The document describes a missionary training school in Mexico that focuses on reaching indigenous groups. The school trains missionaries through a mentoring model, where missionary apprentices spend two years working with a missionary coach among an indigenous people group. The goal is to start church planting movements among all indigenous groups in Mexico by training and mobilizing local missionaries. Missionary coaches play a key role by demonstrating character, cultural knowledge, and modeling missionary work for apprentices to emulate.

1. School for Cross Cultural Training A Missionary Training and Mobilization Model focusing on Indigenous People Groups of Mexico

2. The indigenous people groups of Mexico make up nearly ten percent of the general population or about 10 million people. There are 60 language groups and about 260 dialects/variants. About one third of these dialects/variants are unreached or have no reproducible indigenous New Testament church. Over 2 million people from around 100 people groups have never had the opportunity to hear, understand and respond to the Gospel. Each dialect represents a distinct people group that needs the Gospel in the heart language of the people.

3. Most indigenous people groups of Mexico remain unreached due to isolation. They suffer from poverty, poor health, malnutrition, lack of economic and education opportunities. Idolatry and witchcraft are a part of everyday life.

4. People groups are unreached in Mexico because they have never heard an understandable Gospel. Indigenous peoples of Mexico follow other gods mixing Roman Catholicism with animistic beliefs. They do not understand the concept of God as presented in the Bible.

5. Indigenous leaders and structures must be respected to earn a hearing. Families are part of a larger community and accountable to their own people. Heads of Family are charged with community responsibilities. Many times community service is synonymous with religious rite and celebration.

6. Indigenous peoples need the Gospel in their heart language. The heart language is whatever they speak at home, among their own people. No matter if Spanish is spoken, the Gospel will not penetrate unless it is communicated in the language of the heart.

7. Indigenous people groups have special “ communication domains”. For many indigenous people the family kitchen is where the most personal conversations take place. . To effectively share the Gospel with this people, you would need to get past the front porch and be with them around the kitchen fire.

8. Who will take the Gospel to the Indigenous People Groups of Mexico?

9. School for Cross Cultural Training is one missionary strategy God is using to train and mobilize His church to reach the unreached indigenous people groups of Mexico. The school is a resource for Mexican Baptist churches to help prepare their future missionaries through a mentoring experience in the context of cross cultural work. All training is Bible based helping with the spiritual, emotional, mental and practical formation of the missionary. Missionaries pray, plan and prepare for a church planting movement among their focus people group as they are learning to contextualize the Gospel in another culture.

10. The Missionary Coach plays the most important role in missionary training. The most crucial qualification for a missionary coach is his/her character. The coach must demonstrate the character of Christ in attitude, word and deed. The missionary in training will emulate the model he/she sees and hears. The missionary coach will act as a mentor living the Christian life and modeling missionary ministry. The missionary coach must know the culture and language of the people, demonstrating how to live and work among them.

11. Training occurs “on the way” as leaders mentor leaders who will “be able to teach others” ..... (II Timothy 2:2) Sometimes the most effective training takes place informally while traveling, eating and waiting around together .....

12. The Missionary Coach must have a vision for a church planting movement among his/her focus people group. The Missionary Coach will lead a missionary team in putting the people and resources in place that God can use (if He so chooses) to start and nurture a church planting movement.

13. The Missionary Apprentice is a disciple of the missionary coach ..... demonstrates a call to cross cultural missions and commits to two years of intensive training (sent by home church, individuals and / or association) and works on a missionary team led by a missionary coach with a vision for a church planting movement.

14. The missionary apprentice learns by participating in what God is doing among the focus people group. The three major areas of formation: SER CONOCER HACER Character Knowledge Practice

15. Participates in courses offered every three months for two years (total of eight courses). The Missionary Apprentice

16. The apprentice continues in cross cultural missions after two years training, working with the same group, or going on to another people group in Mexico (or as an international missionary).

17. are persons with extensive experience and knowledge in cross cultural missions. Trainers have lived and worked in other cultures, confronted the problems of learning another language and know the pressures of spiritual warfare. Missionary Trainers Trainers teach intensive courses and are a valuable resource for problem-solving.

18. Trainers are selected/ invited to teach courses based on gifts and experience more than scholastic achievement. Trainers exhibit in-depth comprehension of their subject matter and are very capable of communicating their knowledge enthusiastically. Two full-time trainers provide follow-up in the field to assure that apprentices are doing their homework between courses, encourage them and help correct any problems that may occur.

19. Curriculum Spiritual Maturity - Disciplines for the Christian Life Personal Character - Integrity - Servant Leadership Emotional / Physical Health - Culture Shock - Stress Interpersonal Relationships - Conflict - Teamwork Bible Teaching from a Cross Cultural Perspective Contextualization - Missionary Anthropology Worldview of Indigenous Peoples Techniques for Language Learning Missionary Strategies - Church Planting Movements Indigenous Church Planting - Chronological Bible Storying Community Development - Basic Health Care

20. Missionary Trainers show Missionary Coaches how to train others ..... Coaches will develop and adapt training for their own focus people group to establish training closer to the field.

21. Laborers for the Harvest Each indigenous people group has an army of laborers ready to be discipled, trained and mobilized to reach their own people. Missionary coaches and apprentices train and work alongside their fellow co-laborers.

22. IMB Missionaries Baptist Volunteers IMB personnel and Baptist volunteers are facilitating Mexican missionary strategies. Vision - Indigenous Church Planting Movements among all Focus People Groups. For more info: www.peopleteams.org/oaxaca

23. Pray for Leaders of the School for Cross Cultural Training .....

24. Pray for Missionary Teams, local leaders/laborers and for church planting movements among their people groups ..... www.peopleteams.org/oaxaca