New Tribes Mission
Encyclopedia
New Tribes Mission is an international, theologically evangelical
Christian
mission
organization based in Sanford, Florida
, United States
. NTM has approximately 3,300 missionaries in more than 20 nations, second only to Wycliffe Bible Translators
/SIL International
David Hesselgrave, Executive Director of the Evangelical Missiological Society, has said of NTM, "New Tribes Mission is in the vanguard of Christian missions. NTM sends out trained missionaries; they send them to the most needy peoples and places on earth; and they send them equipped with a missionary strategy that is second to none."
s, translate the Scriptures, and see indigenous New Testament churches established that truly glorify God."
The organization sends missionaries from local churches around the world to Latin America
, West Africa
, Southeast Asia
and the Arctic
. Countries include Brazil
, Bolivia
, Cambodia
, Greenland
, Guinea
, Ivory Coast, Mozambique
, Senegal
, Mongolia
, Thailand
, Colombia
, Mexico
, Panama
, Paraguay
, Indonesia
, Papua New Guinea
, Philippines
and formerly to Venezuela
.
The mission's focus is on people groups where no translation of the Bible exists. When such a group is identified, NTM first attempts to make contact and establish a relationship. Then, missionaries are sent to learn the language and the culture of the native people, while further developing relationships and providing humanitarian aid. The missionaries translate biblical literature into the indigenous language, as well as teach natives how to read and write in their own language (which is prevalently necessary). The professed goal, however, is to establish fully functioning churches that operate independently of missionaries, which, "in turn reach out to their own people and to neighboring tribes."
NTM's purpose statement states that its sole goal is to, "evangelize people groups who have had no access to the Gospel, translate the Scriptures into their language, and plant a church." NTM is held accountable by MinistryWatch and by the IFMA and, "adheres to the organization's standards."
, in 1942. In the '30s, Fleming had worked as a missionary in the British colony, Malaya
. The organization sent out its first group in November 1942, to Bolivia
. Of the 10 adults and six children, six were killed the following year. According to Time Magazine, five NTM missionaries were killed by aboriginal Bolivians in 1943.
Initially, NTM was based in a former nightclub in Chicago
. In 1943, NTM started publishing its magazine Brown Gold. In 1944/45, NTM moved headquarters to Chico, California. Shortly thereafter, it established a "boot camp" (missionary training facility) at Fouts Springs, California
.
In June 1950, the first plane bought by NTM crashed in Venezuela
, killing all 15 people on board. The second plane bought by NTM crashed in November the same year at Mount Moran
in Grand Teton National Park
(Wyoming
), while on its way to bring missionaries abroad, killing all 21 aboard, including spouses, several children and founder Paul Fleming. In July 1953, 14 NTM members serving as volunteer firefighters died in what became known as the Rattlesnake Fire
about 25 miles north of Fouts Springs, California
in the Mendocino National Forest
.
In 1993, members of the FARC guerrilla movement abducted three NTM missionaries from a village in Panama and brought them to Colombia
where they were killed in 1996. In 1994 two other missionaries were killed after being taken at gunpoint from an NTM school in Colombia.
In May 2001, Abu Sayyaf rebels in the Philippines
kidnapped a New Tribes Mission pilot, Martin Burnham, and his wife, Gracia, as they celebrated a wedding anniversary. In June 2002, during a rescue attempt by government troops, Martin Burnham was killed and his wife received non-fatal gunshot wounds to the leg.
," accompanied by a historical-grammatical hermeneutic in interpreting said Scriptures. This emphasis on, "word by word inspiration," leads to literal belief, "in the fall of man, resulting in his complete and universal separation from God and his need of salvation;" those who die unsaved go to, "unending punishment" (hence the mandate to evangelize those without access to the gospel). Additionally, NTM is a dispensational
organization, subscribing to the, "imminent...pretribulation and pre-millennial return," of Jesus Christ to earth.
and Columbia International University
generally tend to recognize credits and degrees from NTM.
The first phase of the training consists of basic Bible education. This phase lasts two years. In the US, this training takes place at one of two different Bible schools in Waukesha, Wisconsin
, or Jackson, Michigan
. These schools are collectively called the New Tribes Bible Institute. This portion of the training program is often waived for candidates possessing previous Bible training from accredited Bible colleges.
The second phase of the program involves extensive study in cross-cultural communication, church planting, and linguistic analysis. It also lasts two years, although there is a one-year track for those going into aforementioned "support" roles. Candidates study advanced linguistic techniques, learning how to alphabetize unwritten languages and translate the Bible. Formerly called, "Boot Camp," this phase also emphasizes basic living skills necessary for survival in undeveloped areas of the world (e.g., constructing and cooking from clay stoves, building jungle shelters, etc.). In the US, this takes place at the NTM Missionary Training Center in Camdenton, Missouri
.
A NTM Canadian training center exists in Durham, Ontario
. Similar training programs exist in other countries, including Australia, Brazil, Germany, Mexico and the UK.
Protestant Church Planting.
After becoming proficient in the local languages, NTM missionaries initiate in-depth Bible
studies with interested parties. Rather than distributing tracts or showing the "Jesus" film (popular methods among many organizations), NTM focuses on teaching through the Scriptures chronologically
. Missionaries begin with the Genesis account of creation and follow the storyline of the [Bible through to the story of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the New Testament
. This approach is necessary because most of the cultures in which they work have no exposure to any biblical teaching whatsoever, and therefore require solid grounding on the foundational principles of the Old Testament
before they can be introduced to the New Testament Gospel
.
This chronological curriculum consists of 50 lessons and is called, "Building on Firm Foundations." It was written by Trevor McIlwain and Nancy Everson, originally published in 1985.
Paul Humphreys of GoodSeed says: "There is a lot of talk today in 'church' circles about how little people know about the Bible... Biblical illiteracy is not a new trend. It has been around a long time. The underlying cause is explained by the Apostle Paul (Romans
1:18-32)... It seems almost impossible to have an accurate concept of God apart from the knowledge of certain foundational biblical stories.
The biblically illiterate need to begin with an understanding of who God is, and where they are in relationship to their Creator-Owner-truths set forth in the pages of the Old Testament. They need to know these things before we can expect an accurate response to what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross" (GoodSeed Gleanings, No. 6, Sept. 2000).
on the Shining Lights ‘Top 30’ Exemplary Ministries. MinistryWatch.com, in response to requests for a list of Christian ministries that are among the best to which donors can give with confidence, has released a “Top 30” list of ministries as the latest MinistryWatch.com Shining Light profile. New Tribes Mission is one of those Top 30 Shining Lights.
Protestant Church Planting
and representing US foreign policy interests in countries where they are active. Because of the mission's alleged methods in Latin America, NTM has been investigated, and subsequently cleared of any wrong-doing by the all-party Parliamentary Human Rights Committee in Britain. However, a letter of protest signed by Bishop Trevor Huddleston
, Lord Avebury, Chairman of the Parliamentary Human Rights Group, Rabbi Richard Rosen and Survival International
President, Robin Hanbury-Tenison, called on the Mission to halt its controversial activities and respect tribal religion and culture. According to Stephen Corry
, Director of Survival International, there are those missionaries who do an enormous amount of work to help indigenous peoples and defend their rights, and those worst who do great harm; the same can be said about anthropologists, conservationists or anyone else. He says that he is not anti-missionary and that he himself and his organization have worked together with countless missionaries. He recalls how a senior member of a very large mission organisation personally told him that their critiques published in the 1970s had stimulated change for the better within his organisation.
reported that Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez
had announced his intention to expel New Tribes Mission from Venezuela
. He accused New Tribes Mission of imperialism
, of collaborating with the US CIA, of violating Venezuela's national sovereignty, and of violating the country's laws by making unauthorized flights into and out of the country. He also attacked the group for building lavish camps in which to live next to poverty-stricken villages.
Responding to the allegations, NTM said, "Any kind of air travel we do, we always do within the guidelines of what the government allows. We always file reports." With respect to "luxury" living, they "live in homes that make it possible for them to continue the work that they do. The homes that they live in are very simple."
On November 3, 2005, hundreds of Venezuelan indigenous people marched in Puerto Ayacucho
protesting against the expulsion of NTM by the Venezuelan government. Although the Venezuelan constitution recognized their collective ownership of ancestral lands in 1999, "poverty remains acute among many Indian communities and many protesters said the missionaries were the only people who have tangibly improved their lives."
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
organization based in Sanford, Florida
Sanford, Florida
Sanford is a city in, and the county seat of, Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 38,291 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 50,998...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. NTM has approximately 3,300 missionaries in more than 20 nations, second only to Wycliffe Bible Translators
Wycliffe Bible Translators
Wycliffe Bible Translators is an interdenominational organization mandated to making a translation of the Bible in every living language in the world, especially for cultures with little existing Christian influence. Wycliffe was founded in 1942 by William Cameron Townsend and is associated with...
/SIL International
SIL International
SIL International is a U.S.-based, worldwide, Christian non-profit organization, whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially those that are lesser-known, in order to expand linguistic knowledge, promote literacy, translate the Christian Bible into local languages,...
David Hesselgrave, Executive Director of the Evangelical Missiological Society, has said of NTM, "New Tribes Mission is in the vanguard of Christian missions. NTM sends out trained missionaries; they send them to the most needy peoples and places on earth; and they send them equipped with a missionary strategy that is second to none."
Mission
NTM's Purpose Statement reads: "Motivated by the love of Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, NTM exists to assist the ministry of the local church through the mobilizing, equipping, and coordinating of missionaries to evangelize unreached people groupUnreached people group
An unreached people group refers to an ethnic group without an indigenous, self propagating Christian church movement. Any ethnic or ethnolinguistic nation without enough Christians to evangelize the rest of the nation is an Unreached People Group...
s, translate the Scriptures, and see indigenous New Testament churches established that truly glorify God."
The organization sends missionaries from local churches around the world to Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
and the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
. Countries include Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
, Ivory Coast, Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and formerly to Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
The mission's focus is on people groups where no translation of the Bible exists. When such a group is identified, NTM first attempts to make contact and establish a relationship. Then, missionaries are sent to learn the language and the culture of the native people, while further developing relationships and providing humanitarian aid. The missionaries translate biblical literature into the indigenous language, as well as teach natives how to read and write in their own language (which is prevalently necessary). The professed goal, however, is to establish fully functioning churches that operate independently of missionaries, which, "in turn reach out to their own people and to neighboring tribes."
NTM's purpose statement states that its sole goal is to, "evangelize people groups who have had no access to the Gospel, translate the Scriptures into their language, and plant a church." NTM is held accountable by MinistryWatch and by the IFMA and, "adheres to the organization's standards."
Early history
NTM was founded by Paul Fleming from Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, in 1942. In the '30s, Fleming had worked as a missionary in the British colony, Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
. The organization sent out its first group in November 1942, to Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. Of the 10 adults and six children, six were killed the following year. According to Time Magazine, five NTM missionaries were killed by aboriginal Bolivians in 1943.
Initially, NTM was based in a former nightclub in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. In 1943, NTM started publishing its magazine Brown Gold. In 1944/45, NTM moved headquarters to Chico, California. Shortly thereafter, it established a "boot camp" (missionary training facility) at Fouts Springs, California
Fouts Springs, California
Fouts Springs is an unincorporated community in Colusa County, California. It lies at an elevation of 1713 feet . It is best known for being the headquarters of the New Tribes Mission. The post office was established in 1882, closed in 1913, reopened in 1945, closed again in 1947, reopened in 1950...
.
In June 1950, the first plane bought by NTM crashed in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, killing all 15 people on board. The second plane bought by NTM crashed in November the same year at Mount Moran
Mount Moran
Mount Moran is a mountain in Grand Teton National Park of western Wyoming, USA. The mountain is named for Thomas Moran, an American western frontier landscape artist. Mount Moran dominates the northern section of the Teton Range rising above Jackson Lake. Several active glaciers exist on the...
in Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park located in northwestern Wyoming, U.S. The Park consists of approximately and includes the major peaks of the long Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Only south of Yellowstone...
(Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
), while on its way to bring missionaries abroad, killing all 21 aboard, including spouses, several children and founder Paul Fleming. In July 1953, 14 NTM members serving as volunteer firefighters died in what became known as the Rattlesnake Fire
Rattlesnake Fire
The Rattlesnake Fire was a wildfire started by an arsonist on July 9, 1953 in Grindstone Canyon in Mendocino National Forest in California. One Forest Service employee and 14 volunteer firefighters from New Tribes Mission perished...
about 25 miles north of Fouts Springs, California
Fouts Springs, California
Fouts Springs is an unincorporated community in Colusa County, California. It lies at an elevation of 1713 feet . It is best known for being the headquarters of the New Tribes Mission. The post office was established in 1882, closed in 1913, reopened in 1945, closed again in 1947, reopened in 1950...
in the Mendocino National Forest
Mendocino National Forest
The Mendocino National Forest is located in the Coastal Mountain Range in northwestern California and comprises 913,306 acres...
.
Recent history
In recent years a number of New Tribes Mission personnel have been killed by guerrillas in different parts of the world.In 1993, members of the FARC guerrilla movement abducted three NTM missionaries from a village in Panama and brought them to Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
where they were killed in 1996. In 1994 two other missionaries were killed after being taken at gunpoint from an NTM school in Colombia.
In May 2001, Abu Sayyaf rebels in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
kidnapped a New Tribes Mission pilot, Martin Burnham, and his wife, Gracia, as they celebrated a wedding anniversary. In June 2002, during a rescue attempt by government troops, Martin Burnham was killed and his wife received non-fatal gunshot wounds to the leg.
Beliefs
The core belief of the New Tribes Mission is, "Sola ScripturaSola scriptura
Sola scriptura is the doctrine that the Bible contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness. Consequently, sola scriptura demands that only those doctrines are to be admitted or confessed that are found directly within or indirectly by using valid logical deduction or valid...
," accompanied by a historical-grammatical hermeneutic in interpreting said Scriptures. This emphasis on, "word by word inspiration," leads to literal belief, "in the fall of man, resulting in his complete and universal separation from God and his need of salvation;" those who die unsaved go to, "unending punishment" (hence the mandate to evangelize those without access to the gospel). Additionally, NTM is a dispensational
Dispensationalism
Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,...
organization, subscribing to the, "imminent...pretribulation and pre-millennial return," of Jesus Christ to earth.
Training Program
New Tribes Mission requires all candidates to complete a training program. The training program can take up to four years to complete. In the US, this training culminates in a Bachelor's degree, although it is not accredited. However, major Bible colleges such as Moody Bible InstituteMoody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute is a Christian institution of higher education and related ministries that was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Since its founding, MBI's main campus has been located in the Near North Side of Chicago. MBI's primary ministries are education,...
and Columbia International University
Columbia International University
Columbia International University is a Christian institution of higher education located in Columbia, South Carolina. The university is recognized for its emphasis upon spiritual formation, biblical authority and world evangelization.-History:...
generally tend to recognize credits and degrees from NTM.
The first phase of the training consists of basic Bible education. This phase lasts two years. In the US, this training takes place at one of two different Bible schools in Waukesha, Wisconsin
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Waukesha is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. The population was 70,718 at the 2010 census, making it the largest community in the county and 7th largest in the state. The city is located adjacent to the Town of Waukesha...
, or Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
. These schools are collectively called the New Tribes Bible Institute. This portion of the training program is often waived for candidates possessing previous Bible training from accredited Bible colleges.
The second phase of the program involves extensive study in cross-cultural communication, church planting, and linguistic analysis. It also lasts two years, although there is a one-year track for those going into aforementioned "support" roles. Candidates study advanced linguistic techniques, learning how to alphabetize unwritten languages and translate the Bible. Formerly called, "Boot Camp," this phase also emphasizes basic living skills necessary for survival in undeveloped areas of the world (e.g., constructing and cooking from clay stoves, building jungle shelters, etc.). In the US, this takes place at the NTM Missionary Training Center in Camdenton, Missouri
Camdenton, Missouri
Camdenton is a city in Camden County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,779 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Camden County. The city is enveloped by the Lower Niangua arm of the Lake of the Ozarks and serves as a popular trade point for visitors to the...
.
A NTM Canadian training center exists in Durham, Ontario
Durham, Ontario
Durham is a community in the municipality of West Grey, Grey County, Ontario, Canada. Durham is located near the base of the Bruce Peninsula.-Location:...
. Similar training programs exist in other countries, including Australia, Brazil, Germany, Mexico and the UK.
Protestant Church Planting.
Evangelistic Approach
New Tribes Mission's strategy for church planting starts with language acquisition. NTM believes that individuals should have access to the Bible and its teachings in their native languages, and refuses to teach in English or local trade languages. Several unwritten languages on the verge of extinction have been given new leases on life because of missionary efforts to reduce them to writing and to teach their speakers in literacy.After becoming proficient in the local languages, NTM missionaries initiate in-depth Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
studies with interested parties. Rather than distributing tracts or showing the "Jesus" film (popular methods among many organizations), NTM focuses on teaching through the Scriptures chronologically
Chronological Bible Storying
Chronological Bible Storying is a method of orally communicating portions of the Bible by telling its stories aloud to listeners in chronological order....
. Missionaries begin with the Genesis account of creation and follow the storyline of the [Bible through to the story of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. This approach is necessary because most of the cultures in which they work have no exposure to any biblical teaching whatsoever, and therefore require solid grounding on the foundational principles of the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
before they can be introduced to the New Testament Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
.
This chronological curriculum consists of 50 lessons and is called, "Building on Firm Foundations." It was written by Trevor McIlwain and Nancy Everson, originally published in 1985.
Paul Humphreys of GoodSeed says: "There is a lot of talk today in 'church' circles about how little people know about the Bible... Biblical illiteracy is not a new trend. It has been around a long time. The underlying cause is explained by the Apostle Paul (Romans
Epistle to the Romans
The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, often shortened to Romans, is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
1:18-32)... It seems almost impossible to have an accurate concept of God apart from the knowledge of certain foundational biblical stories.
The biblically illiterate need to begin with an understanding of who God is, and where they are in relationship to their Creator-Owner-truths set forth in the pages of the Old Testament. They need to know these things before we can expect an accurate response to what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross" (GoodSeed Gleanings, No. 6, Sept. 2000).
Recognition
New Tribes Mission is listed by Ministry WatchMinistry Watch
Ministry Watch is an independent evangelical Christian organization whose purpose is to review Christian ministries for financial accountability and transparency, and to provide independent advice to Christians considering making donations to them...
on the Shining Lights ‘Top 30’ Exemplary Ministries. MinistryWatch.com, in response to requests for a list of Christian ministries that are among the best to which donors can give with confidence, has released a “Top 30” list of ministries as the latest MinistryWatch.com Shining Light profile. New Tribes Mission is one of those Top 30 Shining Lights.
Protestant Church Planting
Criticisms
Paul Gifford accuses NTM of engaging in industrial espionageIndustrial espionage
Industrial espionage, economic espionage or corporate espionage is a form of espionage conducted for commercial purposes instead of purely national security purposes...
and representing US foreign policy interests in countries where they are active. Because of the mission's alleged methods in Latin America, NTM has been investigated, and subsequently cleared of any wrong-doing by the all-party Parliamentary Human Rights Committee in Britain. However, a letter of protest signed by Bishop Trevor Huddleston
Trevor Huddleston
Ernest Urban Trevor Huddleston CR, KCMG was an English Anglican bishop. He was most well known for his anti-apartheid activism and his 'Prayer for Africa'...
, Lord Avebury, Chairman of the Parliamentary Human Rights Group, Rabbi Richard Rosen and Survival International
Survival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969 that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples, seeking to help them to determine their own future. Their campaigns generally focus on tribal peoples' fight to keep their ancestral lands,...
President, Robin Hanbury-Tenison, called on the Mission to halt its controversial activities and respect tribal religion and culture. According to Stephen Corry
Stephen Corry
Stephen Corry is a British anthropologist and indigenous rights activist, better known as the Director of the non-governmental organisation Survival International. He has also been the chairman of the Free Tibet Campaign since 1993.- Biography :...
, Director of Survival International, there are those missionaries who do an enormous amount of work to help indigenous peoples and defend their rights, and those worst who do great harm; the same can be said about anthropologists, conservationists or anyone else. He says that he is not anti-missionary and that he himself and his organization have worked together with countless missionaries. He recalls how a senior member of a very large mission organisation personally told him that their critiques published in the 1970s had stimulated change for the better within his organisation.
Political Controversy in Venezuela
In October 2005, the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reported that Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
had announced his intention to expel New Tribes Mission from Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. He accused New Tribes Mission of imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
, of collaborating with the US CIA, of violating Venezuela's national sovereignty, and of violating the country's laws by making unauthorized flights into and out of the country. He also attacked the group for building lavish camps in which to live next to poverty-stricken villages.
Responding to the allegations, NTM said, "Any kind of air travel we do, we always do within the guidelines of what the government allows. We always file reports." With respect to "luxury" living, they "live in homes that make it possible for them to continue the work that they do. The homes that they live in are very simple."
On November 3, 2005, hundreds of Venezuelan indigenous people marched in Puerto Ayacucho
Puerto Ayacucho
Puerto Ayacucho is the capital and largest city of Amazonas State in Venezuela. Puerto Ayacucho is located across the Orinoco River from the Colombian village of Casuarito....
protesting against the expulsion of NTM by the Venezuelan government. Although the Venezuelan constitution recognized their collective ownership of ancestral lands in 1999, "poverty remains acute among many Indian communities and many protesters said the missionaries were the only people who have tangibly improved their lives."
Sexual Abuse Allegations
A 2010 report by G.R.A.C.E.(Godly Response To Abuse In The Christian Environment), an organization dedicated to helping Christian organizations deal with abuse, documented reports of sexual, physical, emotional and spiritual abuse at the Fanda boarding school operated by NTM for the children of NTM workers in the country of Senegal during the 1980's and 1990's.External links
- New Tribes Mission (official site)
- New Tribes Mission Canada (official site)
- Missão Novas Tribos do Brasil (official site)
- New Tribes Bible Institute
- New Tribes Mission Australia (official site)
- New Tribes Mission Bookstore (official site)
- http://au.ntm.org/go/summit.php/ (official site of NTM Australia short-term mission trip department)
- http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2005/10/29/chavezs_threat_to_expel_evangelists_spurs_protest/ Chavez's threat to expel evangelists spurs protest
- Venezuelan indigenous groups back missionaries (AP news article on indigenous march in Venezuela)
- Louise Rimmer: Roar of the bulldozer could sound the death knell for tribe of forestdwellers. (The Independent; January 6, 2004).