Baptist College for World Evangelism

BCWE

The BCWE is a 2 and a half year program that is training for the field on the field. It is a college for missionaries. (or pastors) It has the Bible classes plus ministry experience and disipleing. after two years one would go to 6 months in Peru, South America with Missionary Austin Gardner to train more. And in order to graduate one must have preached or taught at least 100 times and led and disipled at least one other person.It has two satelite schools from the original BCWE (which is just the 6 month program) one in Columbus, Ga and the other in Dawsonville, Ga. there is also the Biblical School for Evangelism in Ohio which is on the same lines as that.

How is this a "college"? It sounds like a practical training institute, but not a real college.

It is not a college but a true Bible college. It gives all the Bible classes that any other Bible colleges would give but it does not give all the classes like arithmetic, English etc. It's main purpse is to get missionaries and pastors the experience and knowledge they need to work on any field.

Most "true Bible colleges" offer general education courses in addition to the core Bible and ministry related courses.

Programs of study that do not offer such courses have traditionally been labeled "Bible Institutes."

There is nothing wrong with institute level training. I would see the concern being that the program in question should not water-down the meaning of the word "college" by labeling itself as such.

There are currently 50,000 Bible college students. 98% of those go into secular jobs. Could you please explain why this statistic is disturbing to me? This college is for people who want to serve God and do what he has commanded us to do and has answered the call of Whom shall I send?

No argument here with those disturing statistics. I myself chose my alma mater so I could focus on ministry training, without the temptation to switch to a more secularized major. Still, the point of order, if you will, centers around what the meaning of "college" is.

A true college education should include exposure to literature, science, and so on. If you don't think you will be dealing with topics in these arenas in ministry, think again.

I would also add this in- as a pastor (and a relatively young one, at that), I would think long and hard before I sent out a 20 year old kid with a two year "Bible College" degree into ministry alone and unsupervised. For that matter, I'd hesitate to do the same with a 22 or 23 year old with a four year degree.

A true college education should include exposure to literature, science, and so on. If you don't think you will be dealing with topics in these arenas in ministry, think again.

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This raises an interesting question: Do less-broadly educated pastors face a "credibility gap" in reaching more-broadly educated unbelievers, due to a lack of being able to converse intelligently in secular (non-Bible) topics? Are there instances in which pastors possess plenty of (Biblical) zeal, and not enough (non-Bible) knowledge- and the result is that it hinders their ministry?

Originally posted by Comrade:
There are currently 50,000 Bible college students. 98% of those go into secular jobs. Could you please explain why this statistic is disturbing to me? This college is for people who want to serve God and do what he has commanded us to do and has answered the call of Whom shall I send?

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I would like to see the basis of that statistic. I believe it is false and misleading.

Old-fashioned "Bible Institutes" offered basic Bible (think Word of Life or original Moody) and did a good service to the Body by giving solid Bible training, THEN the student could go on to formal higher education.

Thankfully there ARE some modern Bible colleges that offer fully accredited programs AND a Bible core = the one year of the Bible Institute of 36 credits of solid Bible training.

Originally posted by LarryN:
Do less-broadly educated pastors face a "credibility gap" in reaching more-broadly educated unbelievers, due to a lack of being able to converse intelligently in secular (non-Bible) topics? Are there instances in which pastors possess plenty of (Biblical) zeal, and not enough (non-Bible) knowledge- and the result is that it hinders their ministry?

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AMEN, Larry. I would chafe sitting under the ministry of some 19 year old with a year or two of English Bible classes. My mind works with logic, literature, history -- things that a pastor incorporates into his sermons . . and pastoral leadership of the church.

How do you get sufficient Bible training in 2 years or in 6 months???

That is NOT a Bible college.

Originally posted by Greg Linscott:

I would also add this in- as a pastor (and a relatively young one, at that), I would think long and hard before I sent out a 20 year old kid with a two year "Bible College" degree into ministry alone and unsupervised. For that matter, I'd hesitate to do the same with a 22 or 23 year old with a four year degree.

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I read in a book somewhere "Let no man despise thy youth". The point is that Age is not a question when it comes to spiritual maturity. I have missionary friends that are on the field that are 22 and 23 years old and doing very well. I can think of one who has started 2 churches in 6 months. Let us just wait and see the product of this Bible college and see what you think.

As for the comment right before this one: I don't agree. In order to graduate this college you must preach or teach at least 100 times. Lead someone to the Lord and disiple them. You also spend time with the Pastor or other qualified people discussing topics and so forth. It involves not only Bible classes but ministry training. I have a friend who is the stateside representative for the BCWE and he told me of some friend who broke into the church before graduation just to preach so he could say he preached before he graduated. Another example is another Bible college that if you talk to a profesor you get demerits.

I will get back to you on the statistics.

Comrade said:

I read in a book somewhere "Let no man despise thy youth". The point is that Age is not a question when it comes to spiritual maturity.

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But Paul doesn't give that command to all believers generally- he is exhorting Timothy not to live up to the stereotype of the youthful, unexperienced leader thrust in over his head. He is encouraging Timothy to be the exception to the rule.

Remember, later on in the same book, Paull warns Timothy- "lay hands suddenly on no man." (1 Tim 5:22) This is in reference to ordination and commissioning into vocational ministry. There has to be a careful process of preparation and gaining experience.

By the way: I never said I wouldn't send out anyone young- I'd just be looking very carefully before I sent them.

I realize that now. But like I said wait a couple of years and look at the product.

I'm leery of 21-22 year-old Bible college grads. immediately heading off into pastorates they are under-prepared for (and the schools that encourage or promote such situations). I've both seen and know of too many who've crashed & burned under those circumstances.

Jesus Himself waited until the age of 30 to begin His ministry. Why do some of us feel the need to rush/push fledgling pastors into theirs?

What was the age for beginning/ending ministry as a levitical Priest?

Priests were trained and experienced, but did not begin their active ministry until age 30.

With a much shorter average lifespan, the priestly work continued until age 50. I'm assuming after that they did teaching or assisting, but not the "heavy" work (priestly work involved sacrificial animals and WAS physically demanding).

Not sure today that cutting off at 50 is reasonable, but I surely like the idea of 30 as a start point.

1-5 train at home
5-18 train in schools
18-22 train in college/university
22-25 train in graduate work
25-29 train in ministry (mentored, assistant)
30+ full ministry

Yes priests did but, 106 people die in a minute and 75 go to hell. We need a program to train missionaries to get out on the field faster. There is too much of a risk to wait 4 years plus deputation.

Originally posted by LarryN:
I'm leery of 21-22 year-old Bible college grads. immediately heading off into pastorates they are under-prepared for (and the schools that encourage or promote such situations). I've both seen and know of too many who've crashed & burned under those circumstances.

Jesus Himself waited until the age of 30 to begin His ministry. Why do some of us feel the need to rush/push fledgling pastors into theirs?

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Again Their is too much at stake we aren't talking mainly Pastors but missionaries. People are dting and going to hell. I know a Peruvian Pastor who is 22 and took a church over that was once running 150 then died because the pastor before fell into sin. At that point it was running 5. In a few weeks he had 30 on Sunday. But the real point is that people are dying and going to hell. Let me give you a letter written by an atheist. It says this:
"You are really convinced that you've got all the answers. You've really got yourself tricked into believing that you're 100% right. Well, let me tell you just one thing. Do you consider yourself to be compassionate of other humans? If you're right, as you say you are, and you believe that, then how can you sleep at night? When you speak with me, you are speaking with someone who you believe is walking directly into eternal damnation, into an endless onslaught of horrendous pain which your 'loving' god created, yet you stand by and do nothing.

If you believed one bit that thousands every day were falling into an eternal and unchangeable fate, you should be running the streets mad with rage at their blindness. That's equivalent to standing on a street corner and watching every person that passes you walk blindly directly into the path of a bus and die, yet you stand idly by and do nothing. You're just twiddling your thumbs, happy in the knowledge that one day that 'walk' signal will shine your way across the road.

Think about it. Imagine the horrors Hell must have in store if the Bible is true. You're just going to allow that to happen and not care about saving anyone but yourself? If you're right then you're an uncaring, unemotional and purely selfish (expletive) that has no right to talk about subjects such as love and caring."

This Atheist makes more since then most Baptist. If you believe people are dying and going to hell then why don't we send people to other countries as quickly as possible. This college will give them all necessary training they need. A guy by the name of Falconer said: "I have but one candle of life to burn, I'd rather burn it in a land of darkness than in a land full of light"

We believe the God calls to prepare a preacher as well as giving him a burden to share the message. How can he do the defense of the Gospel - giving an answer to every man who asks a question, withstanding error, teaching doctrine and fidelity to the Word - without adequate training.

I'd be hard pressed to see a 20 year old with a few English Bible classes being prepared for pastoring, missions or any vocational ministry in the church. Sorry. He needs time to learn and mature and grow.

I've heard that you can rust out for Jesus or you can burn out for Jesus.

Either way, you're out.