News

Press Release 2005 Launch

 Due to world politics and changing responses to the Western world, it has become necessary to rethink the current approach to carrying out the Great Commission. Instead of “sending” missionaries, it has become imperative that nationals are trained to evangelise in their own languages, in the “back streets” of their own and neighbouring countries.

The question was, “How could this be done?” It was impossible to send these nationals to the great mission schools and seminaries around the world. Yet there were valiant, dedicated Christians ready to be trained and directed into missions. Fortunately, today’s technology has the solution.

 World Mission Centre, a South African mission organisation with its headquarters in Pretoria has developed one of the world’s most innovative mission training projects, called the Live School.

Using a coalition of 28 men and women from eight countries, the curriculum was developed under the leadership of Dr. Bill Taylor from the World Evangelical Alliance – Mission Commission.

It was written at a 6 th grade level and can be adapted to various cultures. Designed with five months of class work and five months of fieldwork, it can be adjusted to fit various needs up to a two-year time frame.

Some of the best mission practitioners from various parts of the world presented this curriculum during a school that was held in Pretoria in 2000. This school trained missionaries to work in the most remote parts of Southern Africa. The training was done in a studio setting during which 234 hours was captured on broadcast quality video.

The media department of the World Mission Centre spent six years to transfer the video material onto 53 state of the art DVD discs. The result of this amazing achievement is that it can be p ackaged in such a way that it fits into a briefcase. The briefcase, called a Mobile Integrated Training System (MITS), was designed and built in Pretoria. It comes complete with its own battery, video screen, sound system and DVD player. It can be connected to a 110- 220 volt supply, a car battery or a solar panel to charge the on board battery.

The Live School is a cutting-edge tool, set to train a world-wide mission force especially focusing on those in the developing world who have no access to mission training. It is designed in such a way that all that’s needed is a room or lounge to present it. Ideally, any school that will be started will train 10 – 20 students at a time.

The Live School packaged in the MITS is incredibly versatile. It will be used to train workers for the mission field as well as church leaders who have little or no formal training. It has the potential to accelerate the sending of missionaries into the world’s mission fields, especially the developing world.

The curriculum has been accredited by the South African Theological Seminary (SATS) and gives those who complete the Live School the opportunity to further their studies.

Over the next five years the World Mission Centre plans to establish 1000 schools in the Southern African region. Together these schools have the potential to train around 50 000 people.

The World Mission Centre plans to translate the Live School curriculum from English to 10 major world languages over the next five years. The Russian translation is already underway and will be launched in September 2006.

The English version of this extraordinary product will be launched at an International Launch Event that will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Pretoria on the 10 th of November and at the Arabella Sheraton Hotel in Cape Town on the 14 th of November.