Log in to your Account

The Mission Society conducted the H.T. and Alice Maclin Mission Training Institute for a new group of missionaries and guests July 3-20, 2013 at the CEO Centre at the South Asia Institute for Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS) in Bangalore, India. This year, the attendees included 15 Mission Society missionaries, 12 missionary children, and 25 guests who participated in the training, primarily from India.

The sessions were taught by Mission Society staff members and missionaries. Dr. Darrell Whiteman, vice president for mission mobilization and training, and resident missiologist, led sessions on cross-cultural challenges, belief systems, and culture shock. The Rev. Frank Decker, vice president for member care and development, led talks on spiritual conflict, core ministry strategies, preparedness, and cell group ministry.

Jim Ramsay, vice president for mission ministries, taught on expectations from The Mission Society, mission shock, and the theology of mission. Becky Stephen, director of field ministry, taught sessions on spiritual warfare and prayer.

Vicki Decker and Shawn Ramsay led the missionary kids’ training. Vicki Decker also led several sessions on Inductive Bible study. Mission Society missionaries Billy and Laurie Drum, who serve in Spain, taught the participants about peer coaching. A missionary who cannot be named for security purposes led a session on discipling oral learners.

Ravi David, a Mission Society cross-cultural worker and professor at SAIACS, helped to coordinate the training event. Other SAIACS staff led sessions as well. Jim Beise, a Mission Society missionary who previously served in France, led a session on the gospel and the arts. Denny Heiberg, a Mission Society missionary, led several sessions on discipling disciple-makers.

The attendees also watched several movies that dealt with cross-cultural communication, and visited communities around Bangalore to practice what they were learning.

Ari Morsella, director of pastoral care, also attended the training. Ari met with attendees and provided counseling during this important transition in their lives.

“The reason we went to India is because we want to train our cross-cultural witnesses in a truly cross-cultural environment, and India fits the bill. Our people probably learned as much from the Indians as they did in the formal teaching sessions and discovered from the Indian participants how the gospel connects with their culture. It’s an ideal laboratory for training,” said Dr. Darrell Whiteman.