Evaluation of the 1000 Missionary Movement Missionary training program : 1996-2005

Abstract

From the beginning of the 1000 Missionary Movement (1000 MM) in 1992 up to 2005, 3,779 young missionaries from fifty-three countries have been trained. These missionaries were assigned to and served in thirty-seven different countries. They have baptized 34,540 new believers and planted 628 churches in foreign countries. However, there are many cases where missionaries struggle with complex cross-cultural circumstances which often tend to weaken their efforts. Then the question is raised whether the missionary training given by 1000 MM to its missionaries is adequate or not. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the current 1000 MM training program and present the strengths and weaknesses of its training program. The evaluation was limited to the training factors that influence the crosscultural adjustment of missionaries. These include goals and objectives, length and type of training, place of training, the trainer, and the curriculum. Findings of this study show that adequate cross-cultural training is related to effective cross-cultural missionary work. Based on the findings of this study, six practical suggestions were proposed for effective cross-cultural training: (1) 1000 MM trainers need to be cross-culturally trained; (2) there needs to be a balance in the curriculum in biblical, professional, and cross-cultural training; (3) cross-cultural training needs to be done in the trainee's local language, for those who do not understand English well; (4) mission fields should be assigned to missionaries sometime earlier before the end of the missionary training; (5) the training period needs to be extended; and (6) the training curriculum should be constantly revised.