05/11/26 Beginning to Launch
Global Baptist Training Foundation began in 2011 as a dream to take college level theological training to pastors and church leaders in developing nations. God has grown that dream into a movement that is impacting 32 nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ. How does it work?
Beginning:
National pastors and church leaders are trained in week-long modular classes for a period of two and a half to three years until the entire curriculum is successfully completed.
What does the training include? 16 courses: Hermeneutics (Interpretation of Scripture), Bibliology (Study of the Bible), Anthropology (Study of Man), Christology (Study of Christ), Soteriology (Study of Salvation), New Testament Survey, Old Testament Survey, Church History, Pastoral Leadership and Church Administration, Evangelism and Church Planting, Homiletics (Expository Preaching), Homiletics 2, Eschatology (Study of End Times), Acts (Bridging the Gospels and Epistles), and Apologetics (Defending the Gospel). New courses coming soon: Angelology (Study of Angels), and Muslim Evangelism. These course are translated into about 20 languages. The notes are given to each class participant to take home and use to continue training others.
These are intensive course of about 30 hours of instruction and include assessments of mastery of the content of each course.
We have a brand new class just starting in South Sudan as well as ongoing classes in many countries. These training classes are taught by one of our 220 national trainers. A national trainer has completed the GBTF curriculum, showed exceptional communication skills in addition to a solid grasp on all theological concepts as well as additional training to be a trainer. Our next email will highlight several trainees and classes across Africa.
Launching:
At the end of the studies, Global Baptist Training Foundation honors these national pastors and church leaders with a graduation ceremony. For most, this is the only formal graduation ceremony they will ever experience. These graduations are filled with joy and rejoicing with family and friends coming to cheer on the graduates. Two recent graduations occurred in Burundi and Central African Republic.
Our African Director, Fidele Shinga, attends all graduations. Unfortunately, he was unable to attend the Burundi graduation due to political sparring between Rwanda and Burundi, two nations that are geographically next door to one another. As a Rwandan, Fidele was prohibited entrance into Burundi even though he has taught many classes there. Bruce, Grace, and Lex attended a graduation in Burundi in 2025. One of our faithful trainers from Uganda traveled to Burundi to lead the graduation.
What happens next (after graduation) is perhaps the most exciting! These graduates go on to train their own church people, to train other pastors and church leaders, and to plant new churches themselves or to send out a GBTF-trained pastor from within their church to plant (start) a brand new church! To date, GBTF-trained pastors have started almost 2,000 churches. In 2025, GBTF church plants, many supported for one year by our partner, ADVANCE, reported over 108,000 people coming to faith in Christ. In the first quarter of 2026, about 22,000 people came to faith in Christ through our GBTF network. Most of these new believers go on to be baptized and then discipled through the churches.
Global Baptist Training Foundation exists to theologically train nationals to train nationals. Your giving covers the cost of taking this training free of charge around the world. Visit www.globaltrain.org to invest in eternity!
Videos:
Southern Burundi Graduation Procession:
Class in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania:
Class in Mzenga, Malawi
Bruce and Grace Snavely
Global Baptist Training Foundation