Prepared: For Every Good Work

PREPARED FOR EVERY GO OD WORK

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A Testimony to a Lasting Foundation A L E T T E R F R OM M A R K TAT L O C K

What does it mean to be great in God’s kingdom?

In our world, fleshly and man-centered definitions of success abound. Greatness is often measured by numbers: increasing enrollment, larger programs, bigger locations.

who are expressing increasing discernment against falsehood and a longing to grow in the truth.

At TMAI, we have identified several dimensions of ministry where God has increased our impact.

Defining success in ministry can fall prey to this same temptation. But as stewards of God’s gifts, our primary focus should never be elevating our own importance but pursuing biblically-defined excellence.

First, in every region of our ministry, God continues to develop new training centers. Last year, we welcomed the Faculty of Scriptural Theology as our 19th member school, serving believers in the French-speaking world.

Dr. John MacArthur made this distinction clear.

We have also seen current training centers develop extensions in their own countries or even bring their resources across borders—as in the work of the Samara Center for Biblical Training in Armenia.

“Excellence beams the spotlight not on the external but on the internal spirit, becoming the quiet but pervasive conscience of the conscientious person who yearns for integrity...

Success encourages expedience and compromise...Excellence cultivates principles and consistency.”

Any effort of eternal value must first reflect God’s priorities: His Word and His church. This is why at TMAI, we have rooted our ministry in fundamental distinctives. Our approach pursues the long-term, ongoing groundwork of mentoring and discipling leaders to mature local congregations and multiply gospel witness. Rather than impose artificial timelines on the development of ministries, we seek to respond according to the maturity of each church and each region.

When the measure of our impact is marked by integrity and steadfastness, we can appropriately rejoice in the fruit God has granted, in His timing. The gospel is advancing, and church leaders are being equipped. We are thankful to serve many

And finally, many of our member schools are initiating new programs or projects in response to believers asking for resources such as biblical counseling and publishing.

The following stories highlight these aspects of growth—not as an end in itself, but as a testimony to a lasting foundation.

This is greatness in God’s kingdom: faithful obedience. We continue to strive—not for fleeting glory, but an eternal end: the advancement of the gospel, for the glory of God. Until they all hear,

Mark Tatlock President

EBTC Students in Berlin, Germany

Students receive resources during graduation at Shepherd’s Training College, Uganda

Excellence beams the spotlight not on the external but on the internal spirit, becoming the quiet but pervasive conscience of the conscientious person who yearns for integrity...Success encourages expedience and compromise...Excellence cultivates principles and consistency.

Pastor John MacArthur preaches at TMAI graduation in Germany

—Dr. John MacArthur

“You focus on the depth of God’s word, and let God take care of the breath of your ministry.”

—Dr. John MacArthur

John MacArthur presents degree to Oleg Kalyn, the current dean of TMAI’s training center in Ukraine

A church family in Myanmar enjoys worship during a power outage

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Who We Are TMAI is committed to fulfilling the Great Commission by training indigenous church leaders to be approved pastorteachers, able to equip their churches to make biblically sound disciples.

Core Values Authority of Scripture

The inerrant and sufficient Word of God is our ultimate authority. Therefore, we submit to His word in all areas of life and ministry (2 Tim 3:16).

Centrality of the Local Church

The church is the pillar and support of the truth (1 Tim 3:15), the institution that Christ promised to build (Matt 16:18). Therefore, our training has as its goal the strengthening of His church.

Priority of the Gospel

The gospel of Jesus Christ alone is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Rom 1:16). Therefore, fundamental to our theological education is an accurate and thorough proclamation of this true gospel.

Importance of Integrity

We uphold God’s high standard of holiness and integrity for spiritual leaders (1 Tim 3:1-16). Therefore, we provide accountability in matters of doctrine, finance, and academics.

Value of Respect

We approach international ministry with a commitment to honoring our co-laborers in other countries. Therefore, we purpose from the outset to train in a way so as to entrust the training ministries into their capable hands (2 Tim 2:2).

TMAI 2025 Africa Regional Summit

Distinctives Stewardship

TMAI provides a return on investment that is unmatched. Consider this: It costs nearly $75,000 to bring one pastor from Africa to the US to study for a year. However, for the same $75,000, TMAI can provide one year of training for thirty students in Africa. There is no question which is the wiser stewardship of the Lord’s resources.

Multiplication

By training one local pastor, we are strengthening an entire church congregation. That body, in turn, will be fully equipped to faithfully preach Christ to its surrounding community. With TMAI graduates teaching in thousands of churches, gospel witnesses are multiplied exponentially.

An investment into one pastor’s life brings a harvest of many.

Impact

Given the proper training, indigenous church leaders are more effective at planting and pastoring churches than foreign missionaries since they are fluent in the language, have an innate knowledge of their culture, and are intimately connected to the people to whom they minister.

Because our graduates face no cultural or language barrier, ministry impact is maximized from day one.

Presence

Our faculty live in the country where they minister. This allows them to thoroughly invest in the lives of their students, discipling them and their families as they apply what they’ve learned through ministry in the local church. Full-time presence means full-time discipleship.

Maturity

Our training centers take seriously the call to equip pastor-teachers for the work of the ministry. Far from teaching mere church growth and administration techniques, TMAI grounds men in the Word of God and gives them the skills to powerfully exposit the Word and shepherd the flock. In short, these are approved workmen who accurately handle the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15).

Longevity

Because our students are trained in their own countries, they are not subject to the visa issues and diplomatic volatility that sometimes plague missionaries. Rather, they are equipped for a lifetime of ministry in their home country even after the missionaries leave. Furthermore, TMAI’s commitment to indigenous leadership means that ultimately, each training center will be put into the hands of these capable local leaders.

This is true ministry longevity.

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They Planted, But God Caused the Growth T R A I N I N G PA S T O R S I N A R M E N IA There are no shortcuts to a healthy ministry. A firm foundation must be laid—and tested—through time. Repeatedly in Scripture, we read that the Lord’s servants are to be patient through trial, trusting God with the harvest.

One such testimony has developed in Armenia through the ministry of TMAI’s member school in Samara, Russia.

In May 2011, two men from the Samara Center for Biblical Training (SCBT) traveled to Yerevan, Armenia. In response to requests from a local church, they hoped to organize an expository preaching program for the maturing of Armenian pastors.

Armenia first made Christianity its state religion in 301 AD. But to many Armenians, faith has become synonymous with rituals and observances. Most churches are typified by

There are no shortcuts to a healthy ministry. A firm foundation must be laid—and tested—through time.

A class of pastors graduating from the preaching program in Armenia

A view of iconic Mount Ararat

prosperity teaching or moralistic messaging. Few clearly teach the Scriptures.

SCBT saw an opportunity to reach this nation, considering its geographical proximity to Russia and its history as a former Soviet country. In 2012, the training center launched an initial two-year preaching program. But when the program ended, no desire for further training followed.

Armenian churches and leaders had not yet recognized their need for well-trained ministers of God’s Word.

Rather than abandon the work, SCBT chose to patiently sow seeds. In 2015, a SCBT graduate named Erik began traveling to Armenia every few months to hold seminars and preaching classes for small groups of men.

He would do this for nearly ten years.

Alongside their brothers, ministry leaders in the United States began meeting regularly to pray for God’s work in Armenian hearts. One of these men began partnering with TMAI to translate almost twenty books to resource the pastors.

For three years, the group prayed earnestly for another need: a trained national leader who could invest deeply in local churches. That man proved to be Hovig, a Canadian

Armenian who learned about the need after graduating from The Master’s Seminary in 2018. At TMAI’s invitation, Hovig and his family moved to Armenia to assist the ministry.

Since 2022, Hovig has helped lead three new cohorts through the preaching program, and a fourth is beginning in the fall. A fellowship of seven like-minded churches has developed, all eager for their leaders to be trained. Hovig describes this changed attitude with joy:

This is the fruit of persistent faithfulness. Men like Erik planted seeds, waiting with hope for God to prepare ready hearts. In His timing, others are now seeing the harvest of these efforts. As we strive for the advancement of the gospel, God has called us to walk in patience, trusting the growth that He alone ordains (1 Cor 3:6).

“They are experiencing the difference between the kind of preaching that they had gotten used to before and what they have right now— because once you model expository preaching through Scripture, they love it because they’re lovers of God’s Word.”

While partnership with SCBT continues, the ministry in Armenia is seeking to establish itself as a TMAI training center, with other pastors coming to join Hovig in teaching.

Repeatedly in Scripture, we read that the Lord’s servants are to be patient through trial, trusting God with the harvest.

Alexey Kolomiytsev preaches at a Slavic Conference in Germany

Pastor Hovig Bajanian teaches a class in the pastoral training program in Armenia

Students gather during studies at Samara Center for Biblical Training

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What Could They Read?

R E S OU R C I N G T H E C Z E C H R E P U B L IC

In the spring of 2025, heavy rains pounded the town of Kroměříž, Czech Republic. As locals worried about damaged houses and flooded roads, the team at Czech Bible Institute (CBI) had one significant concern: the books. Thousands of paperback and hardcover titles were stacked in damp garages—the fruit of ten years of CBI’s publishing ministry.

Didasko Publishing’s growing repository of books had been stored all over Kroměříž, shuffled between homes, garages, and a church attic. The lack of a central publishing base made

In 2012, the school was focused on the primary effort of raising effective ministers of God’s Word in a culture where less than one percent of the population are evangelical Christians. In support of this, they envisioned completing just one publication: a Czech translation of the MacArthur Study Bible. There were only four men available for the efforts of editing, proofreading, and publishing—all of them volunteering their time as pastors with their own ministries and families.

A church service in Kromeriz, Czech Republic

distribution very complicated, but the training center didn’t have the funds for a building to store them.

And now the floodwaters were rising.

Losing the books meant more than a financial hit. It would be the loss of some of the most valuable tools for spiritual growth—resources to equip Czech pastors and churches, guard sound doctrine, and encourage believers.

Members of CBI’s home church acted quickly. Over the span of two days, they jumped into their vehicles and braved the waters to move the precious boxes to drier ground.

The close call with the floods served as a reminder that God was not only protecting, but blessing Didasko Publishing— on a scale that the training center could not have conceived of just a decade prior.

“We actually did not even have a desire to start a publishing ministry,” Lojza Klepacek, director of CBI, admitted.

Church member using resources at the Czech Bible Institute

God is working through the written word to bring men and women to Himself

Students training at the Czech Bible Institute

five, then building—made possible by generous donors just a few weeks earlier. Rooted in the same theological convictions taught at CBI, these resources first built up the training center’s students, then strengthened the congregations and Bible studies that these men led. Soon, the books spread to churches who didn’t have pastors, to Czechs who couldn’t read or speak English, and thus had no access to sound theological material. People even began to attend CBI’s yearly conferences as a result.

Today, Didasko Publishing is the largest publishing house for Christian books in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with about 250 titles produced.

Last year, when the rains struck Kroměříž, God had already provided

“We realized people are buying it; people are reading it. We should do more.”

Lojza Klepacek, director of CBI

The small team began asking Bible publishers in the Czech Republic for the rights to use a Czech translation of Scripture for the study Bible. But no publisher was willing to grant the request for such a project.

The CBI team had to pivot to smaller projects while they waited.

They decided to print MacArthur’s study notes as a separate commentary and produce a Czech translation of John Piper’s “Don’t Waste Your Life.”

The first run of these books sold within a few months.

“We realized,” Lojza said, “people are buying it; people are reading it. We should do more.”

The small team had come face to face with the vast need for truth-filled resources in the Czech language. There were only a few evangelical book publishers in the entire country. At best, their offerings were limited. At worst, their publications were theologically insubstantial.

What could Czech Christians read?

In answer, Didasko Publishing began advancing into commentaries, Puritan classics, biographies, and even children’s books. The number of releases grew from two books a year to

a solution. CBI was able to move their books to a permanent building—made possible by generous donors just a few weeks earlier.

The new warehouse is safe, dry, and offers room for the ministry as it continues to grow. Didasko Publishing hopes to expand into eBooks and audio books, and there is even a growing desire for material written—not just translated—by CBI’s own faculty.

In many locations like the Czech Republic, this demand for resources is just one fruit of a training center’s investment into the spiritual maturity of local believers. When men and women are awakened to the effective preaching of God’s Word, they develop an appetite for truth.

Translated books not only provide church leaders with trustworthy tools for ministry, they also equip believers to understand, obey, and live out the commands of Scripture.

God is working through the written Word to bring men and women to Himself—and no storm can defeat His purposes.

CBI is one of many training centers that partner with TMAI to produce sound biblical resources in dozens of languages. Our Global Publishing Department makes this possible even for small teams, by engaging with U.S. publishers to streamline the translation, publication, and distribution of these invaluable materials.

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Equipped For Every Good Work M AT U R I N G T H E C H U R C H I N C O L OM B IA The process of equipping for every good work does not end with a trained preacher.

As the apostle Paul wrote, God gave pastors and teachers to His people to equip saints for the building up of the body of Christ, unity among the brethren, and a mature congregation—so that they may speak the truth in love, which “causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Eph 4:11–16).

In Colombia, pastors are laboring to equip their congregations to fulfill this command.

Located at a strategic crossroads between Central and South America, Colombia is home to TMAI’s training center Seminario de Expositores (SEMDEX) and the SEMDEX professors’ local church, Iglesia Bíblica Cristiana de Cali (IBCC).

“I would say that the culture here in Colombia is very spiritual, but not necessarily in a good way,” writes Michael Dennis, professor at SEMDEX and pastor at IBCC. Spiritual ignorance and pervasive false teaching have distorted the people’s understanding of truth. To counter this, the pastors understood that they must prioritize faithful preaching that would transform and equip the saints.

For this, they knew they must first cultivate doctrinally sound churches.

“The way to fulfill the Great Commission is by establishing biblical churches,” Santiago Armel, professor at SEMDEX and pastor of IBCC states. “Only when we plant local churches, can we fulfill the Great Commission.”

But a biblical church is not established by securing a building and hiring a trained pastor. As IBCC grew, the pastors naturally saw the need for the congregation to understand its responsibility to serve one another.

From the beginning, the goal of IBCC’s pastors was to equip the church to counsel one another. For this to become reality, the SEMDEX professors held firm in their commitment to expository preaching.

Expository preaching does not merely inform the mind; it trains a congregation how to think, interpret, apply, and speak

Scripture to one another. As the Word is faithfully preached week after week, the congregation increasingly begins to think biblically—not only about doctrine, but about daily life and relationships.

IBCC leadership emphasized that the congregation must understand its responsibility to serve—not merely to receive.

As Michael explains, “every believer has their own gift that they need to put into practice for the edification of the body.”

“The main thing that started the counseling class was that I knew with the church growing as fast as it was that there was no way that [leadership] could do all of the counseling that needed to be done,” Michael confesses. As the church and its thirst for truth grew, the needs multiplied—many were rooted in bad theology that had inevitably produced broken lives.

This is the reality of growth when the Word of God is faithfully preached: more conviction, more repentance, and more need for wise, biblical care. Michael and Santiago recognize this: “...Everyone already is a counselor. The moment anyone talks to you about a struggle, a problem, their suffering, they just put you in the position of counselor. You will either give bad counsel, no counsel, or biblical counsel. Given that everyone is already a counselor, the idea is to equip them to do it well in a way that glorifies God.” And the foundation for this work is one primary, vital component: sound doctrine.

Graduates of Seminario de Expositores, Colombia

This is a natural blessing of expository preaching: the cultivation of hearts that naturally desire to do what Scripture has called them to do.

“We counsel based on the sound doctrine that we hold,” Michael affirms. Biblical counseling at IBCC flows directly from the doctrine taught at SEMDEX and faithfully preached in the local church.

Recognizing this, leadership crafted the first class to cover foundational, theological truths necessary for counseling, titled Anchors of Biblical Counseling—to ground church members in core doctrines such as the sufficiency of Scripture, the nature of the heart, and God’s purposes in suffering.

This is a natural blessing of expository preaching: the cultivation of hearts that naturally desire to do what Scripture has called them to do.

The counseling training has matured and strengthened the church.

Personal sanctification has deepened, older women are counseling the younger through trials of life, and friends are coming alongside one another—provoking a greater commitment to live righteously.

As this model has taken root, SEMDEX and IBCC have become reference points for pastors and churches seeking faithfulness—not only in preaching, but in shepherding.

Santiago Armel (SEMDEX Colombia) speaking at the Muestra a Cristo conference

As the Word is faithfully preached week after week, the congregation increasingly begins to think biblically.

“I think the Lord has raised up IBCC as a key church in the region that many pastors and churches look to for guidance and as a model.

This doesn’t include just preaching from the pulpit but also preaching from the counseling room. The two go hand-in-hand.”

In this way, equipping the saints for every good work is not a program added to the Great Commission, but is its intended outcome—a mature church built up through the faithful ministry of the Word.

SEMDEX and IBCC are not exceptional because of innovation, but because of consistency. What God is doing in Colombia reflects what He is doing across TMAI’s training centers: growth that flows from faithfulness to the Word.

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One Family, One Mission O P E N D O O R S A N D M OV I N G D I RT I N U G A N DA

In 2006, three Americans surveyed a one-hundred-acre landscape of wild, uncultivated, isolated jungle in the middle of Uganda.

“Well,” the father started, “looks like a lot of work.”

For many, this could be discouraging. For a visionary with a clear calling like Shannon Hurley, his father-in-law’s words were motivating. Yes, it’s a lot of work—but even more, it’s opportunity.

Two decades of faithful, unseen labor would follow before that vision came to fruition.

Today, with roads, buildings, a football field, and nearly 200 students and their families living on site, those 100 acres are home to Sufficiency of Scripture (SOS) Ministries and its seminary, Shepherd’s Training College (STC).

Through the decades of development and growth of SOS, Shannon knew that a seminary was always his first goal, and a vital need in Uganda.

Students receiving certificates in Christian Foundations and Discipleship from STC Uganda

“It was my desire from the very beginning when I left America to establish a training center,” Shannon confirms. “I recognized that this country was lacking strong churches— the only way to establish churches was to see pastors trained.”

Uganda is an East African nation with a hunger for the gospel, but very little gospel clarity. The door is wide open—not only to evangelism, but to every false doctrine and cult to rush in. In a culture where the people are excited about spiritual realities but are without biblical substance, a foundation of sound doctrine must be laid.

To preach sound doctrine, men must first be taught, equipped, discipled, and trained.

So, Shannon built infrastructure not for expansion’s sake, but for one purpose: to train men in sound doctrine and expository preaching—one day partnering with TMAI. This was his hope from day one of moving dirt in Uganda.

“TMAI and STC’s partnership makes sense because we’re united together in theology, passion in discipleship of the nations, and philosophy of ministry.”

In a culture where the people are excited about spiritual realities but are without biblical substance, it requires a foundation to be laid of sound doctrine.

“We’re a part of the same family,” shares Shannon. As a two-time alumnus of The Master’s Seminary, his confidence in TMAI rests in its fidelity to the Word. “We share the same fear of Scripture and desire to get it right. We also share a high view of God, the pulpit, and the responsibility of entrusting men with truth.”

This responsibility before the Lord shapes how STC has developed its culture and curriculum. Whole families move to SOS to be discipled, served, and learn together. Men undergo a rigorous curriculum to strengthen their convictions, deepen their understanding, and sharpen their ability to rightly divide the Word. All are immersed in church life and prepared to shepherd and serve Christ’s church faithfully.

And at the conclusion of 2025, STC became a new candidate school, and is expected to join as a TMAI member school in 2026.

The story of STC reflects a pattern seen across TMAI training centers.

Growth does not appear from chasing opportunities but is a natural result of faithfulness to Scripture. As men are trained to preach Scripture and churches throughout Uganda are rooted in sound doctrine, God brings the fruit in His time—preparing His people for

every good work through the faithful labor of men willing to move dirt and trust the Word. .

Long before buildings stood or students arrived, STC was being prepared for every good work through an unwavering commitment to the Word of God. What now appears as growth is simply the fruit of years spent laying a doctrinal foundation—one sermon, one student, one faithful act at a time.

Long before buildings stood or students arrived, STC was being prepared for every good work through an unwavering commitment to the Word of God.

Graduating class from Shepherd’s Training College in Uganda

The Great Commission 1991

1

Pastors’ Conference – Kyiv, Ukraine

1992

2

Irpin Biblical Seminary – Kyiv, Ukraine

1997

3

Christ Seminary – Polokwane, South Africa

1998

4 5 6

2000

7

2001

8

Word of Grace Biblical Seminary – Mexico City, Mexico Word of Grace Bible Institute – Vancouver, WA Theological Biblical Academy – Krapina, Croatia Samara Center for Biblical Training – Samara, Russia 24

9

European Bible Training Center – Berlin, Germany Seminario Para la Predicación Expositiva – Siguatepeque, Honduras 5

2002

10

Pastoral Training Seminary – India 11 20

2004

11 12

2005

13

The Master’s Academy International – California, USA Verbum Evangelical Institute of Theology – Genoa, Italy Southeastern Europe Theological Seminary – Tirana, Albania

4 9

2006

14

EBTC Extension – Zürich, Switzerland

2008

15

The Expositor’s Academy – Manila, Philippines

2009

16

Berea Seminary – León, Spain

2014

17 18

2019

19

2022

20 21 22

Czech Bible Institute – Kroměříž, Czech Republic Central African Preaching Academy – Lilongwe, Malawi Grace Bible Seminary – Kyiv, Ukraine

TMAI Global Publications – California, USA Shepherds’ Training Institute – Egypt and Lebanon Instituto de Expositores en Argentina – Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

2023

23

Expository Preaching & Teaching Academy – Yangon, Myanmar

2025

24

Newest TMAI School: Faculty of Scriptural Theology – Quebec, French Canada

22

7

8 14

1

17

2

19

6

16

13 12

21 10 23

15

18

3

* Some locations are not listed for security reasons

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TMAI Statistics

19

75%

2,985

8,050

1,200 Churches with TMAI graduates

45

Languages Spoken

by Student Body

130

477

1,589

Training Centers

Graduates

Translation Projects Started in 2025

Indigenous Faculty

Total Translation Projects

Current Students

MacArthur Resources Available in Electronic, Audio, and Print

Partner with Us Intercede

Jesus, after telling His disciples that the fields are ripe for harvest, told them to “beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers.” Prayer is still the greatest need today. We invite individuals and organizations to join us in praying for the Lord’s work through TMAI around the world. Sign up for prayer updates at TMAI.ORG/SUBSCRIBE.

Invest

Our ministry would not be possible without the generosity of our donors. For every pastor trained, resources translated, and conference held around the world, there are multiple supporters whose gifts have enabled that ministry. If you are interested in financially supporting this exciting global work, visit TMAI.ORG/DONATE.

Introduce

You can play a significant role in TMAI’s ministry by introducing us to others who share a passion to see Christ’s name exalted among the nations. Please contact the TMAI home office at INFO@TMAI.ORG or call 818.909.5570 and we will be happy to work with you to connect with any individuals or organizations you recommend.

Ministry partners distribute the Biblical Missions textbook TMAI Symposium, Santa Clarita, CA

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MALAWI

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MIDDLE EAST

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