The Fruit of
God’s Faithfulness
Every year, we observe various milestones.
When we celebrate things like anniversaries or the new year, we are re-emboldened to achieve personal goals, and we marvel at the speeding passage of time.
Even more poignantly, we stop to acknowledge God’s handiwork, power, and provision in our lives.
God often uses milestones to remind us of His ever-present sovereignty and faithfulness.
In this—TMAI’s 20th year—we pause to look back with gratitude.
The legacy of this ministry provides a connection between past, present, and future, demonstrating how our history shapes our priorities and practices going forward.
From training to publishing to church planting to developing groundbreaking resources, God has positioned TMAI to take on great opportunities for kingdom work. Last November, Expository Preaching and Teaching Academy in Myanmar became our 19th member school, and candidate schools in Colombia and Romania are poised to become members in the next few years.
The Lord has also opened doors for us to produce a textbook and workbook focused on a biblical philosophy of missions, as well as an online resource center called The Center
for Biblical Missions to begin in 2025 as a compliment to the textbook. We look forward with a sense of responsibility and joy to these stewardships.
Yet with so many new prospects in front of us, we cannot lose sight of what is behind us. Our history shapes what will be and how we will move forward in equipping the global Church.
Just as in years past, we strive to be biblically faithful. Our distinctives, values, and priorities have not shifted—only the opportunities before us. This is all the fruit of God’s faithfulness, and we are committed to continuing the work in His way.
In the following stories, you will not just have a peek behind the curtain of God’s faithfulness since the start of TMAI and a look at the work currently being done, but will also have a view forward to the exciting opportunities that God has sovereignly ordained.
We pray that a legacy of joyful obedience and a commitment to His Name will continue, energizing and motivating faithful men to be Christ’s witnesses throughout the nations, all for His glory.
Until they all hear,
Mark Tatlock President
ON THE COVER Men at Evangelical Ministries of the Americas in Honduras fellowship between class 01 Students from Theological Biblical Academy in Croatia in 2005
02 Sean R., president of The Expositor's Academy in the Philippines, with a student at a class held in 2024
03 Students attend class at Christ Seminary in South Africa in 2014
TMAI is committed to fulfilling the Great Commission by training indigenous church leaders to be approved pastor-teachers, able to equip their churches to make biblically sound disciples.
Core Vue
AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE
The inerrant and sufficient word of God is our ultimate authority in all areas of life and ministry (2 Tim 3:16).
CENTRALITY OF THE LOCAL CHURCH
The goal of training is to strengthen His Church, the pillar and support of the truth (1 Tim 3:15).
PRIORITY OF THE GOSPEL
We train men to accurately proclaim the true gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe (Rom 1:16).
VALUE OF RESPECT
We train with the goal of entrusting the training ministries into the capable hands of our colaborers in other countries (2 Tim 2:2).
IMPORTANCE OF INTEGRITY
We uphold God’s high standard of holiness and integrity for spiritual leaders (1 Tim 3).
Di inctive
LONGEVITY
TMAI’s commitment to indigenous leadership positions us for long-term ministry without the interruptions that plague foreign missionaries (like visa issues and diplomatic volatility).
MULTIPLICATION
Following the model of 2 Timothy 2:2, gospel witnesses are being multiplied exponentially. The training of one man touches countless lives as he shepherds his own congregation or even sends more men to be trained like he was.
IMPACT
Since TMAI graduates already know the local language, customs, culture, and people to whom they’ll be ministering, they’re often more effective at planting and pastoring churches than foreign missionaries.
STEWARDSHIP
TMAI provides a return on investment that is unmatched. It costs nearly $75,000 to bring one pastor to the United States to study for a year, but with that same $75,000, TMAI can provide one year of training for 30 students in their own country.
PRESENCE
Faculty members live in the area where they minister, making it possible to disciple and invest in their students, both in the classroom and in the context of their local church ministries. Full-time presence means full-time discipleship.
MATURITY
TMAI is committed to equipping pastor-teachers to accurately handle the word of truth according to the biblical requirements for pastors (2 Tim 2:15).
PHOTO David R. speaks for Evangelical Ministries of the Americas in Honduras
No New Methods: The History of TMAI
Before the official start of TMAI in 2004, God was laying the groundwork for this ministry. He has shown His faithfulness and sovereignty in every encounter, years before its inception.
And it all began with a need, a prayer, and an invitation.
In 1986, John MacArthur established The Master’s Seminary (TMS), recognizing the need to train men in expository preaching and shepherding, with the goal of strengthening the American church.
But as time went on, it became clear that the need to train church leaders reached far beyond the United States.
After the Iron Curtain fell, there was a great need across the Soviet Union to resist the onslaught of false teaching that was coming from the west. A pastors’ conference was arranged in Kiev and MacArthur was invited to speak. What happened at that conference was a spark
What has gotten us here is what is going to move us forward: aiming to do what the Lord Jesus Christ has commanded for His church, in His way for His glory.
Because of the oppression of the Communist regime, churches in the Soviet Union never had the freedom to train the next generation of church leaders, but they knew that these men needed to be equipped with more training and tools than one conference could provide. They requested that TMS graduates move to Ukraine and train church leaders in expository preaching and pastoral ministry.
From this invitation, the first training center was born.
Seeing the growing need internationally, MacArthur prayed for an opportunity to help those overseas.
That opportunity appeared in 1991 with a call from Ukraine.
that ignited a flame that still burns today.
Arriving home after the conference, MacArthur received a request from the Christian leaders in Ukraine. They wanted someone to come and train their denomination’s pastors to preach in the same way that he preached.
But TMAI as we now know it did not yet exist. Individual training centers were doing the work of training around the world, but they did not have a central hub “back home” that supported or connected their efforts.
Thus, in 2004, The Master’s Academy International was established in order to provide
critical resources, support, connectivity, and common standards to its member schools around the world, and to fulfill the biblical mandate Pastor John had prayed for decades before.
In the past 20 years, through God’s faithfulness, TMAI has grown to 19 Training Centers (10 of which are led by indigenous men), and has celebrated the graduation of over 8,000 faithful students.
Those who have sought training come due to one major factor: TMAI’s commitment to stand firm on biblical truths, values, and practices. There are no new methods, only new opportunities.
Looking back, we praise God for His faithfulness and His sovereign choice to use TMAI Training Centers to accomplish His work around the world.
Looking ahead, we are dedicated to continuing the pattern of faithfulness to Scripture to address the needs of the global Church, and we are filled with joy and hopeful
anticipation to see how the Lord will use TMAI next.
What has gotten us here is what is going to move us forward: aiming to do what the Lord Jesus Christ has commanded for His Church, in His way for His glory.
01 Teacher with students at Samara Center for Biblical Training in Russia in 2005
02 Class of students at Central African Preaching Academy in Malawi in 2014
03 Student from Expository Preaching and Teaching Academy in Myanmar, our newest member school
A Fruitful Legacy: The Impact of
To plant a church is not merely to find a building, consider a budget, or even appoint elders.
Christ is the head of the Church, and He builds it not with bricks, but with people (Matthew 16:18). It is God’s doing alone, as faithful shepherds preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, producing a legacy of maturity, obedience, and faithfulness.
This is a pattern first modeled by our Savior, and one that remains today (John 15:5).
men where there is a need. And in places like the Czech Republic, the needs are great.
In the Czech Republic, less than 1% of the population identifies as evangelical Christian. There are many cities where no healthy churches exist at all, and the few other
part of equipping students for future ministry and church planting.
“They don’t have any way to utilize what they’ve learned, and the churches suffer as a result,” Lojza explains. "Church planting is so important. I’ve seen it more in the past year or two than ever.”
This is a practical outworking of the Great Commission: planting healthy, local churches.
It is this pattern and principle that Paul instructs Timothy with when he writes, “And the things which you have heard from me…entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). The central place where true discipleship occurs is within the local church.
A fruit of this faithfulness is the planting of churches by faithful
evangelical churches in the region do not adhere to a sound theology.
Discipleship is rare and church planting is sorely needed.
Lojza, director of Czech Bible Institute (CBI), never experienced the blessing of discipleship as a young believer in the Czech Republic. Because of this, he knew how important it was to build a model of discipleship as
A few years ago, at a conference put on by CBI, a group of believers asked Lojza’s church leadership to plant a church in their town. The leadership encouraged them to first commute to their local church and go through the CBI training—and then the church would consider sending them out to plant a new church.
The group accepted and started attending Lojza’s church.
Lojza and the leadership knew that to plant a church, leaders must first be trained. They
must first see how a biblically qualified leader is to live, work, and preach. They must first be discipled.
So, for two years, the group drove to Lojza’s church while the leaders attended CBI classes, served in the church, and learned what ministry and church life looked like. At the beginning of last year, they were sent out, equipped to plant a church of their own.
“It was amazing,” Lojza recalls. “It was so clear to our church
what was happening here, and when it was time, it was a joyful day.”
In the past year and a half, the church plant has thrived, doubling in size, and is built on a solid foundation of biblical truth.
This is a practical outworking of the Great Commission: planting healthy, local churches. In the Czech Republic and throughout the world, TMAI graduates are planting churches in their own
nations (and even in other nations), preaching the gospel and making disciples.
Looking forward, CBI is committed to continuing this pattern of making disciples and equipping men around the region.
“I want us to stay focused and faithful to what we do right now,” Lojza concluded. “We need to just be faithful.”
PHOTO The church plant celebrates the baptism of one of its members
Equipping the Global for Biblical Missions
TMAI has been working tirelessly to complete a project nearly five years in the making: editing two comprehensive volumes on global missions.
Early next year, Thomas Nelson will release our textbook Biblical Missions: Principles, Practices, and Priorities and the companion volume, the Biblical Missions Workbook.
But why did TMAI take on this laborious task?
The last half century of evangelical missions literature has been dominated by methods and strategies rooted in secular ideologies— which, in most cases, have replaced Scripture as the primary authority. For the global Church, this integrationist approach has cultivated dangerous compromises to biblical fidelity for several generations.
The Biblical Missions volumes exist to equip missionaries, students, and local church members who are committed to fulfilling the Great Commission according to the principles laid out in Scripture.
The Biblical Missions volumes exist to equip missionaries, students, and local church members who are committed to fulfilling the Great Commission according to the principles laid out in Scripture. God has graciously assembled 100 contributors to the textbook, including trusted names like John MacArthur, Paul Washer, and Conrad Mbewe. All the authors are experienced workers and leaders, representing a wide variety of backgrounds and contexts. Though the textbook is produced in North America, nearly 40 of the authors originate from other countries, and more than 60 currently live and minister in those countries. Yet for all this diversity, the contributors are united.
Thankfully, not all contemporary missions programs are secularized. Many church leaders have been laboring faithfully to send workers into the harvest who uphold the authority of Scripture.
Each is biblically trained and applies biblical texts to a range of missions issues affecting the global Church today. Each also applies sound doctrine to let Scripture guide the advance of the gospel among the nations.
Global Church
The Biblical Missions Workbook then applies the textbook’s instruction to help turn readers into students. It layers questions and assignments across 24 lessons, equipping students to translate biblical principles, priorities, and practices into action.
With the Biblical Missions volumes reaching final publication stages, the Lord has also allowed a network of other resources to coalesce into a new project: The Center for Biblical Missions at TMAI.
Through this, TMAI seeks to collaborate with trusted partners to equip the Church to fulfill the Great Commission. The Center for Biblical Missions aims to produce new content, provide counsel, and promote connection between
missions leaders, workers, and students in every region of the world.
Early next year, the center’s website will launch with the first fruits of online classes, articles, and a variety of aids for educators and pastors—all at the click of a mouse. We pray these resources would be helpful tools for believers as we seek to grow and mature in our biblical worldview and reach the nations with the gospel of Christ.
Please join TMAI in exalting our Lord and seeking His grace for these exciting projects. He is able “to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask” (Eph 3:20).
PHOTO Biblical Missions textbook (left) and workbook (right)
Ours to Fight: The Responsibility of Global Publishing
In 1525, William Tyndale finished his translation of the New Testament into English—the first translation that would bring God’s word to millions of Englishspeaking people.
As we approach the 500 year anniversary of this translation, we recognize that though Tyndale’s English New Testament has been cherished by Christians for half a millennium, there are still many people groups without Bibles or biblical resources in their native languages.
At TMAI, publishing will remain a priority for as long as there remains a need for biblically faithful resources to reach the nations.
During a recent ministry trip to the Middle East, an American pastor named William* taught the Bible at a youth group every evening for a week. It was clear that the young
people in attendance were receptive to and emboldened by the truth they were being taught.
One young woman approached William on the last day of class with a question. She wanted to know if he knew “John Mark.”
“Only from the Bible,” William replied.
“No,” she disagreed in her limited English, “No, John Mark,” she repeated, gently shaking her Bible.
The two, frustrated but amused by the linguistic limitation, found a translator who clarified, “She’s talking about the author of the Bible.”
"Oh, that's God, so I am guessing she means who is the publisher?"
“No, she means the person whose name is on the Bible.”
William looked to the Bible in the young woman’s hands. It was a MacArthur Study Bible in Arabic.
“How did you get this Bible?” William asked her.
She shared via translator that her Christian cousin sent it to her, encouraging her to read it and to use the notes inside. She expressed her gratitude to the author for the resource which made the Bible clear and accessible to her. The translation of this resource was instrumental in her conversion and walk as a Christian woman in the Middle East.
Recognizing the vital need for such resources as the MacArthur Study Bible, TMAI’s Training Center in the Middle East has made the MacArthur Study Bible notes available online and helped sponsor the translation of Biblical Doctrine in Arabic, which was completed in 2022.
Though Bible and Study Bible translations are important, they are not the only resources God uses.
In Thailand, funded by TMAI, a ministry partner translated Fundamentals of the Faith and offered it to local bookstores and seminaries. After months, they reluctantly agreed to take them on consignment, not expecting many sales.
To everyone’s surprise, in a matter of weeks, all 1,500 books had sold out and there were many requests for more copies. The publisher
did another printing and Fundamentals of the Faith is now a top selling title in Christian bookstores.
These are just two of the many examples of the critical role that translation and publishing are playing around the world to strengthen Christ’s Church.
From the translation of the English New Testament to the translation of the Arabic MacArthur Study Bible, God has been using ordinary men and women to bring His word to the nations.
did another printing and However, the past
However, the past generations are gone and the determination must be set in our own hearts that this is our work to be done, our fight to be fought.
We take up the responsibility of the Great Commission with conviction and joy, for the sake of all the nations coming to worship Christ.
And we praise the Lord for the privilege of being part of this legacy.
*name changed for security purposes
PHOTO Sample of books published with the help of TMAI's Global Publishing Department
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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" (Luke 10:2). 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.OR G/SUBSCRIBE.
INVEST
Our ministry would not be possible without the generosity of our donors. For every pastor trained, resource 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.
PHOTO Faly R., president of 3M Preaching Institute in Madagascar, speaks at a conference