At the very core of Gateway Training Center is the reflection of its name. We intend to be a missionary and ministry training facilitator that can prepare people, in particular those from Western countries, to function well in a more Eastern environment. Greece sits at the crossroads, geographically and culturally, of that East/West corridor. It is a gateway. People can train here without yet being immersed in more hostile or confrontational environments, while still very much experiencing the cultural and ethnic dynamics of these lands.
The vision of the Gateway Training Center is to see trained believers ministering effectively in any context, by providing training and experience for growth and development for those who have a calling for cross-cultural ministry.
SIP Program
Would you like to travel in the footsteps of Paul by visiting the places he traveled to understand what it is like to minister to people from different cultures, and to participate in practical outreach – all in one month?! Sign up for our Summer Internship Program
The Gateway Training Center (in Athens, Greece) has developed the internship program with three areas in mind:
- First week of ‘Footsteps of the apostle Paul’ tour in Greece (from Philippi to Corinth).
- Three weeks of outreach in and around Athens and the island of Cephalonia.
- Training seminars on specific topics related to outreach and cross-cultural communication during the above four weeks
Cross-Cultural Training Program
The Gateway Training Center Cross-Cultural program is divided into two twelve-week phases.
The first phase in Athens is an introductory course with an optional two-week outreach with partners in the Mediterranean region. After the completion of phase one, students may move to phase two and are placed with partners in North Africa/Middle East, Europe or in their own sending country, for more focused supervised ministry experience and a continuation of the theoretical training.
- During the first phase of our training program:
- All participants attend and participate in a local church in Athens and serve with a cross-cultural ministry for one day a week.
- Language learning is important for all cross-cultural contexts, and one hour every day is spent on learning a new language.
- Students meet regularly with long-term cross-cultural workers as part of the mentorship program.
- There is also an emphasis on community living and fellowship!
- After the completion of phase one, students may move to phase two and are placed with partners in North Africa/Middle East, Europe or in their own sending country, for more focused supervised ministry experience and a continuation of the theoretical training.
Participants can decide whether to do only the first phase, or both phases.