The BTCP Model

Local Training with a Global Mission

BTCP is committed to providing consistent, effective training for pastors and church leaders around the world. While ministry contexts may vary, the way we train remains the same. These program non-negotiables ensure that every BTCP training maintains its integrity, effectiveness, and long-term impact.

One Unified Approach

Each BTCP/ BTCL/ BTCI class is an individual expression of a global ministry currently active in roughly 100 countries. Each class uses the same curriculum and model that is being shared with pastors and church leaders across sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and countless places in between.

This consistency is the fruit of 36 years of commitment to the model God revealed in Scripture to equip leaders. We do not see BTCP as the only worthy approach to church leader training, or the right fit for every context. We celebrate what other ministries are doing. Our aim is simply to do this one thing well, in the places where it fits.

The Biblical Pattern

As each of us has seen in our Old and New Testament studies, God uses people, not just documents, to train and multiply leaders.

Moses walked with Joshua. Elijah invited Elisha into his life until the time came to pass his mantle. Jesus gathered twelve men, explained things personally, modeled faithfulness before their eyes, and commissioned them to do the same for others.

Paul captured the pattern simply:

"What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." 2 Timothy 2:2

This is a living chain, not information delivery. The teacher's presence and example are not incidental to the process. The teacher’s life is part of the lesson.

Three Essentials

BTCP’s ministry model rests on three pillars that depend on one another:

  • The Study Bible anchors everything in the Word of God. It is the “textbook” of every course.

  • The BTCP Manuals provide structure and ensure that the training is consistent and reproducible in every country where BTCP operates.

  • A Present and Qualified Teacher is where the biblical model comes to life. A live teacher knows the students, adjusts when someone is confused, answers nuanced questions the manual may not cover, and models week after week what a faithful leader looks like.

A live classroom is where future teachers are discovered. As students share their biblical findings and take on more of the class conversation over time, gifts become visible, confidence grows, and the seeds of new teachers are planted. That is how the movement multiplies.

Why this Model?

Over the years, our partners have suggested various adaptations to the BTCP model, such as replacing live instruction with videos, offering training online, reducing required hours, or modifying the curriculum. These requests are often made with a sincere desire to expand, and we are grateful for that shared burden.

At the same time, we have chosen to remain committed to the model the Lord has allowed us to develop and use over the past 36 years.

We hold to this model for several reasons:

  • The Biblical Model Matters
    Life-on-life leadership is not just a preference. It reflects a pattern we see in Scripture.

  • Consistency Across Contexts
    BTCP operates in nearly 100 countries. Our goal is for a student in one part of the world to receive the same training as a student in another.

  • Ministry Efficiency
    A single model helps keep the ministry efficient. Each variation requires additional oversight, communication, and resources.

  • Integrity of Certification
    Consistency ensures that a BTCP certificate represents a clear and reliable standard, regardless of where it is earned.

  • Stewardship of Resources
    Maintaining one model allows us to use time, communication, and financial resources wisely.

  • Clarity of Mission
    Over time, small changes can lead a ministry away from its original purpose. Holding to a defined model helps guard against mission drift.

It is important to note that we do not believe this is the only way to train pastors and church leaders, nor is it the right approach in every setting. We are thankful for the many ministries serving in different ways.

BTCP exists to do one thing: to extend basic non-formal theological training to the world’s untrained pastors and church leaders with a consistent and reproducible model.

Our Focus & Calling

The desire to equip more church leaders is one we share. At the same time we acknowledge that BTCP is not the right fit for every context. We are grateful for the many ministries serving in ways to meet the needs that we cannot; in some cases another approach may be better suited.

We have seen that when a ministry expands beyond its core calling, it can begin to lose the very qualities that made it effective. This is a caution we seek to apply to ourselves. There is faithfulness in doing one thing well over time.

BTCP has remained fruitful and consistent for more than 36 years because it has maintained a simple, focused, and reproducible model. Pastors around the world are now training others because someone before them held to that standard.

That is something worth protecting together.

BTCP is a global ministry committed to multiplying pastor and church leader training in nearly 100 countries. More than 195,000 students have graduated through this consistent, biblical model of life on life discipleship.