By Eliezer B. Semedo

“It’s not hard to make decisions once you know what your values are.” Roy E. Disney

If you have visited the BMA Global Missions Center or talked to one of the Missions directors in the past few years, it is very likely that you have heard about The Five Values of BMA Missions.

When talking about values, we are referring to the “unique beliefs, core convictions, and guiding principles” of an organization (Dave Devries, Multiplication Workshop). It has also been stated that, “Core values are the heartbeat to your “why”. Much more than words, values unveil the essence or raison d’être of an organization. Thus, reflecting their focus, approach, assumptions, and even finances.”

In What Are My Ministry Values? Steve Ogne says it is important to establish that “although [values] are not our theology, they must be firmly rooted in Scripture and thoroughly understood by the leaders and emerging church body. Firmly rooted values protect the church from every strong opinion or dominant personality that tries to shape the church. Strong values keep the church from being taken off course by every fad or new program that comes along.” 

The first value statement is “Motivated by the Mission of God. The Mission of God is defined specifically as making God’s glory and love known to the nations. This aspect of the nature of God is expressed in the expansion of his kingdom (missions) to all peoples and is the primary motivational piece in all that we do.

Scripture reveals that God has always been a missionary God. Before He created the heavens and the earth, the angels and mankind, He knew that sin would enter the world and separate men from Him. Since the fall, God has been unfolding and directing His story of redemption, not because He had to, but because He wanted to. It is part of His very nature to pursue and redeem mankind. This is what motivates us to share His Story and shine His glory to the ends of the world. 

One of the ways we do this is by training our pastors and missionaries to know The Story and make disciple-makers (disciples who replicate the process). In recent years, we’ve partnered with like-minded missional organizations to be able to offer these contextualized evangelistic and discipleship tools. 

One of these tools is the Good Soil Evangelism and Discipleship Training (www.goodsoil.com). In essence, this approach “unfolds the Bible’s redemptive story from Genesis through Revelation, allowing participants their own “aha” moments as mysteries of the Bible are progressively revealed through the study. It’s a great “no pressure” way for non-Christian participants to clearly understand the gospel so they can sincerely embrace Jesus as Savior.” 

For years this chronological Bible teaching approach has been used overseas by Ethnos360 (formerly known as New Tribes), and now we have the opportunity to train our U.S. pastors, church planters and those involved in cross-cultural ministries.

Right before the pandemic, we introduced another leadership training program known as BTCP (Bible Training Centre for Pastors and Leaders). This is an affordable and biblical training program for pastors (BTCP) and leaders (BTCL). This curriculum is currently available in 33 languages 

Their website explains that “BTCP training uses a biblical, systematic, portable and comprehensive approach to providing the foundational equivalent of a good Bible college or seminary education. Our training consists of 520 hours of interactive classroom lecture and discussion under the supervision of a qualified teacher, taking about 2-3 years to complete. Our mission is to extend comprehensive theological training to the world’s pastors and church leaders.”

With this tool, pastors and missionaries will be equipped to train church leaders (Sunday school teachers, cell group leaders, etc.) and those with a call to vocational ministry without having to send them away to an off-site formal institution. In essence, the pastor or a group of pastors will receive all the support and training necessary to start a Bible institute or training center at their own church (www.bibletraining.com).

Speaking to his protégé, the Apostle Paul challenged him, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). Motivated by our first value, we want to provide tools that will equip faithful men and challenge them to join and fulfill God’s mission “to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10).What motivates you? Is your church motivated by the mission of God? What steps are you taking to ensure that the mission of God is a practiced value and not simply a preferred value? Will you join God and his mission?