They need the
fellowship of a local church and the ministry of a well
trained pastor.
Paul´s
instruction to Timothy was, "the things which
you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses,
entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach
others also." (2 Timothy 2:2 NASB).
One of the greatest, if not the greatest need facing
the Church in Latin America today is well-trained, effective
national leadership. Missionaries cannot and must not
do the work that a well-trained national can do so much
better. To this end, the Assemblies of God has always
made Christian education a top priority in its missionary
labors.
Today there exists a large number of different ministries
and services within the Latin American Assemblies of God,
to further the work of Christian education on every level,
from local church discipleship programs, to lay leadership
training, to Bible schools, and schools of higher learning
offering Bacherlor's and Master's degrees. These include
a growing network of nearly 1,000 Bible schools and extension
Bible schools, served by an effective Resource Center
and a coordinated study program and curriculum, the Latin
American Advanced School of Theology (LAAST) on the B.A.
level, the Latin American Theological Seminary (LATS),
on the Master's level, and our own accreditacion association.
Since September, 2007, Jim serves as the Coordinator
of the "Servicio de Educación Cristiana"
- the Christian Education Service of the Assemblies of
God of Latin America. This involves lending oversight
to the before mentioned concert of ministries, as well
as participating directly in LAAST seminars as a teacher
and seminar director.
LAAST and LATS seminars provide intensive, affordable,
face to face and heart to heart advanced ministerial training
for thousands of Latin American ministers. Ministers from
large cities like Buenos Aires and Mexico City, Quechua
and Aymara church leaders from high in the Andes Mountains,
as well as Maya and Amazonian Indian pastors from the
jungles, come together in any of twenty locations for
a great time of intensive study, ministry in the Word,
prayer and fellowship. Each seminar is a month of living
together, eating the same food and sharing the same quarters.
Teaching transcends the classroom and spills over into
meal times, daily chapel times, moment of personal counseling,
and praying for one another's needs.
Funding is urgently needed to keep these seminars available
to all ministers at a cost they can afford as well as
to provide assistance to worthy, but needy students. Funding
is also needed to assist Jim with his airfare and away-from-home
expenses, as he regularly travels throughout Central and
South America, giving assistance and counsel to Latin
American leaders in the Christian education ministry.
LAAST
students and faculty, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2007.
