GAT-Alpha's Global Mission Initiative

I came back from the Alpha International Week in London two weeks ago with a renewed sense of clarity regarding GAT (Global Alpha Training). GAT is an initiative that is being personally promoted by Nicky Gumbel himself. It's not another ministry from Holy Trinity Bromption. GAT is the Alpha mission initiative that seeks to encourage churches running Alpha well to send out teams to the mission fields to conduct Alpha team training over 2, 3 or 4 days.

While I have been tasked to coordinate GAT in the Asia-Pacific region, I have been quite reticent about this initiative before the International Week. Not because I'm a passive person, but because there is no clear path to define my GAT role as I do not operate from within any Alpha national office. My training role as the so-called "Regional Training Consultant" has always been in areas that Alpha national offices usually do not focus on -- Alpha training in developing countries. But the GAT initiative requires the confluence of three parties before it can take place: (1) the Alpha offices (2) the sending local churches and (3) the local coordinators of the receiving countries. However, the key to this tripartite GAT partnership is the Alpha offices. GAT cannot move faster than the Alpha offices are prepared to move. As most Alpha national offices are busy with local Alpha ministry development, GAT was not able to be on the agenda of the national offices -- and understandably so. Since the International Week, there has been a renewed sense of commitment by national directors to GAT as a global missions strategy. Hopefullly, this will translate into specific actions by Alpha offices to put GAT on their agenda.

What clarifies in my mind personally after my trip to London is this: as the regional training consultant, I could offer myself to Alpha national offices as a GAT resource person to help envision Alpha office staff about GAT and to equip them to do GAT partner-church training that prepares local church GAT teams for the GAT events. I could also offer to work closely with the GAT-coordinating staff in the Alpha offices to promote GAT among the Alpha churches in their countries. Hopefully, my coming alongside Alpha offices will enable them to put GAT on their ministry agenda without distracting the office from their on-going local ministry.

Being willing to be a GAT resource person for Alpha offices in the region is one thing; being accepted for such a role is yet another. So while there is clarity, the challenge remains. There is still room for prayer for GAT to grow in Asia-Pacific region.

Chee Min