Blog

From “You Preach I Write” to “You Preach You Write”

Posted on December 3, 2021

What pride and joy parents feel when they see their children maturing towards independence. At SALT, we are filled with pride and joy over our team of national trainers who have shown their readiness for the next level of growth and challenge! For the past decade plus, we have developed a method for writing new courses that we call You Preach I Write (YPIW). Courses such as Practical Church Management, 1 Corinthians, Church History Parts 1 & 2, and most recently, the Book of James, are all products of YPIW. You refers to our national trainers, while Preach refers...

God Intended It For Good

Posted on November 4, 2021

Is bigger always better? Is more necessarily merrier? If you ask Joseph our head of East Asia SALT training, he would beg to differ. Read on to find out why. While "climate conditions" have remained fairly stable, COVID continues to present the greatest challenge for SALT's programs. Strict anti-pandemic measures have prevented large gatherings from taking place, including church worship services. Events that once engaged two or three hundred people now need to be divided up across five or six separate venues. At first, it was difficult to adjust to these restrictions,...

Rebuild and Renew

Posted on October 8, 2021

This is the theme of SALT's new course, Book of Nehemiah. Why choose Rebuild and Renew as the theme? Since the 1980s, everyone has marveled at the increase in the number of believers and churches in East Asia. But behind this explosion in size, the church has also been influenced by the corresponding economic growth over the past 30 to 40 years. One pastor poignantly shared with us: "In the past, poor economic conditions, coupled with waves of oppressive national social movements, made lives difficult for believers. But they were willing to sacrifice, and...

Back To The Bible A Little More!

Posted on September 8, 2021

The SALT story is not complete without the staunch support of our partners. These churches are fully committed to equipping their leaders through both deepening their Biblical knowledge and experiencing the truth. Our goal is to help the East Asian church train up solid Bible teachers and preachers for believers and non-believers alike. XM is one such partner, with whom we started our Three-Year Certificate Program two years ago. So far, six courses have been taught. Students have three more courses to take before graduation next year. Like other partners, XM normally caps enrollment for their certificate...

All God’s Work!

Posted on August 4, 2021

Rejoice with us over the recent graduation of 34 students from one of SALT's Three-Year Certificate Programs! All are missionaries (sent out from their local churches) who have previously studied theology elsewhere. So why would they choose to spend another three years with SALT? Brother Wang, who manages the "Fungus" training site, put it this way: "We received other theological training in the past, but in general, we found the training too theoretical. On the contrary, SALT courses hit close to home. They are practical and interactive. Not only does this make...

A Drop in the Bucket

Posted on July 6, 2021

What happens when a church of 200 believers, thirsty for systematic Bible training, has to split into four groups? Demand for training sharply shoots up three-fold. This is what has been occurring across East Asia as a result of COVID social-distancing controls. Though the pandemic itself poses little threat now, prevention protocols have restricted group gatherings to 50 people at most, with no sign of being relaxed. And so, more and more churches are requesting our help. The problem: With our limited resources, how can SALT best meet this challenge? With our...

A Race Against Time

Posted on June 6, 2021

"We want more Bible Book teaching!" That was the feedback our national trainers received a few years ago from believers across East Asia, hungering for more knowledge and training especially on the books of the Bible. At that time, out of a total of 30 courses, SALT had written only one based entirely on a book of the Bible, namely 1 Corinthians. "We need new and improved material!" That was the feedback our trainers gave us about the outdated content of our courses in light of the rise in educational levels of believers during...

Home Improvement

Posted on May 3, 2021

What joy to share with you stories of transformation from the church in East Asia, thanks to your steadfast support for SALT! Usually, we report on progress achieved within the area of ministry, e.g., how pastors have gained greater confidence and competence in their leadership and preaching skills, or how they have excelled in handling matters of doctrine or discipleship. This time, we bring you Sister Lee's testimony from "DH," our training site that was hardest hit by COVID where courses only resumed in October. The last course we were able...

A SALTY Multi-Course Feast

Posted on April 8, 2021

Hungering for more training after completing the Three-Year Certificate Program at the "WP" site, our first cohort of graduates embarked on SALT's newly launched Two-Year Diploma Program last month. We bring you feedback from one enthusiastic student Sister Lam at the conclusion of the first course, Bible Study Skills 1 (BSS1): "For any church teacher or preacher, BSS1 is not only an important but a fundamental subject. For if you lack knowledge of the truth, how can you teach it to others? If there is insufficient "nourishment," how can the flock grow to be healthy? Thank God for...

In Our Eyes

Posted on February 2, 2021

"Throughout the twists and turns of the recently completed Three-Year Certificate Program, God opened my eyes and bolstered my confidence. Witnessing the first graduation ceremony at the WP training site, and seeing the joy of more than 20 graduates, brought such excitement and gratitude to my heart that words cannot express. Overcome by emotion, I could barely see through my tears. There is still a long way for us to go, so I keep urging myself: in the future, I must prepare each lesson even better, so that the students can...