Training Native Church Planters

Cross-cultural missionaries are temporary, aimed at initiating church plants in geographical or cultural segments which has no Christian witness. Soon, a cross-cultural missionary should focus to raise up indigenous missionaries. Long term Kingdom perspective calls for developing quality missionaries and pastors.

Indian Evangelical Team has more than 21 Bible schools spread in different parts of South East Asia. The trainees and the IET’s church planting leader live in the same campus. This close mentorship of the church planting leader is critical in the formation of the students.

The students participate in the local church ministry every evening, learn evangelism by doing it every weekend, are instructed from the Word of God by experienced teachers during day, and are trained in church planting and ministry during required ministry internship with an experienced missionary.

A close focus is placed on developing their character and spiritual disciplines in addition to ministry skills. Since the Bible schools are located in the mission field, led by the church planting leader, most students end up planting churches and take care of them during their time of training in the Bible school.

Each Bible school is conducted in the regional language, to enable training of native, indigenous ministers and leaders. New believers who show a call of God for church planting and prove it within the ministry of their pioneer local church are carefully watched by their local pastor, interviewed by the IET leaders and then selected to be trained as future church planters and pastors among their own linguistic and people groups.

Some of these will go beyond their geographical or cultural population as cross-cultural missionaries. They may travel to another state or region and plant pioneer churches and raise up indigenous leaders there.

At the end of their two year intensive training period, they are ready to be ambassadors of the Gospel message. A hundred percent of our graduates are sent to places where there is no church.

One church planter trainee can be sponsored for Rs800/- a month. One entire Bible school (20-25 students) requires about Rs.20,000/- per month.