Training Christians, Missionaries, Pastors & Church Planters to Reach The Nations
Go with Jesus and The Fire Over Africa Missionary Training Institute (FOAMTI) exists to train Christians and indigenous missionaries, church planters, and pastors across Africa, Asia, and the world, to reach the nations with the good news of Jesus Christ. Founded by Dr. Gary Munson, FOAMTI draws on 35+ years of experience training church leaders in Africa and Asia.
Well-trained and prepared Christians, Christian Leaders, and indigenous missionaries and church planters are the biblical and most effective and successful way to reach nations with the gospel. The Apostle Paul's method of training, discipling, mentoring, and releasing local Christians and missionaries remains the best method available to us.
Three Pillars of Nations Training
FOAMTI's curriculum integrates three inseparable components. None stands alone — a trained missionary needs all three to be effective and faithful.
Pillar One
Academic Study
63 courses across 10 categories covering biblical foundations, Christian doctrine, evangelism, discipleship, church planting, missions, Muslim outreach, leadership, and ministry operations. Each course has 10 sessions with video teaching, lecture notes, discussion questions, quizzes, and practical assignments.
Pillar Two
Practical Experience
FOAMTI works in partnership with churches, denominations, fellowships, and missionary sending organizations who provide the practical training component — outreach activities, church planting experience, small group leadership, and going out two by two for evangelism. Ministry is built upon relationship.
Pillar Three
Spiritual Formation
The first goal is relationship with God through Jesus. Knowledge must be built upon that relational foundation. We teach and encourage daily personal prayer and devotion, small group accountability, seasons of fasting, family devotions, and character development through the Holy Spirit.
Introduction to Go with Jesus
Go with Jesus teaches is about equipping every Christian to be a missionary to their own people. and the trainers who send them. All materials are available free to indigenous African Christians, churches, and ministries through the online learning management system and the "Going for Jesus" smartphone app — in English, Amharic, French, Swahili and Indonesian, Consider a monthly donation to cover the costs of training leaders across Africa and Asia.
Founder, FOAMTI · 35+ Years in Africa & Asia
FOAMTI teaches both the missionaries and the trainers who send them. All materials are available free to indigenous African Christians, churches, and ministries through the online learning management system and the "Going for Jesus" smartphone app — in English, Amharic, French, Arabic, and more.
- LMS
- App
- EN
- AM
- FR
- AR
Core Commitments That Guide Everything
Every course, every session, every sentence is shaped by these non-negotiable theological anchors drawn from Scripture and Dr. Munson's decades of ministry.
Christocentricity
Jesus Christ is the center — not theology, not statements of faith, not even the Bible as an abstraction. Christ is the hermeneutical key to all Scripture, the model for all leadership, and the content of all proclamation.
Scripture as God's Self-Revelation
The Bible is the inspired Word of God, written by humans led by the Spirit. It is sufficient for faith and life, yet God continues to speak by His Spirit in ways that never contradict Scripture.
The Primacy of the Holy Spirit
The Spirit brings grace, empowers for holy living and service, leads and guides the believer, gives gifts for ministry, and is the agent of transformation. All gifts of the Spirit are operative today.
Theology as Lived, Not Merely Known
"What we believe is revealed by our actions and living; therefore there is no good theology outside of godly living." Academic theology separated from character is deficient.
Missional Identity
The church exists to make disciples of all people groups. Every believer is a participant in the mission, not a spectator. Paul's method of training and releasing local missionaries remains the best method.
Unity, Not Divisiveness
Jesus prayed for the unity of the church. Theology should bring Christians together, not drive them apart. FOAMTI avoids denominational polemics and seeks common ground in Christ.
Contextual Sensitivity Without Syncretism
Content respects African cultural realities — oral traditions, communal identity, extended family, and spiritual worldview — while maintaining Jesus as the absolute center and rejecting any mixture.
Formation Over Information
The goal of Christianity is not to teach good theology but to bring humans into proper relationship with God. FOAMTI prioritizes character formation through the Holy Spirit alongside academic study.
Dr. Gary Munson — A Life Devoted to Training Africa's Missionaries
Origins & Calling
FOAMTI grew out of Dr. Gary Munson's 35+ years of experience training indigenous church leaders. Dr. Munson has initiated, built, and managed leadership development programs extensively in Africa and Asia. During his time living in Ethiopia between 2008 and 2013, he developed and led a missionary training program that became the foundation for what FOAMTI is today.
"The goal of Christianity and the work of Christ is not to teach good theology but to bring humans into proper relationship with God. Good theology is helpful in that process, but not the purpose of Jesus."
— Dr. Gary Munson
"What we believe is revealed by our actions and living; therefore there is no good theology outside of godly living."
— Dr. Gary Munson
The Heart behind Go with Jesus
Having ministered in Africa and Asia for over 35 years, we have learned that traditional teaching and training methods needed improvement. Language is a major barrier and so we must use local languages. Across the world, though many would say we want every Christian to participate in building God’s kingdom, we need a practical approach to make that. Happen. Every Christ follower is needed if we are going to make disciples of all nations and the need is urgent!
Teaching Philosophy
Dr. Munson's teaching voice is informal and conversational — not lecturing at students but walking with them. He is warm, pastoral, and relational, treating every learner as a valued brother or sister in Christ. He uses humor appropriately, tells stories from 35 years of ministry across Africa and Asia, and always points to Scripture and the work of the Holy Spirit. We learn together as we follow Christ.
Dr. Munson holds two doctoral degrees, one in education and the other in Theologyu/missiology. He brings deep formation from his studies under Violet Kiteley at Shiloh Bible College. His theology is Christocentric, Spirit-empowered, and missional. He has extensive experience in Ethiopia, among the Chinese house church movement, across East Africa, and in cross-cultural settings throughout Asia — all of which shapes the Go with Jesus curriculum.
Missionary Candidate Prerequisites
Before beginning the Go with Jesus training, we recommend the following faith foundations. These are not barriers — they are building blocks that ensure fruitful training.
Faith Foundation
These represent the spiritual readiness that positions a learner to get the most from the Go with Jesus curriculum.
Practical Training Activities
These hands-on activities are done by a church or sending partners while learners study through The Go with Jesus courses.
What Our Learners Have to Say
I came out of Islam recently and I regret not coming to the Lord sooner. I have a family of four and they have heard the gospel and accepted Jesus. I come from a very Islam dominant area and I reached to 10-15 of my people before coming here. And now that I have took this training, I believe there will be a lot more. I used to be a leader in my community and I am certain I will be able to reach influential people there.
Fentaw Hussein
I come from around Desse, from an area dominated by Muslims, not even Orthodox Christians live there. I heard the gospel from Seid Eshetu. He shared it with me when he came to visit his relatives there. I have come to understand that a disciple is a follower. When I return, I will pray and work for my people to come out of the darkness and hold on to the truth.
Seyoum Ali
I am from Ajbar. I have learned a lot from our training. The first is that a disciple is a follower who learns and then teaches others and it's someone whose life testifies of the truth he has learned. It has greatly encouraged me to minister more and bring forth strong, steady believers in my area. We have been preaching the gospel up to now and moving forward I am strengthened to sacrifice a lot, even my life, for the Lord's cause to make disciples who are rooted in truth and righteousness.
Seid
I come from south Wollo zone. I have been serving the Lord in my own community, preaching the gospel from the context of Islam. And having taken this training, I give my word to serve even more unceasingly with love, urging others to look like Jesus and make disciples.
Ahmed Muhammed
I am from Berera. Sometime after I came to the Lord my ox died and I asked the people around me to help but they heard that I was a Christian and refused to cooperate with me. That had hurt me and exerted psychological pressure at the time. But the Lord kept on looking out for me and brought me here to take this training. I have made a promise to preach the gospel in my community using words they understand and work even more than before to bring my parents out of the darkness.
Jemal Mebratu
Begin Your Journey — Free
for All African Believers
All 63 courses, all 5 certificate programs, all materials — completely free to indigenous African Christians, churches, and ministries. Available online and on the "Going for Jesus" smartphone app.