What makes Wildfire different from normal Bible colleges?
  • Culturally Adapted. We believe that training must be both culturally appropriate and culturally credible in order to be really good at the task of Christian leadership development in other countries. All our material is specifically made for cultures outside of North America, because Christians in other countries face a whole different set of issues than we do.
  • Stable Students. Our target student body is primarily mature adults already involved in ministry. They already have a good sense of where they're going in life, have a heart for ministry, and just need someone to come alongside them and show them how.
  • Clear Cutoff. Our heart is to make the ministry in each country self-reliant as quickly as possible. We plan from the beginning when our ministry in a particular country will end. Our strategy is to enter a country, train the nationals, and then depart, leaving the work entirely in the hands of the nationals. This entire cycle usually runs from seven to ten years.
  • Total Person Training. CBLT believes that training for ministry should involve knowledge, character development and ministry skills (know, be, do)-the whole person.
  • Coaching. The critical ingredient for change is a personal "one on one" relationship. Wildfire's leadership training involves regular workshops. At these workshops students interact with a "group coach" as well as sharing experiences and questions with each other. That way the head knowledge they are getting from their books becomes alive, relevant, and habit-forming.
  • "Pass-It-On-ability." We believe that training should result in the church growing and reproducing. That's why Wildfire training is not dependent on the expense and presence of the resident "expert." Rather, the curriculum is designed in such a way that students can themselves become "group coaches" once they've gone through a particular course. Now not only do you have more Christians equipped for ministry, but they are also able to pass that training on to others around them. Wildfire!
  • Church Based. Whenever possible Wildfire trains the students in the context of the life of their own church and their own sphere of influence. The training is most effective when students are integrated into the life of local churches and not removed from their base of influence to travel to resident schools.