Advancing God’s Work through Training Nationals

Some 30 years ago, a missionary friend of mine was talking to another missionary. The other missionary believed that the only valid missionaries were church planters. So my friend asked him who pastors the national churches that are planted. He answered, “Nationals.” Then my friend asked where these nationals are trained. He answered, “Bible institutes.” It seems then that training nationals is an important part of mission work. We could add that nationals are not only future pastors but also future church planters as well.

Each year, Bob Jones Memorial Bible College students and graduates lead mission teams, weekly outreaches, and evangelistic camps that God uses to convict and save souls. BJMBC students and graduates also lead music seminars that teach musicianship and biblical standards of music set apart from the world. They also preach expository messages that carefully interpret Scripture and fervently proclaim it. These quality ministries are the result of training.

For nationals to become Christian leaders, they need training. Of course, we do not want nationals to be mere mimics of missionaries, parroting everything we say or do. But neither do we want our national successors to lead churches into compromise or carnality. Sadly, examples of compromise and carnality among nationals abound. The reality is that many ministries in the hands of nationals have fallen and failed. Part of the solution is training nationals.

Training does not guarantee that nationals will be godly expositors who practice biblical separation and pastor biblically. God’s Spirit must wing the truth into hearts and grip nationals with biblical convictions. The ultimate goal of missions is glorifying God in the way that God wants. National leadership alone does not glorify God. The nationals must be holy, loving, biblical servants of God. Only then are nationals more effective than missionaries.

Bob Jones Memorial Bible College currently has 112 students in Bible or music ministry. In Bible, we offer associate degrees for ladies and men, bachelor’s degrees in theology or ministry, and master’s degrees in biblical studies or pastoral studies. Most of our Bible graduates become church planters, pastors, missionaries, or full-time church workers. In our Continuing Education for Pastors program, we teach master’s classes in the province four times a year through intensive five-day Master of Ministry classes.

Our music department trains music majors to write compositions and arrangements in styles which emphasize the melody and are distinct from the world. BJMBC recitals and concerts are popular for the musical excellence of our choir, orchestra, soloists, and ensembles. Because BJMBC’s music program is excellent and also rare (most Bible institutes in the Philippines do not offer a music degree), we have many students wanting to major in music. Consequently, we limit the number of music majors to 40 percent of our degree students. Making Bible majors 60 percent of our degree students helps to keep the student body focused on the ministry of the Word. Also, to help our music majors be spiritually-minded, 40 percent of their classes are Bible classes. To help students have holy lives and ministries, all degree students take two additional classes, Biblical Separation and Biblical Philosophy of Music.

But excellence and education are not enough. The next generation must be transformed by God’s Spirit. In addition to exhorting students in class and chapel, we mentor them. We assign each faculty or staff member a few students with whom to interact personally during the semester. We often visit our students and graduates in their churches to see how they are doing in their church context. Each week we get emails or texts asking for counsel regarding difficult situations.

We praise the Lord that BJMBC students have gone on to establish Bible institutes, pastoral training programs, camp ministries, and local churches. At a recent fundamental Bible conference, all the conference speakers were BJMBC graduates except one. The Great Commission is being accomplished through our former students in hundreds of churches throughout the Philippines and several Asian countries. They are effectively ministering in languages, cultures, and places which are far beyond my capacity. God has advanced His work through training nationals.

Phil Kamibayashiyama is a missionary with GFA Missions in the Philippines. This article first appeared in Sowing & Reaping, a publication of Gospel Fellowship Association Missions, it is republished by permission.