Q. How long does the training last?
A. The training is three terms long. There will be two 22-week terms per year, with a 4-week break after each term. Our first three terms will run from:

First - July 16 to December 14, 2012

Second - January 14 to June 14, 2013

Third - July 15 to December 13, 2013

Q. How many students can you take?
A. We will take 40 the first semester.

Q. What courses are being offered?
A. There will be a mix of formal and non-formal training. The strong emphasis will be on character, though competencies will be learned and certain information mastered. The training that we do will primarily be in the areas of:

Character Development - We will use “designed stress” to simulate stressful situations that arise on the mission field. At various times, trainees will be intentionally separated from electronics and communication, deprived of privacy, and placed in situations that require survival skills. Trainees are challenged and evaluated in their response to these simulations. We will also teach trainees to make necessary sacrifices in becoming a full member of the people group they are trying to reach. This includes the persistence and devotion required to learn another language with fluency as well as the attention, humility, and discernment needed to adopt another culture.

Language Acquisition - We train students to understand principles of phonology, grammar, vocabulary, and discourse; to use applied phonetics and phonemics; and to apply basic principles of translation and literacy. Our students understand the commitment necessary to learn a new language and are given the tools to learn both written and unwritten languages.

Culture Acquisition - We train students to apply practical anthropology, conduct ethnographic interviews, and identify the values, themes, and worldview of the target culture. We also train them to communicate the Gospel in a way that is at the same time culturally relevant and biblically accurate.

Church Planting - We train students in the stages of church planting—from initial contact with a community, to appropriate forms of evangelism, to discipleship and leadership training, to developing a well-defined exit strategy.

Q. How much does it cost?
A. While in Tijuana the cost for tuition, room and board will be $750 a month.

Q. What are the entry requirements?
A. We are looking for people who are already committed to long-term pioneer church planting among an unreached people group. They need the spiritual, relational, emotional, and moral maturity and the physical stamina to be able to survive the rigors of cross-cultural living. They need to be involved in their local church and approved by their local church as "missions candidates in training". They also need to have manageable debt.