Ethnos360
Ethnos360, formerly known as New Tribes Mission, is an international, theologically evangelical Christian mission organization based in Sanford, Florida, United States.
Ethnos360 sends missionaries from local churches around the world to Latin America, West Africa, Southeast Asia and the Arctic. New Tribes Mission is also a member of the Forum of Bible Agencies International.
Focus and beliefs
The mission's focus is on groups where no translation of the Bible exists. When such a group is identified, Ethnos360 first attempts to make contact and establish a relationship. Then, missionaries are sent to learn the language and the culture of the native people, while further developing relationships and providing humanitarian aid. The missionaries translate biblical literature into the indigenous language, as well as teach natives how to read and write in their own language. The professed goal, however, is to establish fully functioning churches that operate independently of missionaries, which "in turn reach out to their own people and to neighboring tribes".The core belief of Ethnos360 is "sola scriptura", accompanied by a historical-grammatical hermeneutic in interpreting the scriptures. This emphasis on "word by word inspiration" leads to literal belief "in the fall of man resulting in his complete and universal separation from God and his need of salvation". Those who die unsaved go to "unending punishment". Additionally, Ethnos360 is a classically dispensational organization, subscribing to the "imminent... pretribulation and pre-millennial return" of Jesus Christ to earth.
History
Founding
NTM was founded by Paul Fleming, from Los Angeles, in 1942. In the 1930s Fleming had worked as a missionary in the British colony of Malaya. Initially, NTM was based in a former nightclub in Chicago.In 1943 NTM started publishing its magazine Brown Gold. In 1944/45, NTM moved headquarters to Chico, California. Shortly thereafter it established a "boot camp" at Fouts Springs, California.
Early activity expansion and associated personnel deaths
The organization sent out its first group in November 1942 to Bolivia. On January 12, 1944, the startling news came back that five of the men were missing. Details were revealed years later and, according to Time magazine, these five NTM missionaries were killed by aboriginal Bolivians in 1943.In June 1950 the first plane bought by NTM crashed in Venezuela, killing all 15 people on board. The second plane bought by NTM crashed in November of the same year at Mount Moran in Grand Teton National Park while on its way to bring missionaries abroad, killing all 21 aboard, including spouses, several children and founder Paul Fleming.
In July 1953, 14 NTM members serving as volunteer firefighters died in what became known as the Rattlesnake Fire about north of Fouts Springs, California in the Mendocino National Forest.
Personnel deaths by guerrillas in Colombia and the Philippines
In the late 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, a number of New Tribes Mission personnel have been killed by guerrillas in different parts of the world.- In 1993 members of the FARC guerrilla movement abducted three New Tribes Mission missionaries from a village in Panama and brought them to Colombia where they were killed in 1996.
- In 1994 two other missionaries were killed after being taken at gunpoint from an NTM school in Colombia.
- In May 2001 Abu Sayyaf rebels in the Philippines kidnapped a NTM pilot, Martin Burnham, and his wife, Gracia, as they celebrated a wedding anniversary. In June 2002, during a rescue attempt by government troops, Martin Burnham was killed and Gracia Burnham received non-fatal gunshot wounds to the leg.
Training program
The first phase of the training consists of basic Bible education. This phase lasts two years. In the US, this training takes place at the , in Waukesha, Wisconsin, formerly called New Tribes Bible Institute. This portion of the training program is often waived for candidates possessing previous Bible training from accredited Bible colleges.
The second phase of the program involves extensive study in cross-cultural communication, church planting, and linguistic analysis. It also lasts two years as candidates study advanced linguistic techniques, learning how to alphabetize unwritten languages and translate the Bible. Formerly called "Boot Camp" this phase also emphasizes basic living skills necessary for survival in undeveloped areas of the world. In the US, this takes place at the Ethnos360 Missionary Training Center in Camdenton, Missouri.
An NTM Canadian training center exists in Durham, Ontario. Similar training programs exist in other countries, including Brazil, Germany, Mexico and United Kingdom.
Aviation program
Ethnos360 operates an aviation program known as Ethnos360 Aviation, with the purpose of reaching more rural areas. Pilots are trained at a facility in McNeal, Arizona. It is required that they have at least 300 hours of pilot-in-command experience, a commercial pilot certificate, and mechanic certification. Ethnos360 Aviation also flies and operates in the United States, Brazil, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and the Asia Pacific region. Fixed-wing aircraft, such as the Quest Kodiak, and helicopters, like the Robinson R66, are flown. In January 2020, Ethnos360 raised $2 million to purchase a Robinson R66 helicopter for use in Brazil.Evangelistic approach
New Tribes Mission's strategy for "church planting" starts with language acquisition. NTM believes that individuals should have access to the Bible and its teachings in their native languages and refuses to teach in English or local trade languages. Several unwritten languages on the verge of extinction have been given new leases of life, because of missionary efforts to reduce them to writing and to teach their speakers in literacy.After becoming proficient in the local languages, NTM missionaries initiate in-depth Bible studies with interested parties. Rather than distributing tracts or showing the "Jesus" film, NTM focuses on teaching through the Scriptures chronologically. Missionaries begin with the Genesis account of creation and follow the storyline of the Bible through to the story of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the New Testament. This approach is necessary because most of the cultures in which they work have no exposure to any biblical teaching whatsoever, and therefore require solid grounding on the foundational principles of the Old Testament before they can be introduced to the New Testament Gospel.
This chronological curriculum consists of 50 lessons and is called "Building on Firm Foundations". It was written by Trevor McIlwain and Nancy Everson and originally published in 1985.