Training Philosophy

Research indicates that workers who receive intentionally focused training in missions enjoy greater sustainability and satisfaction on the mission field than those who are inadequately prepared. GFM's Missionary Training School provides the necessary Head (knowledge), Heart (character), and Hands (skills) for students to launch as healthy, cross-cultural servants.

GFM takes a holistic approach to equipping laborers by focusing on a student's head (Bible knowledge, missiology), heart (character, spiritual formation), and hands (cross-cultural skills, on-the-job training).

During the Online Missionary Training School (OMTS) program of 20 modules, students engage in all three aspects of training: the “head" aspect of knowledge, the "heart" aspect of spiritual health and character growth, and the "hands" aspect of learning essential skills such as language learning, acculturation practices, and storytelling skills. 

OMTS challenges students to understand scriptural and missiological concepts necessary for "head" knowledge. The program encourages “heart" development through regular interaction with student facilitators (for certificate and degree program students), or through a local church/institute (for those in the Self Study or Global South options). For the latter, we highly recommend study clusters and/or a local church cohort in order to foster effective life-on-life discipleship and accountability. 

For the “hands” portion of the OMTS program, all students must complete 12-15 ministry hours per module locally and submit a report describing their time spent in cross-cultural ministry and lessons learned. Applicable ministry hours are those spent with people from cultures other than their own whether that is serving in your local church, community, schools, outreach events, home groups, or intentional life-on-life discipleship relationships. These ministry hours may be a combination of time with individuals or groups, informal and formal. For example, a student might attend an ethnic church that speaks a different language, participate in outreach events, visit ethnic stores and eateries to engage in conversations with the staff or patrons, visit homes to build relationships, tutor students from other countries, “adopt” a local refugee family, and many other possibilities.