "tent making" trade for when they return to their villages.

There are no Bible school opportunities like this in the state of Oaxaca. If a believer here wanted to go to Bible school, he would have to leave his family and work and go to another state in Mexico to study. We want to provide a program that is close to home where the indigenous leaders could still tend to their families, fields, and congregations on weekends. We would like to provide this school as economical as possible and structure it especially for indigenous people taking into account language, culture, education level, social ideas, etc.

2) To train long-term missionaries: Oaxaca is a very strategic location for training long-term missionaries. With over 155 different ethnic people groups throughout the state, there are wonderful opportunities to gain cross-cultural communication and language learning skills. Many of these ethnic groups are still considered unreached with the Gospel and provide many opportunities for discipleship and church planting teams. Each year, we host a Mission Training School for people who desire to work in unreached areas of the world (more specifically tribal people groups).

3) To train short-term missionaries: We have a heart for seeing laborers raised up for the harvest field. One of the best ways to get individuals and churches excited about their role in fulfilling the Great Commission is through short term mission trips. Our facilities are used to house and to train short term mission groups that will be reaching out to unreached people groups. We have found that short-term medical, construction, and evangelism teams have played a key role in reaching the unreached of Oaxaca. As we provide for the physical needs of the people, they begin to open up and see their spiritual needs as well.

3) To house indigenous students who desire to further their education: The majority of the villages in Oaxaca can only provide an elementary and junior high school education. If a student wishes to further his education, he must leave the village in which he lives and move to a local market town, which has a public high school. Housing and food for these students is difficult to find and can be very expensive. We would like to see our base be used as a dormitory or orphanage for these students. It would also be a place where we could provide tutoring for those struggling in classes and a place where they can be fed spiritually while away from their villages.