Equipping for Ministry - English
The Center’s mission is to train evangelical English-speaking believers in a high-quality TESOL certificate program and to equip them for valued ministry throughout Asia, using English language teaching as a platform. Asia remains the home of the most unreached people groups (UPGs) in the world. Often these UPGs are in countries that are hostile to the gospel and to foreigners.
Many Asian Christians are responding the Great Commission and need a valued skill to enter creative-access areas. SEND strongly supports the mandate of “every nation to every nation.” We not only seek to engage UPGs, but we also equip believers of many nations to engage the unreached. This is the vision and mission of The Center. Recently, the director of The Center related how the training is being used to reach into unreached people groups in Asia.
“Yesterday I had the chance to meet up with two graduates from The Center: one graduated in 1999 and the other in 2009.
“Both are full-time workers reaching out to a minority Muslim people group. After decades of labor by Christian workers among this difficult UPG, there are still few believers. However, in talking with my two former students, it is evident that over the past four years, there has been a noticeable movement of God.
“Their target group has been children, youth, and their mothers. They started using English primarily as a hook at their community center, but English teaching has now multiplied into micro-finance, livelihood projects, and computer classes. There is an active youth group of 30 or more and 10 have made confessions of faith, understanding that Jesus is God.
“Many of them are seekers of the Truth. This decision is not one they make lightly for they know that it will change their lives. Some ask, ‘What will happen to me if I make a decision for Jesus? Will my family disown me? What will happen if my family forces me to marry a Muslim in a different part of the country?’ The most serious question of all comes later, ‘What if my family tries to kill me because of my decision to follow Jesus?’
“These are difficult questions to answer and only the power of God’s Word and the truth of the gospel can give these precious people the faith and courage to believe. It was so rewarding, though, to see that those who took the TESOL course are reaping a harvest.”
This is just a small glimpse of the effect The Center is having on missions in Asia and beyond. To date, more than 300 people have received TESOL certificates through The Center with more than half of them specifically using their TESOL skills in the Lord’s service. We've trained people from more than 20 countries, sending them to serve in more than 30 countries! Whether it is a young Chinese woman who needs a TESOL certificate to serve in Tibet or a Filipino who has a heart for Muslims, the tool of teaching English unlocks the door into communities and advances our reach into targeted unreached people groups.
Follow up with prayer
Pray for the center and its director. The center needs additional teachers and administrators. Pray for the provision of an administrator the director and his staff manage five-week training courses from the Philippines to Thailand to other East Asian countries year-round. Pray for wisdom as they plan their schedules and consider which opportunities they can agree to do.
Pray for the center's graduates who live and serve around the world. Pray specifically for those who have taken their training in English and are using it in missional outreach. Pray especially for those who are laboring among unreached people groups that are hostile to the gospel and who live in difficult to reach places.
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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