Our Philosophy

There is frequent discussion today about the proper role of nationals in missionary endeavor. Some say that we should fund nationals directly with money from the United States so that they may act as our missionaries. Others believe that American missionaries should plant churches and then pastor them until a suitable national can be found to become the pastor. Our understanding of the Scriptures is that missions is only fully accomplished when the nationals on any field are completing the mandate of the Great Commission without dependence on Americans. Missions begins with pioneering evangelists who bring converts to Christ in a region. It continues as those converts are discipled and organized into a local church. The fruition of missions, however, is a truly indigenous church or group of churches with trained national pastors. That means that, for the missionary, the training of nationals is of equal importance with evangelism and discipleship. 

Rev. Ken Johnson, GFA missionary in Seoul, South Korea, and president of the Bob Jones Memorial Institute, explains with the following points the benefits of training nationals for ministry:

• It multiplies output. If a missionary started one church each term on the field, after 25 years, he would have started about five churches. By training the nationals to start churches and pastor themselves, depending on the number of students, he could have between 50 and 100 churches started in that amount of time.
• It enlarges philosophy. As Fundamentalists we emphasize God's Word as the final authority for matters of faith and practice and contend for the cardinal doctrines of the faith. We take a stand against New Evangelicalism and error. We want our people to search for answers to life's problems in the inerrant Word of God rather than the convoluted ideas of men. One of the best ways to do this is by training those who will be going out to preach in the congregations the things we believe.
• It nationalizes work. The Gospel can be more effectively presented by a national than a missionary due to language barriers and cultural obstacles. In some cultures, the very fact that the missionary is racially different is an obstacle. Furthermore, when a national goes out and starts a church, he must depend on the people to support him, so a church is established that is not dependent on outside support.
• It deepens the work. By training nationals and maintaining contact with them, the missionary begins to learn some of the problems they are facing in their ministries. Each field has heathen practices or customs that are inimical to Christianity. When the missionary knows of them, he can effectively combat them and give the pastors he is training ammunition with which to combat them. One of the particular problems that Paul faced during his ministry in Ephesus was the cult of Diana and those who dealt in black magic. As a result of Paul's preaching, he was able to persuade the believers of the error of these things, and they openly burned the books worth 50,000 pieces of silver.
  
  Not all fields are the same. In some fields it is difficult to establish a Bible institute because there is a lack of workers to train. In other fields the level of education may be so low that one has to train the workers to read first. But in fields where it is possible to establish a Bible institute, it can be one of the best and fastest ways to establish indigenous churches.

Our Practice

GFA's most visible results in the area of church planting are from the nationals who were prepared in some organized training program (such as a seminary, Bible college, or Bible institute). Hundreds of churches have been planted around the world by nationals instructed by our missionaries. We encourage all of our missionaries to train nationals through organized efforts. Many of them are presently involved in such an endeavor. Here is the present breakdown of activity:

• Organized Training Programs: This refers to training programs which provide some type of formal classroom instruction for nationals. This includes seminaries, Bible institutes, and organized programs within a local church. In some cases our missionaries are offering training that is on the level of seminary training in the states. In other cases, the missionaries are teaching on a more rudimentary level, focusing on core Bible doctrines.
  

• In-Depth Mentoring: In addition to organized training programs, our missionaries are also mentoring men privately with the goal of preparing them for the ministry. 

Our Program

GFA missionaries are leading or assisting seminaries in the Philippines, Korea and Zambia. In addition, they are directing or assisting Bible institutes in Cameroon, South Africa, Mexico, Germany, and England.  Many others of our men have organized, church-based training programs to prepare men for the ministry. 

GFA Missions is interested in working with qualified men who want to serve the Lord teaching nationals for ministry. We also have opportunities for men to serve as short-term missionaries at various schools around the world. Using short-term professors has been very valuable for our ministries. It has also been a great benefit for the short-termers. 

If you are interested in learning more about opportunities for training nationals for ministry with GFA Missions, please call (864) 609-5500 to set up an appointment to speak with us. Or visit our office located at Suite 110, 1809 Wade Hampton Boulevard, Greenville, SC 29609.