Why do you need to consider missionary schools? Kristen* will tell you. She and her husband, Rick*, thought they were prepared for the mission field.
But when they touched down in Southeast Asia for a 2 week vision trip, quickly it became clear that they still had a lot to learn before moving overseas to be long term Christian missionaries.
“We were clueless,” Kristen admits.
Rick and Kristen returned to the US discouraged and overwhelmed. “We needed more than theological training — we needed some hardcore missionary training,” Kristen recalls.
In other words, instead of more biblical studies, they needed more immersive experience.
They needed a hands on missionary school!
While you don’t need an official degree to be a missionary, it is important that you get trained for the mission field.
Let’s look at what missionary schools offer, the benefits of the various models, and what to look for to ensure your missionary school prepares you for God’s will for your life.
What Are Missionary Schools?
Missionary schools, also called missionary training programs, prepare workers to get onto the mission field.
There are a few different models of missionary schools:
- University education
- Internship
- Immersive experience
Let’s unpack the types of missionary schools more closely.
University Education
Studying for a bachelor’s degree at a Christian school—majoring in missions or intercultural ministry—is a great way to learn more about missions. You can learn strategies from the Bible and the life of Jesus to reach people with the Gospel around the world.
Some institutions may only offer a mission track or cognate instead of the entire bachelor’s degree. Make sure you ask:
- How many credits the missions focus includes
- What those courses are
- Where you can get internship credits
Many programs allow you to pick out which mission courses appeal to you the most to customize your program.
However, you’ll need to ask how often the classes are offered. If a university has a smaller missionary program, some classes may only be offered once every 2 or 4 years.
Nonetheless, many missionaries, like Rick and Kristen, report feeling like they need more hands on training.
If you do go to the university route, you’ll want to make sure you ask about their internship requirements. Is there a component of hands on ministry experience required to complete the program?
Another important consideration is universities also may not have mentoring available. It is imperative to have a personal coach who is able to offer you wisdom for your specific calling and ministry situation.
But not everyone has the financial resources to get a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
If God is calling you to ministry, you could receive training through a missionary school that is possibly more budget friendly than a 4+ year degree.
The other 2 models of missionary schools may be more affordable for some: internships and immersive experiences.
Internship
Interning on a missionary team is a great way to sample and discern if this vocation is for you. Typically, internships are about a semester long.
Be sure to check to see if you can use your internship experience for elective or residency credits as part of your university education.
Some prospective missionaries will try a missions internship during college or seminary.
However, many mission agencies recommend that you have a more significant period of on the ground training.
Immersive
Immersive missionary training programs tend to be about 9 to 12 months long. Some immersive missionary schools will send you across the world, while others have training centers in America.
You can experience being part of a ministry team that prepares you with real life experience. You will want to ask if you will stay on the same team the entire time or if you will rotate serving across multiple teams.
Some immersive programs also include theological and worldview training. Be sure to ask how much of your time will be split between the classroom and reading, versus ministry out in the community.
Missionary schools are valuable in so many ways. Let’s take a look at how missionary schools can benefit those who plan to be long term Christian missionaries.
Benefits of Missionary Schools
Mission schools can help you make the most of God’s calling on your life as you discern your next steps.
You can come away with greater cultural intelligence. You can also practice using a variety of evangelism and discipleship methods to minister to Unreached People Groups (UPGs).
Missionary schools, especially those focused on immersive experience, can also offer these benefits.
Mentoring
No matter what career you go into, it’s essential to have wise counsel.
You can set yourself up to thrive on the mission field by learning from experienced Christian missionaries.
Your mentors can give you advice on specific ministry challenges and your growth areas.
Mentors can also encourage you in your unique calling and spiritual giftings.
Hands On Missionary Experience
If you are a prospective missionary, it is essential that you have on the ground training to prepare for God’s calling on your life.
You’ll get to practice sharing the Gospel and gaining real life testimonials.
Missionary schools can help you put your knowledge to use as you immerse yourself in ministry amongst UPGs.
Spiritual Formation
Missionary training programs can help you solidify your core values and go deeper in your relationship with Jesus.
You’ll develop spiritual practices that help you draw closer to God.
It’s important that you learn rhythms of rest and self care as you prepare for the stressors of the mission field.
Study
There are so many great books about missionary training.
In a missionary school, you can be exposed to a variety of missionary learning resources and debrief them in community. More than studying for a test, you’ll get to practice applying the concepts to your real life.
Read More: Living Out Loud Book Review
Team Experience
Working with a team is a valuable skill that a missionary school can help you learn.
Team experience can help you grow your skills in communication and conflict management. It will also help you to be better prepared to work with different types of personalities on the mission field.
Now that we’ve seen the benefits of missionary schools, think through what specifics you will want to look for as you research potential options.
What to Look For In a Missionary School
When researching missionary schools, you will want to find one that balances both biblical studies and immersive experience.
Here are some distinctives you might want to look for:
Unreached or Least Reached Focused
If you have a heart to witness to people with the greatest need to hear about Jesus, you can choose a missionary school with a focus on the unreached.
More than cross cultural ministry, ministry among least reached or UPGs will challenge you to apply Biblical principles to people who live in places who haven’t heard the name of Jesus.
An unreached or least reached people focus is strategic to see The Great Commission fulfilled in our lifetime!
Missionary Training for Families
Are you married? It’s important to consider your spouse’s role. Will they also take an active part in day to day discipleship and church planting? Or will they serve in another way, such as caring for children, or even working bi vocationally?
Look for a program that values families and helps prepare spouses and children for living cross culturally, whether inside or outside of America.
If you aren’t 21 years old yet, we recommend you look at our summer internships. If you are a high school student interested in missions, check out our Timothy Ambition teen mission trips.
Language Training
Missionary schools may or may not have a language learning component. Some programs train in English, but encourage students to practice their foreign language skills while immersed in ministry.
Be sure to ask about their requirements for language learning and how that will be incorporated in your pre field training.
Program Success
It is important to know the bigger picture about missionary schools and what previous alumni have experienced.
It might be helpful to ask “How many people who complete this program end up on the mission field long term?”
Keep these things in mind when you decide which missionary school would be the best fit for you and your family.
Immersive Missionary Training
Find a strategic program where you can spend your time surrounded by those who you will minister to.
In other words, you want to be engrossed in the cross cultural neighborhood where you will be serving.
Find a program where you live, shop, worship, etc among your unreached target population.
This immersion will be a valuable resource as you learn to make disciples among unreached people.
We are excited to tell you about our missionary school that we call Equip missionary training.
Equip 10 Month Missionary Training Missionary School
Our 10 month Equip program is a Christ centered missionary school right here in one of America’s most diverse cities. You can prepare for the mission field without going overseas!
How? New York City is home to over 50 UPGs¹, from Indian Hindus to Middle Eastern Muslims, many of whom have yet to hear about Jesus Christ!
Our program is family friendly and experience based, with a strong Great Commission focus on implementing ministry methods from the Bible and from the life of Jesus.
Our Equip missionary school offers:
- Cross cultural worldview training
- Biblical discipleship and mentoring
- Hands on immersive experience working among UPGs
Whether you are Baptist, Methodist, or Reformed, we can work with your denomination to fulfill any mentoring and missionary training requirements your denomination may have.
Be sure to let us know if you want to adapt Equip for college or seminary credit.
As a non profit, non denominational missionary training school right here in America, Equip offers valuable hands on ministry preparation for your call to the mission field!
Next Steps for Missionary School Enrollment
Use the form below to request more information about our Equip missionary program. We will send you more information.
Just ask Kristen and Rick. They are so glad that they chose to attend Equip for missionary school before moving to the mission field overseas.
“We truly believe we will all be better prepared and have a much quicker adjustment time once we reach our destination country because of our missionary training year!”
Sign Up to Learn More About Equip Missionary Training School
*Names changed to protect privacy
Sources
- UPG North America. (2024). Unreached Peoples by Population: New York. Tableau Public. https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/bud.houston/viz/PriorityScorebyPeopleGroup/PeoplesandPlaceswordcloud. “New York > Choose a format to download > data > show fields > people groups > download.” Accessed September 23, 2024.
