When we searched for a partner in our Christian higher education project, our only interest was in securing accreditation for the degree programs we intended to offer. Our first choice would have been one of our own Bible colleges, but none of them were willing to accept the possible expenses that they might incur with such an effort. So we were forced to look elsewhere and finally found an accredited distance learning university headquarted in the United States. They were quite willing to help us our and very flexible in allowing us to teach New Testament doctrine. Their only request was that any classes I planned to teach would be open to students in their program, especially at the graduate level. I was only too happy to agree to allow anyone to take my classes. Never could I have imagined the incredible opportunity God was presenting to me.
Colombia has dozens, maybe even hundreds of small, indigenous church groups. Many were started by one dynamic leader and have grown into rather large groups of churches. They are all independent and most attempt to read and follow the Bible as their only book of doctrine. In many ways, what is going on in Colombia today is not unlike the early days of the Restoration Movement during the Great Awakening in the United States. These groups have no way to train their leaders and have looked to the same distance learning university we had sought out as a means to accomplish that goal. This has opened a great door of opportunity for me as I am now the person training their leaders along with ours. I can share simply New Testament Christianity with them and I have found them to be very receptive and interested.
So because of our consortium arrangement with the accrediting university in the States, I can train our own church leaders and guide these independent Colombian churches towards simply New Testament Christianity as well. Truly God has opened a great door of opportunity to me through this new endeavor in Christian higher education that is part of our missionary ministry.