Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world, with more than 20 million souls calling it home. The city is largely Roman Catholic, and the relatively small portion of the population that is Protestant suffers from a lack of sound doctrine. That reality led three Mexico City churches to reach out to Grace Community Church for help in establishing a ministry training center in 1997. The next year, with a burden for Mexico City, the needs of the church there, and the millions of lost souls in need of the gospel, Word of Grace Biblical Seminary (WGBS) was launched.
By God’s grace, the ministry has flourished over the past two decades. The first graduating class of WGBS included six men. Five of those men are now serving on the Board of Directors of WGBS, and a few of them have even seen their sons be trained and serve at WGBS. All of these men also serve the local church in a pastoral capacity, which is a distinctive commitment of all TMAI training centers. The training centers exist to serve and equip churchmen for church service, and every member of the faculty models this commitment.
Over the twenty years, nine extension campuses have been added, covering all areas of Mexico City, much of the nation, and even reaching into El Salvador. In total, the more than 500 graduates and 200 current students of WGBS are serving in more than 50 churches in the Spanish-speaking world.
The Lord has also expanded the training ministry of Word of Grace Biblical Seminary. Over the twenty years, nine extension campuses have been added, covering all areas of Mexico City, much of the nation, and even reaching into El Salvador. In total, the more than 500 graduates and 200 current students of WGBS are serving in more than 50 churches in the Spanish-speaking world. Several students have also gone on to receive more theological training and then returned to WGBS to serve and expand the training ministry there. The seminary has added programs for training lay leaders, pastors, and elders, helping them use their gifts to serve the local church.
Under the direction of Antonio Ortega (one of the members of that first graduating class) and the rest of the faculty, WGBS is poised for a lengthy future of training churchmen for the work of ministry. Your prayers and support help make that ministry possible, allowing WGBS—and other TMAI training centers around the globe—to train, equip, and encourage church leaders as they take the gospel to the world. Join us in praising the Lord for two decades of ministry in Mexico City and praying for many more.
