Missionary Bio:
Jim has been interested in missions for a long time, especially places that don’t have a Gospel witness. He has a love of teaching and feels it is his spiritual gift. He was asked to serve as pastor of youth and missions at his church, but after a conversation with the vice president of Cornerstone, who is a member of their church, Jim and Karen became interested in the Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary extension program. This program was started in 1983 by a man who was a missionary in Thailand. The people there were asking for more training. There was very little opportunity to receive training in a true master’s level theological program in many Asian countries.
Karen had never thought about being a missionary as a child. She attended a youth retreat as a senior with Ken Rudolph and that challenged her. Then when she was dating Jim he asked her if she was willing to be a missionary. God worked in her heart and she felt it was what the Lord wanted her to do.
Jim and Karen were accepted by ABWE in July of 2001. They are working with Asia Baptist Theological Seminary, a ministry of ABWE and Cornerstone University, to provide graduate level education for church leaders throughout Asia. ABTS offers Master of Religious Education (MRE) and Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MA) degrees through modular courses. ABTW was originally located in Singapore, but is currently relocating their base of operations to Thailand.
Jim travels to Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, and Hong Kong, teaching two week modules. He teaches Systematic Theology, Christian Worldview, and Historical Theology Survey. Four classes are held a year at each site, and the students have three months of assignments after each class. The students include local pastors, Bible teachers, Bible women, missionaries, and lay leaders. On average, it takes 4 to 5 years for a student to graduate.
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