LAUNCH

Grace Community Church and Partners Across Cultures offers a one-year missions training school called LAUNCH for those who believe God is calling them to a significant commitment to cross-cultural overseas ministry.  Download a LAUNCH brochure. 

Students who participate in LAUNCH will be equipped to:

1.    Become disciple-makers in a cross cultural environment

2.    Impact the unreached areas of the planet through either direct church-planting teams or ministries that further church-planting

The goal of LAUNCH is to produce disciple-makers for the global harvest among the unreached.  Some graduates may join existing Grace teams overseas, or be formed into new teams, or join other mission ministry teams.  Some graduates may determine they need further training or experience before going overseas long term.  The LAUNCH leadership will help students make those decisions as they complete LAUNCH. 

If you want to apply to LAUNCH, please download the application here, fill it out and return it to the church office.   Application window closes August 31st.  

LAUNCH FAQ

1. What is LAUNCH all about?  The purpose of LAUNCH is to train people in key areas of character, biblical knowledge, and ministry skills so that they will be equipped to make disciples and plant churches among the unreached peoples of the earth. 

2. Who is LAUNCH for?  LAUNCH is for any post high school adult who wants to use their gifts, talents and passions to see people from another culture come to faith in Christ and get established in a community of Jesus followers (a local church).

3. Why the focus on disciple-making and planting churches?   Jesus gave us the mandate to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).  We see in the book of Acts that the early followers of Jesus led others to faith in Him.  We also see that the new believers were not left in isolation, but that they were formed into groups that worshiped, prayed, ate, learned and fellowshipped together (Acts 2:42).  Those groups became local churches, which continued the mission of Jesus to make disciples, etc.  Good works can and should accompany making disciples. 

4. What if I want to be involved in humanitarian efforts, justice issues, or relief work? Followers of Jesus will often express their love of others and of God by being involved in these types of activities.  Indeed, Christians are encouraged to “look after orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27).  Good works can be a means by which people are opened up to receive and accept the good news of Jesus Christ.  The purpose of LAUNCH would not be to equip people to do humanitarian work as an end in itself.  But for people interested in humanitarian work, LAUNCH can help them use that good work as a tool in making disciples. 

5. Why the focus on “unreached” peoples? As of this writing, according to Joshua Project there are currently over 6,700 unreached people groups in 190 countries representing 2.7 billion people!  “Unreached” means that there is no indigenous community of believers with enough people or resources to bring the gospel to the people group of that country.  Practically speaking, two percent or less of the people in that people group are true followers of Jesus.  That means that over 2 billion people have virtually no one in their people group to tell them the good news of Jesus.  Someone from outside their group must go to them and tell them. 

6.  What does the tuition cover? The tuition covers stipends for instructors and mentors who are not staff of Grace, and for the administrative support of the school. 

7.  Do I have to pay for the whole year of LAUNCH up front?  No, but we do ask that students pay for each semester at the beginning of the semester.  If finances are a limiting issue, please talk to us – we do not want finances to stop anyone from going through LAUNCH, and we do have some scholarship funds. 

8.  Who are the instructors and mentors?  The instructors and mentors are local workers and practitioners who have served or are currently serving in some missions capacity.  They typically come with many years of overseas ministry experience. 

9.  How many hours per week will LAUNCH take?  A good estimate would be around 10-15 hours.  This includes classes, studying/homework, mentor meetings, and weekly ministry activities.

10.  Where will I spend my summer internship?  The location of the internship will be decided upon during the Fall semester as LAUNCH leaders meet with students. Not everyone will be going to the same place; but all students will be part for a team with whom we have an established relationship.  All locations will be where Grace has long term workers, with whom the students will do their internship. 

11. What happens after LAUNCH...will I be sent overseas?  LAUNCH leaders will seek the Lord with and work with each individual student to help him/her find the best place to use his/her ministry gifts and take the next step in serving in God’s global Kingdom. Our goal is for LAUNCH to be an important step in the process of sending more workers into the harvest field (Luke 10:2). 

12.  What is my next step if I think LAUNCH is for me?  Fill out an application!  You can download an application from this site, or obtain one from the Grace office.  Contact Don in the church office, or Brian Andrews  to let them know of your interest and to turn in your application.  Deadline for application submission for this next school year is August 31st.