Since March of 2007, we have held sessions of the Instituto Biblico Interdenominacional, our Pastor Training School. In November 2010, twenty eight pastors received diplomas recognizing their completion of 3 years of schooling, consisting of 500 hours of class time plus homework. During November, December, and January the school is closed for coffee harvesting season, as this is the time when the pastors earn most of their annual income.

Running the school is expensive; it uses up about 25% of the average monthly donations we receive. The cost is about $16 per pastor each month, and we average about 50 pastors at each session. During the school sessions we house and feed the pastors for 3 days. We provide all of the study materials at no cost. The teachers are all volunteers, usually Honduran, but occasionally we have guest lecturers who come from the US. For those teachers, we generally also have to hire and pay translators. The pastors are not charged anything for the school. Most would not be able to attend if there was a fee - some already cannot come, who would wish too, because they cannot afford the cost of transportation and the days away from the work which supports their families (usually agricultural work).

Follow this link to read blog updates on the Pastor Training School.