JUST IN TIME TRAINING KC - AUGUST 23 - 25, 2016
Why Pre-Field Training?
It’s a hard sell.
Missionaries are trying to get to the field. They’ve been approved by their denomination or sending
agency, they’re raising support and to stop in the middle to attend a
three-day, one or two week training session seems to be a waste of time and
money. But is it?
The Long Road Less
Travelled
What is the process for getting to the mission field for a
career missionary? Consider the
chart below, an arbitrary time scale to be sure, but a guide nevertheless.
1.
Discovery
could be an introduction to missionaries in Sunday School to a mission
conference where one is introduced to everything from Hudson Taylor to
orphanages in Haiti.
2.
Interest
is the dipping the toe into the water by attending an Urbana conference, a
short-term mission trip or taking a Perspectives course.
3.
Commitment
is answering “the call.” It’s
that defining moment when one says, “Here am I Lord, send me.” But how do I get there?
4.
Preparation
may include going to seminary, an internship in a local church as well as filling out application to a missionary sending agency. This period time could easily be five
years or more.
5.
If one perseveres to the point they are approved
to be a missionary, they begin the funding process, which is between six months
(rare) to three years (sadly, not unusual).
How prepared is a missionary really for cross-cultural
service? Their cultural anthropology class was six years ago and they have no
clue why the study of kinship has anything to do with being a witness to a Hindu. True, they did spend two weeks in the
Dominican Republic participating in vacation Bible school, but did they learn
what it takes to set up residence in Serbia? They may feel called to serve in the Philippines, but
exactly what is the need in that country, which has had the Gospel four times
longer than they have been alive?
JUST IN TIME LEARNING
Just in time (JIT) training is that period of time, about
six months to one year before being fielded, which can make all the difference
in the life of a missionary family.
First, it sharpens their focus. If a missionary is 50% into fund raising , JIT will actually
help the missionary raise the most difficult period of support raising because
their focus will be on what they are going to do and who they will be working
with. A clear focus not only
motivates the missionary, but also those who listen to their plea for support. Hazy goals will produce hazy results. Clear goals will produce realistic and
attainable results.
Second, JIT means that when a missionary does get on the field
six months later they will have a head start on what needs to be done and the
process on how to achieve their goals.
The missionary will actually understand that contextualization isn’t just a word they learned ten years ago in
an obscure classroom, but a reality in the context
they now find themselves.
The reality is, many missionaries are woefully ill equipped
before launching out in cross-cultural work. Just-in-time training is not only practical, it could very
well be the defining moment in the life of that missionary.
To learn more about JIT in KC August 23 - 25 go to this link.
To learn more about JIT in KC August 23 - 25 go to this link.
