School for Cross Cultural Training

A Missionary Training and Mobilization Model focusing on Indigenous People Groups of Mexico

The indigenous people groups of Mexico make up nearly ten percent of the general population or about 10 million people.

There are 60 languagegroups and about

260 dialects/variants.

About one third of thesedialects/variants

are unreached or haveno reproducible

indigenous New Testamentchurch.

Over 2 million people from around 100

people groups have neverhad the opportunity to hear, understand and respond to the Gospel.

Each dialect representsa distinct people groupthat needs the Gospelin the heart language of the people.

Most indigenous people groups of Mexico remain unreached due to isolation. They suffer from poverty, poor health,

malnutrition, lack of economic and education opportunities.

Idolatry and witchcraft are a part of everyday life.

People groups are unreached in Mexico because they havenever heard an understandable Gospel.

Indigenous peoples of Mexico follow other gods mixing Roman Catholicism with animistic beliefs. They do not understand the concept of God as presented in the Bible.

Indigenous leaders and structures must berespected to earn a hearing. Families are part of a larger

community and accountable to their own people.

Heads of Family are charged with communityresponsibilities. Many times community service

is synonymous with religious rite and celebration.

Indigenous peoples need theGospel in their heart language.

The heart language is whatever they speak at home, among their own people.

No matter if Spanish is spoken, the Gospel will notpenetrate unless it is communicated in the

language of the heart.

Indigenous people groups have special“communication domains”.

For many indigenous people the family kitchen is where the most personalconversations take place..

To effectively share the Gospel with thispeople, you would need to get past thefront porch and be with them around the kitchen fire.

Who will take the Gospel to theIndigenous People Groups of Mexico?

School for Cross Cultural Training

is one missionary strategy God is using to train andmobilize His church to reach the unreached indigenous

people groups of Mexico.

The school is a resource for Mexican Baptist churches to help prepare their future missionaries through a mentoring

experience in the context of cross cultural work.

All training is Bible based helping with the spiritual, emotional, mental and practical formation of the missionary.

Missionaries pray, plan and prepare for a church planting movement among their focus people group as they are

learning to contextualize the Gospel in another culture.

The Missionary Coach plays the most importantrole in missionary training.

The most crucialqualification fora missionary coachis his/her character.The coach mustdemonstrate thecharacter of Christin attitude, word and deed.

The missionary in trainingwill emulate the model he/she sees and hears.

The missionary coachwill act as a mentor living

the Christian life and modeling missionary

ministry.

The missionary coach must know the culture and language ofthe people, demonstrating how to live and work among them.

Training occurs “on the way” as leaders mentor leaders whowill “be able to teach others” ..... (II Timothy 2:2)

Sometimes the most effective training takes place informally while traveling, eating and waiting around together .....

The Missionary Coach must have a vision for a church planting movement among his/her focus people group.

The Missionary Coach will lead a missionary teamin putting the people and resources in place that

God can use (if He so chooses) to start and nurturea church planting movement.

The Missionary Apprentice is a disciple of the missionary coach .....

demonstrates a call to cross cultural missions and commits to two years of intensive training

(sent by home church, individuals and / or association)

and

works on a missionary team led by a missionary coach with a vision for a church planting movement.

The missionary apprentice learns by participating in whatGod is doing among the focus people group. The three major areas of formation:

SER

CONOCER

HACER

Character

Knowledge

Practice

Participates in courses offered every three months for two years

(total of eight courses).

The Missionary Apprentice

The apprentice continues in cross cultural missions after two years training, working with the same group, or going on to another people group in Mexico (or as an international missionary).

are persons with extensiveexperience and knowledgein cross cultural missions.

Trainers have lived andworked in other cultures,confronted the problems

of learning another language and know the pressures of spiritual

warfare.

Missionary Trainers

Trainers teach intensivecourses and are a valuable resource forproblem-solving.

Trainers are selected/invited to teach courses

based on gifts andexperience more than

scholastic achievement.

Trainers exhibit in-depth comprehension of their

subject matter and are very capable of communicating

their knowledge enthusiastically.

Two full-time trainers provide follow-up in the field toassure that apprentices are doing their homework between courses, encourage them and help correct any problems that may occur.

Curriculum

Spiritual Maturity - Disciplines for the Christian Life Personal Character - Integrity - Servant Leadership Emotional / Physical Health - Culture Shock - Stress Interpersonal Relationships - Conflict - Teamwork

Bible Teaching from a Cross Cultural PerspectiveContextualization - Missionary Anthropology

Worldview of Indigenous PeoplesTechniques for Language Learning

Missionary Strategies - Church Planting Movements

Indigenous Church Planting - Chronological Bible Storying

Community Development - Basic Health Care

Missionary Trainers show MissionaryCoaches how to train others .....

Coaches will develop and adapt training for their own focus people group to establish training closer to the field.

Laborers for the Harvest

Each indigenous people group has an army of laborers readyto be discipled, trained and mobilized to reach their own

people. Missionary coaches and apprentices train and workalongside their fellow co-laborers.

IMB MissionariesBaptist Volunteers

IMB personnel and Baptist volunteers are facilitating Mexicanmissionary strategies.

Vision - IndigenousChurch PlantingMovements among allFocus People Groups.

For more info:www.peopleteams.org/oaxaca

Pray for Leaders of the School for CrossCultural Training .....

Pray for Missionary Teams, local leaders/laborers and for church planting movements among their people groups .....

www.peopleteams.org/oaxaca