Vicky is one of the students in this Seminar. She asked me a great question after class about 2 weeks ago. I’d like to share some of my answer in this blog.
The question? What is it about NEWMA mission that would convince a graduate center in Portland Oregon to send teachers, create internet mentoring methods, translate curriculum, and look for Spanish speaking teachers. . . . what is it about NEWMA that makes World Link Graduate Center put forth the effort to bring the Seminar (and later the full MA) here to Lima?
No doubt it is a big undertaking – one that is stretching us as an organization (and stretching me as a person!). But, as we say in Spanish, “bien vale la pena” (it is well worth the trouble).
NEWMA is sending Latin American missionaries to the ends of the earth. There are over a thousand who have already been sent out, and yet these faithful and highly qualified workers are not using the patterns of mission agencies from other parts of the world. Early on in their 30-plus years of history, NEWMA’s founders realized that sending missionaries from Latin America would need a Latin American model of missions. Enter the “Andean missiology” of NEWMA mission!
Dr. Maximo Hurtado gave me 15 unique aspects of NEWMA when he described NEWMA’s model of mission to me. When I answered Vicky, I only gave about five of the reasons that I see. Today, let me dig deep into just one of the unique aspects of NEWMA.
NEWMA doesn’t only start churches; they start mission training centers.
If you travel with a NEWMA missionary, you will see buildings where believers meet, pray, study the Bible, worship, give, share the gospel with their neighbors, and enjoy fellowship of all kinds. It looks like a church, walks like a church, and talks like a church. But if you look closely their literature and buildings call themselves more than churches. They call themselves, “Mission Communities.”
NEWMA missionaries simply believe and teach that they were reached with the gospel in order to reach others. And as they reach others, those new believers also need to reach into the communities, villages, states, and nations. And so the focus is not only to start a church, but to start a mission center that will spread the Word around a whole new region. The Mission center idea puts multiplication into the forefront of thinking, praying and acting for new churches. It gives structure to the work. Believers meet several times a week – sometimes to deepen their walk with God, but at other times to learn ideas of ministry – how to reach nearby neighbors, and how to reach the furthest corners of the globe. One evening the church meets to pray for the sick and study the Bible. The next night, the same people get together to study missionary biographies, hear about unreached people groups, and consider what it means to be a cross cultural missionary.
Eusebio is one of our 14 students. He works in a church, and also works as the director of one of the larger mission center/satellite schools within NEWMA. His region is in the jungle areas of northern Peru. It takes 4 days to travel (by boat) from one extreme of his region to the other extreme. NEWMA missionaries have started 16 churches in that region, and now those 16 churches send approximately 10 young people a year to Pucallpa (where Eusebio’s mission center is at). They come for 5 weeks at a time, to learn Bible, theology, ministry, and missions. Then they head to different villages and cities to start new churches/mission centers. For 2 months they work with experienced missionaries. And then they return for another 5 weeks of residential training. That pattern continues for three years in Pucallpa and then 2 more years in the Latin American School of Mission in Lima -a total of five years split roughly 50% classroom and 50% guided practical ministry experience (and the classroom work is very well organized – they have a fully developed curriculum of 55 classes in place). When the five years are over, students are sent to a 2 year assignment either within or outside of Peru. They document their ministry, showing that they are applying the lessons learned in their first five years. And after the seven full years are complete, they receive their diploma as graduates of the mission centers of EMLA.
And guess what these graduates do? They go to the ends of the earth, making disciples and teaching them to know, love, and obey the Lord and His Word. They open yet other church/mission centers – in South America, California, France, the United Kingdom. . .. And they give a vision and a structure so the new churches can likewise start church/mission centers.
Vicky’s question has other answers. Eusebio’s story has other challenges. But from this short description you can see why WLGC is honored to work with the NEWMA mission, training the trainers who open churches and multiply mission centers.
The question? What is it about NEWMA mission that would convince a graduate center in Portland Oregon to send teachers, create internet mentoring methods, translate curriculum, and look for Spanish speaking teachers. . . . what is it about NEWMA that makes World Link Graduate Center put forth the effort to bring the Seminar (and later the full MA) here to Lima?
No doubt it is a big undertaking – one that is stretching us as an organization (and stretching me as a person!). But, as we say in Spanish, “bien vale la pena” (it is well worth the trouble).
NEWMA is sending Latin American missionaries to the ends of the earth. There are over a thousand who have already been sent out, and yet these faithful and highly qualified workers are not using the patterns of mission agencies from other parts of the world. Early on in their 30-plus years of history, NEWMA’s founders realized that sending missionaries from Latin America would need a Latin American model of missions. Enter the “Andean missiology” of NEWMA mission!
Dr. Maximo Hurtado gave me 15 unique aspects of NEWMA when he described NEWMA’s model of mission to me. When I answered Vicky, I only gave about five of the reasons that I see. Today, let me dig deep into just one of the unique aspects of NEWMA.
NEWMA doesn’t only start churches; they start mission training centers.
If you travel with a NEWMA missionary, you will see buildings where believers meet, pray, study the Bible, worship, give, share the gospel with their neighbors, and enjoy fellowship of all kinds. It looks like a church, walks like a church, and talks like a church. But if you look closely their literature and buildings call themselves more than churches. They call themselves, “Mission Communities.”
NEWMA missionaries simply believe and teach that they were reached with the gospel in order to reach others. And as they reach others, those new believers also need to reach into the communities, villages, states, and nations. And so the focus is not only to start a church, but to start a mission center that will spread the Word around a whole new region. The Mission center idea puts multiplication into the forefront of thinking, praying and acting for new churches. It gives structure to the work. Believers meet several times a week – sometimes to deepen their walk with God, but at other times to learn ideas of ministry – how to reach nearby neighbors, and how to reach the furthest corners of the globe. One evening the church meets to pray for the sick and study the Bible. The next night, the same people get together to study missionary biographies, hear about unreached people groups, and consider what it means to be a cross cultural missionary.
Eusebio is one of our 14 students. He works in a church, and also works as the director of one of the larger mission center/satellite schools within NEWMA. His region is in the jungle areas of northern Peru. It takes 4 days to travel (by boat) from one extreme of his region to the other extreme. NEWMA missionaries have started 16 churches in that region, and now those 16 churches send approximately 10 young people a year to Pucallpa (where Eusebio’s mission center is at). They come for 5 weeks at a time, to learn Bible, theology, ministry, and missions. Then they head to different villages and cities to start new churches/mission centers. For 2 months they work with experienced missionaries. And then they return for another 5 weeks of residential training. That pattern continues for three years in Pucallpa and then 2 more years in the Latin American School of Mission in Lima -a total of five years split roughly 50% classroom and 50% guided practical ministry experience (and the classroom work is very well organized – they have a fully developed curriculum of 55 classes in place). When the five years are over, students are sent to a 2 year assignment either within or outside of Peru. They document their ministry, showing that they are applying the lessons learned in their first five years. And after the seven full years are complete, they receive their diploma as graduates of the mission centers of EMLA.
And guess what these graduates do? They go to the ends of the earth, making disciples and teaching them to know, love, and obey the Lord and His Word. They open yet other church/mission centers – in South America, California, France, the United Kingdom. . .. And they give a vision and a structure so the new churches can likewise start church/mission centers.
Vicky’s question has other answers. Eusebio’s story has other challenges. But from this short description you can see why WLGC is honored to work with the NEWMA mission, training the trainers who open churches and multiply mission centers.
No comments:
Post a Comment