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ACTS Seminaries of Trinity Western University
Reflective Practitioners Needed!
 "You don't need a seminary education" in order to be a missionary in the Muslim world, proclaims a full-page ad in a widely-distributed missions magazine. All you need to do, according to the ad, is to hop on flight to Iraq.
With negative publicity like that, it may seem futile to advocate training in cross-cultural ministry at the masters level. However, a strong case can be made in exactly the terms which the magazine ad supplies.
Yes, it's true that armchair missiologists who are all talk and no walk will not prove helpful in God's great mission in the world. By the same token, human enthusiasm uninformed by the Word of God and by the wisdom of mission experience can do more harm than good.
But are these the only two options? The women and men who come to the ACTS Seminaries to pursue a Master of Arts in Cross-Cultural Ministry follow a third path. They come with short term mission experience and a call from God for long-term service.
They study with an aim to become what William Taylor calls "reflective practitioners" - missionaries who act on what they know and carefully consider what they do.
Christian witness in the Muslim world has a history which can help guide present efforts. Witness among Muslims has challenged the full resources of the best evangelists of the world church. There are many live questions.
As a matter of fact, in evangelical mission circles a controversy is presently raging about the right way to adapt the gospel to Muslim settings. The issues are not easily judged without a solid grounding in biblical theology.
The situation for gospel witness in Iraq is further complicated by the military actions of what is perceived in the region to be a Christian power.
Why waste God's time and resources by unnecessarily repeating the mistakes of the past? What can be the rationale for ignoring the advice which missionaries with a lifetime of experience are eager to share?
At ACTS Seminaries, we strive by God's grace to train and mentor reflective practitioners for the world's great mission fields.
Teaching resources including Dr. Joanne Pepper and Dr. Sam Owusu, and dedicated professors in such areas as biblical studies, theology, apologetics, literacy and leadership, make for a nurturing environment.
This is not missiology for its own sake. This is sensible preparation for the sake of God's great mission in the world.
Gordon Nickel, PhD (Islamic Studies)
Program chair, MA in Cross-cultural Ministry
ACTS Seminaries, Langley, B.C.
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