AUDIO FILE:
David Hamrick, Director of Extension Center Studies.

David presents the concepts behind our Extension Center efforts to our student body in chapel. This audio will give you a great overview of what this work is about and how it is working.

Length: 50 minutes
This audio file requires Quicktime.

Why Foreign Extension Centers?

Graduate preaching, teaching and translating in Tanzania.

In short, this is the best way to reach the masses in foreign fields with the Gospel. In the past we have attempted to do mission work by sending one or a few families into a location with the monumental task of doing all the evangelism themselves. Many of these works flourished for a time, but ceasedwhen the missionary families returned
home.

Our belief is that these works ceased because there was nothing put into place to develop native leaders to perpetuate that work. Then, we sought to bring men here to train them in our schools of preaching in the United States. That was a feasible plan, but there were two major problems with this approach:

  1. The cost was extremely high to move a man and his family to the U.S.A. and
    then support him fully for two years.

  2. The vast majority of those transferred refused to go back to their home land
    and the few that do have been "spoiled" by exposure to American wealth/lifestyle and desire to maintain that lifestyle upon their return home. This resulted in envy and strife among the very people they were trying to win to Christ.

Chimala Bible School building in Tanzania.

The Extension Program eliminates these problems by taking the preacher school to the mission field. This approach has proven to be very successful and has already become one of the most productive works in our brotherhood. Literally, millions are being reached every year through the extension program.

The wisdom of Extension Center concept is this:

  • We are able to train more men, since they do not have to raise expenses to come to the US.

  • We are able to train them more inexpensively. Frequently we are able to fully support a man and his family for less than $100/month.

  • These men are being trained in an environment conducive to learning. They are surrounded by their countrymen who have the same cultural background, same problems, etc. The bonding between these men is astounding. They help each other and work in each other’s congregations. When a man leaves Bear Valley to go into a mission field, he is virtually alone. This solves that problem.

  • Students studying in Lima, Peru.

    In our 40 years of training men, we have frequently trained men from foreign countries. Sadly, two results regularly occurred: (1) The men married an American and stayed here – never entering the ministry; (2) The men became ‘spoiled’ by American life/wealth and wanted to maintain that level when they returned home. This resulted in envy and strife among the very people they were trying to win to Christ. Now these men receive the full program offered here at Bear Valley, and never get accustomed to another way of life.

  • We are able to develop a curriculum that specifically identifies their ministry needs. For example, in the Ukraine and in Africa, our students will often be starting new churches. They need training and guidance on how to do this. Therefore we have included several classes that address these needs.

  • We are able to provide the same quality of education our students receive here in Denver. The teachers in these extension schools are men who have advanced degrees and are Biblically sound.