By Rae Burnett

WAR! Poverty! Famine! Street children! Widows! Orphans! Rampant disease! Corrupt governments! Genocide! HIV/AIDS!—all these problems and more, well-known by the world, only increase even as billions of dollars in foreign aid continue to pour into Africa.

The only solution is to bring the light of the gospel into this darkness. After 14 years of traveling in 45 African countries, I am convinced that it is only indigenous missionaries, not foreign programs (Christian or otherwise), who are successfully addressing these problems.

African ministries are awakening to the call for discipleship and missions, but workers must be trained. And they must be trained by their own people, Africans who know first-hand what is required. There is a marked difference in fruitfulness in the work of those who are SOM-trained, compared to those who have no specialized missions training at all, or who have received training from Western mission agencies/schools.

Christian Aid's priority is to support Schools of Missions to properly prepare this mighty army to bind the strong man and reap the harvest, and to support missionaries sent with such training.

Millions are converting to Islam as billions of dollars pour into Africa through well-trained Muslim missionaries, providing schools, hospitals, food and clean water. Christians often ask, "Don't our brothers and sisters care as much as the Islamic world?"

A school of missions can train and send up to 100 workers a year at a cost of $600-$1500 per student.

Jesus said to go and make disciples. Building churches, holding crusades, conducting conferences are good, important, and necessary, but if discipleship is not the purpose and the end result, the church has failed to obey the Lord.

Christian Aid assists indigenous schools of missions in Africa with this understanding of training: making disciples who make disciples. This is how churches are planted, and this is how the "Great Commission" is fulfilled. These men and women of the cross are trained first to be spiritually strong. The emphasis is always on the life of the missionary. As he identifies with the death of Christ, thereby manifesting His life, the missionary has the power of God to "bind the strong man," overcome the enemy, win souls, and make disciples.

What makes SOM unique is that they are a place for mature believers who are specifically called to missions. They learn from indigenous African missionaries with field experience.

Some courses are: strategy development (based on field surveys, including understanding culture to contextualize the gospel, spiritual mapping, and language acquisition); Islam; ATR (African tribal religions); rural development; interpersonal relationships, and many other essential subjects. There are also “practicals,“ extended periods on the field with seasoned missionaries.

Each student has a spiritual advisor, so he can biblically address and pray through any problems or concerns.

Christian Aid is currently providing support for 11 SOM, whose needs range from assisting with yearly training costs to acquiring permanent sites, buildings and furnishings.

Jesus told us that our work for Him is to make disciples and He also told us exactly what a disciple is: "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Luke 9:23 adds the word "daily," so we understand this is referring to the life of the believer, not just the born-again experience.

A disciple is a man of the cross who knows that it is only the life of Jesus in him, conforming him to the image of Christ, which enables the work of building the kingdom through him. A disciple understands that missions is spiritual warfare. It is going into enemy territory to snatch souls out of the devil’s kingdom. "No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house." (Mark 3:27)

SOM focus is not first on the work, but on the life of the missionary. The work flows from life.

NIGERIA. Gabriel Barau risked life and health to bring Christ to the naked and very primitive Koma people (photo right). Twenty-five years later, Ezekiel and Esther, two Koma converts, are SOM-trained missionaries to the unreached Kamberi tribe who have no churches among them. I took this picture (above) April 2008 when I saw first hand how they are loved and appreciated by Kamberi villagers. Ezekiel and Esther are pictured in the center.

BENIN. Singing and dancing is ordinarily a sure way to attract a large African crowd to hear the gospel. For years, foreign ministries sent African teams with their lively music to the Berba and the Caabe, two tribes with no churches among them. But extremely complicated systems are often hidden within village culture, which appears to be very simple. Year after year these teams returned home confused, discouraged, and exhausted after a week of vigorous activity—not one person ventured to even greet them.

Christ’s Power Ministries (CPM) sent Aubin, a SOM-trained missionary to a Berba village. After living quietly and observantly with them for some time, he discovered that there is only one spot for a stranger to introduce any ideas he wants to communicate: a designated space inside the chief’s compound was the ONLY place to be heard. The Berba believe that if you have anything important to say, that is where it must be said, and there, and only there, will they listen. After some months, they were comfortable with their new friend and invited him to share. Five years later, there are 15 churches among the Berba and the number is growing.

In 2003 CPM sent Matthew to the Caabe, another profoundly complicated and closed culture. He discovered that they communicate important information only by tom-tom. No one took any spoken word seriously until it had first been beaten out in the language of the drum. Without this knowledge, many had labored unsuccessfully for decades to plant churches in this ethnic group. But Matthew was SOM-trained on how to enter and survey a new tribe. He learned the language of the drum, and the gospel message resounded through the forest. Today, there are 25+ churches among the Caabe people.