Chris from Yakima, WA is developing a ministry on the reservation and wants to know what candidate evaluation programs you would recommend to him for screening missionary candidates to make sure they are ready for ministry and can thrive in a challenging setting. Please record them as a comment by clicking on the link below and looking for the “comment” link under the item.
make sure that the candidate/s and family if applicable go on a residential course that lasts at least 2-4 weeks where the living conditions are less than they are accustomed too. Much better if it is in a foreign culture where the mother tongue is still understandable. Having an international group of candidates would heighten there breadth of toleration for other cultures and understanding of just what being a Christian is and what is the christian cultural baggage.
The topic of the course could be language learning techniques or basic medical skills. the most important thing to learn is how the individual survived in this environment, being uncomfortable but overcoming these hurdles is the aim.
SSMF runs a missionary training program near Tijuana. It is both class and field intensive, but it also is really designed to evaluate candidates. At the end, each candidate and their sending church is given a report evaluating any deficits that may need to be worked on before deployment. More info is at https://brigada.org/2008/09/get-fit.html
You should definitely check out the Center for Intercultural Training (CIT) in Rutherfordton, NC. George Schultz is the director, a former cross-cultural missionary. CIT does an outstanding job of helping both evaluate and train missionary candidates. They offer custom programs as well according to the needs of a given mission. The website is: http://www.cit-online.org/
Sincerely,
Bill