Our mission is to provide Biblically-based, Reformed teaching and training worldwide primarily for indigenous pastors to help equip them for ministry.
Equipping today’s leaders to train tomorrow’s pastors
What is ITEM?
ITEM is a religious, charitable, educational, non-profit corporation serving worldwide. It is tax exempt. ITEM assists denominations and local churches by offering pastoral training. ITEM sends professors to teach at local institutions at regular intervals to equip Christian leaders who are primarily pastors. ITEM stands for International Theological Education Ministries.
ITEM Philosophy
ITEM sends pastors and professors to the students to minimize cost and to maximize learning opportunities in their own contexts near their families and ministries
ITEM Makes Sense
ITEM doesn’t pay salaries to instructors but recruits instructors who receive their income from other sources. Pastors are already paid by their churches; professors are paid by their educational institutions; and retired instructors receive income from their pensions, savings, or Social Security retirement. ITEM brings instructors to the students, not vice versa. This saves time and money for the students and removes family hardships experienced when leaders move to the U.S. for training. ITEM trains national leaders in short terms of 1 week in their own locales so they need not leave jobs to get training. We are now offering 3-day Preaching Conferences. That means that much of what has been taught can immediately be transferred to their families, congregations, and communities without being forgotten. ITEM encourages and equips national Christian leaders who can quickly reach their people with the gospel and plant churches. By contrast North American missionaries must first learn the language and/or culture, which consumes time and limits the impact of western missionaries during their first years on the field. ITEM provides in foreign countries work experience and part-time employment to national Christian professionals: administrators, translators, office staff, hospitality services, and event organizers. ITEM provides opportunities here for pastors, professors, and elders to share their training with the world. ITEM blesses churches here with opportunities to partner with Christians worldwide.
Effective Evangelism
ITEM believes that the most effective evangelism, discipleship, and church planting is done by strategic investment in national Christian leadership.
ITEM Mission Work
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few…” “…therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
EXPANDING
ITEM helps expand God’s kingdom through discipling reliable men and women. ITEM is truly a multiplying ministry, multiplying your gift in America to bring God’s truth to many students in other countries who then take what they have learned in the classroom to their homes, their churches, their culture, and to the world.
ETERNAL
ITEM sends instructors to train men and women in other countries such as the Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Croatia, Romania, Indonesia and India in the eternal truths of God’s Word. We teach these eternal truths from a Biblical reformed perspective. We know God’s Word, when accompanied by God’s Spirit, brings eternal life and eternal transformation to individuals, churches, and whole cultures.
Hello, I am
Todd Thomas
Web and UI designer based in Paris with more than 10 years of experiences.
ITEM Ministry is...
Economical
ITEM provides a very economical education for students in other countries where income is so much lower than in America, for instructors to experience missions, and you to truly support. Depending on the institution served and the number of students attending, ITEM delivers excellent theological education and ministry training at a very low dollar per student class hour.
Effective
ITEM sends the instructors to the field so the students can remain and minister in their own families, churches, and cultures. These students, when trained, will be more effective in their own countries when planting churches and spreading the gospel. And given our schedules of one, two, and sometimes three week classes, students can return to their work to support their families and to their churches to share what they’ve learned. They pass on God’s eternal truths effectively and immediately.
Efficient
ITEM operates efficiently by bringing the instructor to the students, not vice versa, as most educational institutions do. That saves travel, time, money, and family hardships. ITEM uses instructors who receive their normal income from other sources such as their churches, where they pastor, their educational institutions where they teach, or even as they are retired. Hence they are not hired or paid by ITEM.
ITEM Mission Work includes...
BOLIVIA
A Reformed teaching series in Cochabamba, Bolivia where a young and Reformed movement is growing.
INDIA
With a formal agreement with Presbyterian Church in India, Reformed Training program has been established at the Reformed Bible Institute with a second new field in Bangalore. Training of a large network of pastors has been underway.
INDONESIA
ITEM's newest mission field. The largest Muslim nation in the world. A small denomination with less than 2,000 members in 20+ churches and missions A denomination with an ambitious vision of winning Indonesia for Christ.
KENYA
ITEM responded to the invitation from All Nations College in Kenya to partner and to provide solidly Biblical training equipping pastors to teach their congregations how to follow Christ, counter false teaching and make a difference in their communities.
LATVIA
Theological school offering training for pastors and lay leaders. A growing library of theological books Working closely with local Reformed churches.
ROMANIA
Maranatha Bible College work based on local denomination pastored by Ion Vasile Plans on developing program and continuation of instructor support.
UKRAINE
Solid Biblical teaching through ERSU (Evangelical Reformed Seminary of Ukraine). Annual preaching conferences gathering hundreds of pastors from many churches in Ukraine.
Join our mission
A small but active Reformed denomination Training pastors via studies in Riga (BRTS) Developing theological program Replanting and planting new churches.
Contact Us
Contact/Giving
Address
ITEM
PO Box 31456,
St Louis, MO 63131
Phone
503.435.9838
Email
bill@item.org
Contributions to ITEM in Canada may be sent to
ITEM, c/o Action International Ministries,
3015A 21st NE
Calgary AB T2E 7T1
Mail to
P.O. Box 31456 St. Louis MO 63131
Support the mission work
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