When you hear the word missions, what comes to mind? Airplanes. Jungle villages. Church planting. Certainly, it involves learning a new language and sharing the gospel with people who have never heard. All of that is missions. But here’s something we don’t talk about as much: classrooms are mission fields also.

I don’t mean the kind of classroom with small desks in neat rows and fluorescent lights buzzing overhead (though that can be missions too!). I’m talking about theological education—training pastors, leaders, and everyday believers to interpret God’s Word and communicate it correctly. That might not sound as adventurous as canoeing through the Amazon rainforest; however, without training theologically sound leaders, new churches cannot survive.

Evangelism Starts the Work. Theology Sustains It.

Imagine that a missionary plants a church in a place with little or no gospel witness. People come to Christ. Lives are changed. A small congregation forms. This is what Jesus promises will happen: “I will build my church.” Early mission leaders identified four characteristics of a healthy church plant:

1. Self-supporting: the church can cover ministry expenses.

2. Self-propagating: the church can share the gospel in their context and participate in the Great Commission.

3. Self-governing: the church can make its own decisions.

4. Self-theologizing: the church can interpret God’s Word and accurately apply it to situations in their context.

The last characteristic shows the importance of theological education. Without well-trained leaders, who will pastor the congregation? Who will answer hard questions about life, false teaching, or cultural issues? Who will train future leaders? If the only teacher is the foreign missionary, the church remains dependent. But if local believers are trained to understand Scripture, defend sound doctrine, and shepherd others, then the church becomes strong, stable, and able to multiply. That’s where theological education fits into the mission.

Theology Is Not a Luxury—It’s Survival

Sometimes people think theology is just for professors or pastors with bookshelves full of commentaries. Theology is simply knowing God as He has revealed Himself in His Word. Another way of saying it is that theology is the application of biblical truth to life.

In many parts of the world, believers face false teaching: prosperity gospel, cults, false religions, and folk beliefs. Imagine a national pastor who mistakenly spreads false teaching because he was never trained correctly. Without solid biblical training, believers and churches can drift from the faith. Theological education helps mature the church today while preparing it for tomorrow.

Baptist Mid-Missions has international theological education ministries in countries all over the world: Peru, the Dominican Republic, Germany, France, Spain, and the Central African Republic, to name just a few. We are grateful for the missionaries serving in these ministries, but the truth is, we need theological education classrooms in every country and educators to serve on these fields.

Why This Matters for You

You don’t have to be a future missionary or seminary student for this to matter. If you care about the Great Commission, you should care about theological education. The question isn’t just, “How do we get the gospel there?” but also, “What will the church look like there in 20 years?”

When you pray for missions, give to missions, or consider going yourself, don’t forget the classrooms and the national leaders who are hungry to understand God’s Word better. Pray that God will raise up national pastors worldwide and use missionary theological educators and their classrooms to meet this need.

One final note: if you are a seminary student or considering advanced theological education, consider international theological education as a potential ministry option. We’d love to explore this with you and help you see where you might be more needed than you imagine.