Great Commission Institute Training
Mongolia
GREAT COMMISSION
INSTITUTE TRAINING
Enkhbayar – Director of Towards Heaven NGO
Two years ago I moved from Ulaanbaatar city to Nalaikh town to work with street people. Prior to this I had been a businessman. However, when I became a Christian I started to believe that running a business was worldly and I felt I should focus my time and energy on evangelism and working within the church. However, my giftings are as a businessman, and when I moved to Nalaikh I quickly realized that there are many opportunities for business here; for example, the raw materials for the construction industry are plentiful there: sand, chalk for plaster, brick-making soil, etc.
Through attending Great Commission Institute training I have come to realize that running a business can have a significant role in society and can be a way in which the church interacts with the community it is part of. I have decided that if I have the opportunity I will establish a business here in Nalaikh and seek to be a positive influence on my community through it.
Enkhbayar is the man on the left in the photo.
“We need trained leaders,” is the heartfelt need shared by the church in Mongolia. Many Christians and leaders have no opportunity for training. They are often evangelists and church planters that travel from village to village to preach the Gospel and nurture the believers, even though they themselves have very little or no formal training. Some of them travel over hazardous terrain. Some boldly minister in creative ways where persecution and harassment are never far away. Others reach out in an environment hostile to Christianity.
It was this need for trained leaders that caused Asian Outreach to establish the GREAT COMMISSION INSTITUTE. A small core of experienced and qualified teachers participate in training church leaders, evangelists and church planters. Key areas of focus include:
- Mobile training: going to where the people are
- A focus on those who do not have opportunities for formal training
- Short-term and intensive
- Practical know-how, rather than just academic theory
- Life-sharing concepts
- Each participant is helped to develop a personal ministry plan
Great Commission Institute training has been running in Mongolia since 2001. Approximately 70% of Mongolia’s church leaders have attended one or more of the levels of training. The training is unique in that it is mobile; the trainers go to the provinces, rather than having the trainees leave their churches in order to attend.
In Mongolia, Great Commission Institute training has four levels:
Level One – focuses on personal spiritual growth and discipleship
Level Two – focuses on developing church leadership skills
Level Three – focuses on developing more advanced church leadership skills
Level Four – focuses on challenging the church to engage their communities effectively, addressing the social needs of their towns, to bring about effective and long-lasting societal change.
