GGM Bible Training Institutes

By Dr. Dan Hill

      An old saying tells us that if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach a man how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.  That is our thinking in our mission to establish permanent Bible training institutes on the foreign mission field.  GGM has teamed up with Bible Training Centers for Church Leaders and Pastor in Atlanta, GA to offer much needed Bible and theology training to teachers and pastors.  Many years ago Dr. Dennis Mock, who developed the ten course BTCL curriculum, saw the need that we have recently observed.  In most third world countries less than 10% of the pastors have had any formal classroom training in Bible or theology.  Rather than just lay a foundation, the BTCL curriculum goes on to firmly establish and equip pastors in how to study and teach the Bible.  In addition to covering every book of the Bible and the ten major areas of systematic theology, the course of study deals with church history, how to communicate, how to organize churches, administration, and missions.  Completion of the ten courses leads to a certificate of graduation from the BTCL program which means a great deal in cross-culture ministries. To check out the curriculum that we offer go to BTCL’s website, www.bibletraining.com.  

       Our first Bible Institute, which was started by Basic Training Ministries headed by Pastor Gene Cunningham, is in a rural area in Zambia.  The founder there is Pastor Stewart Sichilongo.  Pastor Stewart has built a tremendous complex for the school and he is bringing in students from in and around Zambia. Kingstone Shanchebb is the current director and he hopes to graduate a class in the 1st quarter of 2009. While the Bible Institute in Zambia is in a rural area, our newest Bible institute in Calabar, Nigeria is in a city.  When we were in Calabar in early January 2005 we met with a great many pastors who wanted formal Bible training.  Our missionary pastor there is Fred Abua and he has been teaching sound truth for many years at his church.  We provided funds for Fred to rent a building that serves as the church and the Bible Institute.  I taught the first class in September of 2005 with 23 students enrolled.  The first class graduated in the summer of 2006.

      Part of the purpose of Grace Gospel Missions is to establish Bible Training Centers on the mission field and to prepare pastors here in the US who would like to have the opportunity to go to these schools and teach two-week long courses.  We ask you to join with us in prayer for the fantastic impact these Bible institutes will have in these nations.   We also invite pastors and teachers who would like teach in the Bible Institutes to contact us at (918) 492-8228. 

 And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many
witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also
(II Timothy 2:2)