|
International Ministry Track
Audience
This track consists of a series of courses designed for those who minister among very poor people living in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It is intended for local indigenous pastors and church members, missionaries and international ministry staff, Christian relief and development workers, and US/Canadian churches who minister abroad. The training will benefit individuals and ministry teams and is also appropriate for members of a church foreign missions committee.
Objective
This track gives an understanding of the harm that can come from doing relief when the situation calls for development and lays the foundation for understanding the appropriate goals and strategies for churches and Christian ministries working in low-income communities. Furthermore, it prepares you to select and implement a Christian microfinance or microenterprise development strategy and the programs appropriate for your particular community context. These include: promoting church-centered savings and credit associations, partnering with large-scale microfinance institutions, or training low-income people in business, home, and health.
Requirements
Prior financial or economic development experience is not required to participate. In addition, the ministry strategies and programs taught do not require large operating budgets.
Formats
Depending on the particular course, the training is offered in the following formats: a) Christian Economic Development Institute (CEDI), b) Distance Learning (DL), and c) Self-study/Group-study (SS/GS).
Courses
For information on the courses offered, refer to the diagram below.
Click on a course to view its description. |
Legend:
CEDI: Christian Economic Development Institute
DL: Distance Learning
SS/GS - Self-study/
Group-study
Levels
The "Foundations" course is an orientation-level course that presents ministry philosophy. It introduces 1) a holistic way of looking at poverty, 2) highly relational methods of doing community development, and 3) a number of important concepts and issues surrounding holistic community development ministry. The "Foundations" course is a prerequisite to the "Principles" course.
The "Principles" course is an orientation-level course that is designed to give you the knowledge needed to determine the appropriate economic development strategy for your particular ministry context.
The remaining courses in this track are skills-based courses that provide the practical application tools, knowledge, skills, and resources you will need to successfully implement a particular ministry strategy/program within your ministry context.
About the Foundations Course
As an introductory level course, the "Foundations" course does not provide the technical “how-to” information for specific economic development strategies. Instead, it provides a basis and solid understanding of how to assess community needs and how to do holistic ministry among the poor. Therefore, even if you do not implement an economic development ministry and choose to implement another ministry strategy among the poor, this course will benefit you.
|
