CEIM: In Pursuit of Ministry Excellence

By Wayne Haston

Knowledgeable, appropriately skilled, and adequately trained human resources are critical to any organization facing the many challenges of global evangelism.

The Center for Excellence in International Ministries (CEIM) is ABWE's training division. CEIM has been commissioned to equip ABWE missionaries and personnel to serve Christ with a high distinction of excellence. CEIM plays a vital role in the career-long development of all members of ABWE's global team.

CEIM offices are located in the ABWE Administration and Training Center facilities near Harrisburg, PA. Training programs are delivered in the technology-enhanced "smart" classrooms of the new training center building. Trainers also travel abroad to train ABWE missionaries in their cultural contexts.

Through CEIM, missionaries gain practical knowledge and development in team building and general ministry skills, as well as training related to a wide range of cultural issues, including contextualization, enculturation, and the implementation of effective cross-cultural methods of evangelism.

New Project: Missionary Resource Center

In order to service ABWE missionaries, CEIM is currently developing a Missionary Resource Center (MRC). This new resource center will provide ABWE personnel with a broad selection of missiological , theological, biblical, sociological, cultural, geo-political, and linguistic informational resources. The MRC will be located in ABWE's training facilities, allowing easy access by home office personnel or by missionary trainees attending training events on the main campus.

But how can CEIM provide researchable resources to the rest of the 1000 ABWE missionaries located in 70 countries around the globe? To reach these geographically-challenged missionaries, the CEIM plans to create an Internet-delivered online resource center.

This cyber resource center will include the ProQuest Religion database, American Theological Library Association journals, Religious and Theological Abstracts, SYBWorld Online, and many other valuable research assets. This venture will cost approximately $10,000 per year. In the future, CEIM leaders hope to fund the center from an endowment, but for the short-term they are seeking financial gifts to initiate the project.

If you are interested in aiding CEIM to train and resource missionaries for the cultural challenges they encounter on their fields, visit the training section on the ABWE website for more information about the Missions Resource Center and other CEIM projects.