Objectives

Train Highly Effective Teams

It is our purpose to mold a group of individuals into a unified and efficient team so that they might be an effective instrument in God’s hand to proclaim Jesus by planting churches in the great cities of the Latin world.

Use Different Teams, Different Candidates, Different Training Methods

Continent of Great Cities trains three distinct types of missionary teams. For over 30 years, Continent has recruited and trained teams composed of North American citizens to work in South American capital cities. A few years ago, Continent began recruiting and training teams composed of Hispanics. These teams target Spanish-speaking cities throughout Latin America. Continent of Great Cities is now recruiting and training teams composed of Brazilian Christians to establish new churches in Brazilian capital cities.

Candidates for North American missionary teams come from Christian schools, local churches, campus ministries and other brotherhood training institutions. Many candidates are accomplished professionals working as nurses, physical therapists, teachers, accountants, ministers, and in the business world.

Candidates for Hispanic teams have come primarily from among recent graduates of the Baxter Institute in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. In the future, candidates for Hispanic teams may also come from other training institutions in Latin America. Calvin Henry directs the recruiting and training of these teams.

Utilize “In the Street” Training

"Jesus’ disciples were not students in a rabbinic school or followers of a new rabbi. They were learner-apprentices whose education was practical and not bookish, and it was gained above all in the company of Jesus and in everyday contact with people in real life situations."

Ralph Martin in Mark: Evangelist and Theologian, p. 112

As the quote above indicates, Continent of Great Cities believes that training for missionary teams should be practically oriented. Continent builds the curriculum and program for missionary team preparation on the base of academic preparation received prior to joining a Continent team. Thus, there is a strong element of "real life experience" built into the training for all teams that Continent trains, whether they are composed of North American, Hispanic or Brazilian Christians.

Build on the Experience of the Past Three Decades

During the past three decades, Continent of Great Cities has trained 27 mission teams to work in South America.

For the first 24 years of its existence, Continent trained mission teams utilizing intensive training seminars. These intensive seminars packed 35 to 40 hours of instruction into four to five days of marathon classes. Four foundational training seminars were taught to teams that were in preparation for the field over a two to three-year period. Often team members would make time for taking these courses while also finishing undergraduate or graduate studies, or during their initial two or three years of full-time ministry.

This method of training served Continent well for many years. Sometime in the 1990’s, however, Continent recruiters began to encounter more difficulty in finding a sufficient number of interested candidates for missionary service on any one campus.

In 1999, Continent decided to make a significant change in its recruiting methods. Teams would no longer be recruited from a single campus. Candidates would be sought and found on a nationwide basis. The result is that mission teams recruited using this methodology are less homogeneous and do not have previously formed friendships to provide the "glue" that would hold them together as a team. The Continent staff recognizes the need to develop a training methodology that creates a sense of "teamness" among a disparate group of individuals.

This is accomplished through our "Missionary Team Internship." The Missionary Team Internship is a six-month full-time training program. It is held in Addison, Texas where Continent of Great Cities is located. After undergoing a thorough screening and selection process, missionary candidates are accepted as members of a given mission team and invited to attend the Missionary Team Internship.

To learn more about Continent’s present methodology for training missionary teams, please go to "Missionary Team Internship".