Baptist Bible Translators
                              goal
                the
reach
to              
Striving                                

"Yea, so have I strived to preach the
gospel, not where Christ was
named..." Rm. 15:20

Baptist Bible Translators Institute

missionaries training missionaries
                         
    .---------\./---------.   
 .-/|  To      :  To      |\-.
 || |  Know    :  Make    | ||
 || |  Christ  :  Him     | ||
 || |  And     :  Known   | ||
 ||/`---------\:/---------'\||
 `-----------~___~-----------'

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A School of Missions
Central Baptist Church, Bowie, Texas 76230

Baptist Bible
Translators Institute

Striving to reach the goal

Baptist Bible Translators Institute is commissioned by Central Baptist Church of Bowie, Texas, to train independent, fundamental Baptist missionaries.   Several churches see a need for a missionary training school that works within the framework of discipline provided by an independent Baptist church.   Although Central Baptist Church of Bowie is that church, many other sister churches share the vision.   Baptist Bible Translators Institute is under the supervision of Central Baptist Church to which it answers in matters of doctrine and practice.   By sponsoring B.B.T.I., Central Baptist Church wants to help other sister churches to further the Gospel of Christ.

Specialized missionary training

Baptist Bible Translators Institute exists for several reasons.   First, there is an unfilled gap in world evangelism.
More than 3000 Bibleless ethnic nations still await the Word of God in their language.   BBTI exists to help in meeting this need.   This need exists because missionaries are usually trained to be pastors in the USA but are not trained to deal with crossing language and cultural barriers in remote parts of the world.   So those parts of the world that are similar to the USA have been the places to which missionaries have most often gone.   This leaves the geographically difficult areas of the world neglected.   The people who live there speak a strange language and their customs are harshly different from anything with which we are familiar.   BBTI prepares people for working in any cultural situation whether in a foreign city like Paris, France or a jungle situation among a pygmy tribal group in Zaire, Africa.   The principles of linguistics, ethnology and cross cultural communication that are taught at BBTI are universal to any missionary situation.   Missionaries are

prepared for meeting whatever challenge they will face; whether in the city or the jungle.   In either place, missionaries must learn a foreign language and adjust to a culture that has a way of life very different from their own.

In other words

BBTI also exists to help missionaries become effective cross-cultural communicators.   It is one thing to speak to people who share your language and culture.   It is a different matter to speak to people who have a different language and culture.   BBTI trains missionaries to become preachers and teachers of the Gospel of Christ in cross cultural situations.   Some of these missionaries will become Bible translators.   At BBTI the principles of Bible translation are taught.
These principles can save each missionary from having to learn all over again the same lessons already learned by other Bible translators.   His progress as a Bible translator can be speeded up and his work made more efficient and effective in communicating the message of the Bible in another language.

Training for teamwork

BBTI also exists to help missionaries learn to work together as a team.   First, the missionary is encouraged to be a vital part of his home church team.   From this as a basis, he is encouraged to learn how to work with other missionaries.   Church planting requires the gifts and skills of many individuals.   There is a need for those who will preach and teach in the local language.
There is a need for those who will translate Scripture.
There is a need for those who will teach illiterate people to read so they can read the translated Scriptures.   There is a need for those who will maintain a supply line to the missionaries by an airplane or boat or truck.   Those who will help to educate their children are also needed.   Also needed are those who will help them with building construction, printing materials, medical supplies, and many other matters that become necessary for the establishing of New Testament Baptist churches.   The

training program at BBTI puts missionaries in situations where they learn to work together. Each afternoon is used on "Work Detail."   During this time students work together to do many kinds of work.
This is some of the most valuable training at BBTI.   It is people learning to work cooperatively with other people.   A valuable lesson indeed!

Missionaries training missionaries

BBTI also exists because there is a need for missionaries to train missionaries.   This agrees with the Biblical principle of each "after his kind." After people have been discipled in their home church, and have proven themselves faithful there, then they are ready to be trained by other missionaries.   They are ready to go to a missionary training "Boot Camp."
Although spiritual needs will not be ignored, this phase of their training will involve the more practical and technical aspects of missionary work.   BBTI can help train missionaries in the technical aspects of phonetics, phonemics, morphology and syntax, language learning principles, cross cultural communication principles, Bible translation principles, ethnology and computer literacy.   Along with these subjects, the daily "work detail" teaches many lessons of a practical nature, such as automobile repair, electrical repair, plumbing, building construction and whatever has to be done at the time.
BBTI also gives the missionaries training in how they can continue the education of their children on the mission field.   All of these situations are designed to be very similar to those found on mission fields all over the world.

The Founding of BBTI

Baptist Bible Translators Institute was founded by My. George Anderson.   He held its first classes in 1973 in the Sunday School building of Rolling Hills Baptist Church of Forth Worth, Texas. Since then, BBTI graduates have gone to Venezuela, Columbia, Mexico, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Alaska, Costa Rica, Haiti, Romania, Chile,

 Quebec and other mission fields of the world. When they finish the training here, we have no further jurisdiction over them.
They are sent by their churches.   We continue to pray for them and help them in any way they may request our help.

What can you do to help?

We are often asked, "What can I do to help?"   First of all, you can serve as a missionary sent out by your church.   You can answer the call of God for labourers.
With over 3000 Bibleless ethnic nations who still have no Word from God in their language, all kinds of people, with all kinds of skills, are needed to complete this task.
The need is great for printers, airplane pilot/mechanics, linguists, Bible translators, Bible translation consultants, literacy teachers, teachers for missionary children, builders and ordinary people who simply make themselves available to be used by God.   The involvement of many Baptist churches, their pastors and the people they send out, are all necessary if these 3000 Bibleless ethnic nations are ever to hear the Gospel.   For thousands of years they have lived and died and passed into eternity, forever condemned to the Lake of Fire.   It is time for us to heed the words of that great missionary, Paul, who said,
"Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame."   (I Corinthians 15:34)   It is our purpose to help in the work of establishing independent Baptist churches where "Christ is not named."   We want to help in the planting of these indigenous churches so that the Word of God can be translated into these Bibleless languages and the pastors of these churches can say, "Please open your Bibles to..."

If you're interested in helping to
reach these goals and would like
to help in some way, call or write
to:
Bible Baptist Translators
P.O. Box 1450, Bowie, TX 76230
Telephone 817.872.5751

Baptist Bible
Translators
Representatives

Pastor Paul Henderson,
Central Baptist Church, Bowie, Texas.

Pastor Hugh Adkisson,
Metro Baptist Church, Forth Worth, Texas.

Pastor Joe Tims,
Tabernacle Baptist Church, Roanoke, Texas.

Pastor George Anderson,
Denton Baptist Temple, Denton, Texas.

Pastor Doug Hammett,
Lehigh Valley Baptist Church, Emmaus, PA.

My. Charles Turner, Ph.D.
Executive Director of B.B.T.I.

My. Milton Martin,
Representative

My. Rex Cobb,
Representative

My. Colin Christensen,
Representative