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Missionary Educators’ Summit
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
August 16-17, 2004

Dialogue Worksheets
Group 5

Members: Dale Johnson (facilitator) DeLonn Rance (sec.), Valerie Rance, Michele Crowe, Roger Simmons, Allen Martin, Denny Seler

Step 1: Definition (Describe the issue)

What is the issue, problem, concern, challenge, etc.? Summarize it in 25 words or less

Provide the impetus to help move the National Church into Foreign Missions/Home Missions for LAC students to reach indigenous and minority groups.  Preparing missionaries for LAC to go to the Muslim world, Translate key book on Muslim ministries.

Problem Statement:  There is a need for each Bible Institute to become a center for missions focus and mobilization.

Step 2: Ideas (Brainstorming—use the back side if needed) AND Step 3 Strategy

Each Bible Institute must be a center for missions focus and mobilization by:

1. Facilitating missions commitment in the lives of students, faculty and administration.
2. Developing missional programs,
3. Networking with the national church missions organizations, and
4. Encouraging an understanding of world missions outreach which includes people and minority groups both foreign and domestic.

1. The Bible school program should facilitate in the lives of students, faculty and administration a missions commitment that would include ethno-linguistic groups both foreign and domestic by:

• Creating “space” (i.e. prepare the soil, set the stage, prepare the atmosphere for God’s growth) to hear God’s call, and experience Spirit direction and empowerment in the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
• Exposing the Bible School community to missionaries, missionary stories, missions needs and missionary challenges.
• Developing missions prayer groups, celebrating missions conventions, forming a campus committee for missions mobilization, creating a physical environment that raises missions awareness (e.g. flags, posters, hall of fame), providing specific opportunities to express
  missions commitment (e.g. missionary disciplines of prayer, giving, missions activities, and short term missions trips including student exchange programs with other nations or ethno linguistic groups).
• Allowing students to discover their spiritual giftings and to develop their inter-relational and leadership skills.
• Stretching the student’s faith in God’s ability to provide.

2. Bible School related entities should design and implement proactive missions programs by: 

• Modifying the Plan Básico to improve and increase missions courses, with the possibility of providing a missions specialty, noting the importance of: a biblical Theology of Missions, incorporating missions courses at the beginning of the program and teaching every course with God’s Global mission in mind.
• Developing a core of missions professors who are passionate, of proven missionary commitment and have the necessary academic preparation.
• Designing programs of continuing education to foment missions understanding and commitment in faculty and administration
• Taking advantage of current and future technology (consider using CRA as an internet forum/networking mechanism)
• Integrating theory and practice throughout all missions programs.
• Writing missions and/or translating missions text books and other materials to provide a boarder resource base.
• Intentionally creating space for reflection, prayer, missions awareness and commitment.
• Stimulate relationships between the Bible school community and missional structures (e.g. missionary training centers, missions agencies and resource centers.

3. Bible school entities should collaborate with the national church and other Assemblies of God missions organizations by:

• Submitting to national missions leadership.
• Inviting national missions leaders and missionaries to participate in missions activities and contribute to every aspect of campus life from a missions perspective, allowing for ample opportunities for personal interaction.
• Cooperating with existent missionary training centers
• Encouraging missionaries and MFs to provide missions resource materials to both agencies and Bible Schools through donations and joint financial commitments, (e.g. missions libraries, literature, flags, scholarships for missionary training).

4. In order to successfully implement the above, the following issues must be considered:

• The need to recognize and respect national missions programs. (i.e. U.S. missionaries must be careful not to impose missions or missionary models in the LAC context, but must seek to create “space” to foment missions awareness, which challenges and facilitates missions commitment).
• The importance of guarding the concept of missions being a life time commitment to a lifestyle of obedience rather than a “program” or “department”.
• The value of long term investment (Missions is not something that will happen in a hurry, it will take time to develop new missionary disciplines and patterns.)
• The wisdom in avoiding both the antagonization or patronization of existent traditional ecclesiastical authorities, patterns and structures.

Step 4: Assignments (Leadership, Follow-up and Timetable)

Who can best provide leadership to further develop and implement the plan?

• Form a committee made up of Roy Smeya, DeLonn Rance, Judy Graner, Rod Boyd. To implement changes in Plan Basico to present a proposal for the next triannual meeting of SEC.

Does it fall with the scope of an existing ministry, especially the educational structure of the national church (e.g. SEC)?

• CRA- implement changes in technology.
• Recommend to the committee of “Misiones en Conjunto” the development of a missions resource clearing house and a “Kit” which could include a manual, texts, flags, posters, etc.
• Misiones en Conjunto is the missions comity named by the ejecutives of CELAD and CADSA (Brad Walz – president, Samuel Rodiquez, Efrain Arosemena, Enrique Vargas, Rodolfo Saenz, DeLonn Rance- sec.)

What should be the missionary involvement? How can the missionary best help?

• Each missionary and MF needs to be proactive in missions within the national church, specifically within Bible schools.

What will be the schedule to implement the plan?

• Allow one year for committees to present strategic plans taking advantage of internet technology to facilitate communication and networking.
• Evaluate progress in a follow up Educator’s summit.