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It has been a while and I wanted to let everyone know what's been going on with us. We have been doing well. There have been quite a few developments since I last shared. There are several organizations that have partnered with us the last few months. We moved into a new facility in the heart of downtown in June. It's a historic building and no one can live or work in Ennis without driving by our church. We have grown in influence and in number. The local Christian radio station 95.5FM actually moved to our facility and now we are live on the air every Sunday for free. MTC is an accredited Bible College offering bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in Theology. I have been named dean. My wife and I teach there we are excited about what God is doing. This college focuses on training pastors in 44 countries as well as local students from all walks of life. I am going to Nicaragua in December to teach 170 pastors for three days and then we have a graduation for 70 students there. These pastors also travel from those countries for 21 day intensives right here in Ennis! 30-50 at a time come and take 5 classes a day and then they go to church on Sunday at New Hope. The last group was 34 strong from Nicaragua. The next groups are coming from Mexico and Ukraine. Also, New Hope Children's Foundation has a school from 1-12grades on 200 acres complete with a gym and even a radio station that broadcasts to the Nicaraguan Indians. Not only that but we also have come together with a licensing agency for independent ministers all over the world. But, it is especially widespread in Africa. We just licensed 34 minsters in Ghauna and 16 in Nigeria. It's almost like God has given us our own worldMissions department! We are in the final weeks leading up to our Christmas Production which is going to be held outside on Main Street. The city is shutting down that street for us and we are doing the largest one yet. 2-3,000 are expected to attend. Finally, Rhea has made an album that will be released in January. Exciting things happening with it. She goes next week to record several sessions for a Christian television network and was invited to sing at the Potters House. It's a lot to take in for us. I have felt discouraged many times but right now we are in a season of harvest. I am very grateful. Thank you to all who prayed for my family and me. God has brought us through and after being hidden away for a couple years has set us front and center in the city. All of this is a result of us focusing on prayer. We major in it. We have weekly prayer meetings that are well attended on Tuesday night. I've just finished a 12 week Wednesday series on it. And...we have stopped making ministry decisions and started getting instructions!!! We pray over every decision big or small. It's been revolutionary. I'm excited! Thanks for reading Check out my Blog www.PastorJamesBuck.com

Buck thanks for sharing the good news. Thanks for you hard work Recorded Sermons @ www.pastorwiley.com

Thanks, we have been thinking about you guys and wondering also. Thanks for the update... Sounds good Some facts but mostly just my [email protected]://shipslog-jack.blogspot.com/

Good stuff ---------My Facebook www.facebook.com/theB3

Buck, glad all is goin well fer ya. You aint been here in a while, an over the past few weeks an all, we been discussin quite frequently various degree grantin institutions. Just a couple a observations an all, since ya mentioned the above in ya post.1. MTC offers bachelors, masters and docters degrees, but lists no faculty on its website. This is most unusual. Who are the faculty at the docters level an what is their credentials. www.morethanconquerors.org/USIntroducing.html2. MTC states they are accredited. However, the accrediting agency, ACI, has oft been discussed on Acts. ACI is not a USDoE/CHEA recognized accreditor. Nope, its a mom-n-pop operation without mom. Pop John Scheel, a Jesus Only preacher from Beebe Arkansas, runs ACI. ACI recently moved its HQ to Sarasota, FL. If ya review ACI's history, it's quite a narrative. www.accreditnow.com

MTC is not your typical school. In any way. That's important to keep in mind. I have just come on board in the last few weeks. There is much we are doing to help MTC go forward...the website is one that we will address after the first of the year. But, that really isn't the issue.The vision of this school is simple. The pastors become the professors...the church becomes the school and the members become the students. In other words, MTC wants to primarily equip pastors in other countries with sound Biblical Theology so that they may then teach the people in their churches the knowledge they've gained. That is the primary goal But, there is a catch...IT IS FREE. That's right...this school is free. The ACI accreditation is there to allow their credits to transfer to other schools that accept them. ACI is one of the most used accrediting agencies of Bible Colleges. Now, while it is not top tier by any stretch of the imagination...accreditation is not the end all be all for MTC. We simply want the world's pastors to have sound Biblical theology...fully equipped with a deep understanding of God's word and we want to do that for free. So, in the years they have been doing this...money goes to education and not bells and whistles. I love this actually. We bring pastors in and while they are here for 21 days...we house them, feed them and teach them all at the MTC campus. All of this is also FREE. It takes quite a bit of money to pull it off...and quite a few generous people. All our teachers teach for free. They all have degrees. Local businesses have caught the vision. For instance, when the 34 pastors from Nicaragua were here the local Denny's fed them breakfast each morning for free. 21 days! It's just amazing. They get five classes a day for 6 days and then on to church on Sunday. This is a ministry. We have opened it up to local students here in the states only recently. It allows people who are full time parents with careers to get an education in theology. It's just so life giving.Now, I don't know about other schools of ministry. There are many that refuse accreditation for some very compelling reasons. They simply want to focus on getting the ministry or theological training to their students without having to jump through any extra hoops. In other words, the training is the thing...the accreditation isn't important. MTC is trying to focus on that while offering the opportunity for the student's work here to count in other schools later on. I think that is a good thing.We are small here but are in 44 countries with thousands of graduates. It's exciting, difficult and rewarding work. Pray for us will you? We are just trying to share the Gospel all over the planet by making sure anyone and any pastor can get Bible training no matter where they live or how much money they have. As one who holds two degrees from Lee University...I am proud to be a part of MTC Check out my Blog www.PastorJamesBuck.com

Wow- Free. that is great - and almost impossible to do.Getting accredited by an agency that OTCP would approve would definitely impact that cost.So OTCP - being able to be free - is that an acceptable tradeoff? And while the accrediting agency he lists does not help the credits to transfer to many schools - SOME schools do accept them - so it gives them a path to even higher degrees in the future. Is that acceptable to you Old Timer

http://www.morethanconquerors.org/USDegrees.htmlCordin to the MTC website, masters is $4500 an docters is $5000. Not shore how that's free.Aint got nothin to do with accreditation acceptable to OTCP, its whats in the best interest a the degree holder.

Let me reiterate...The website needs to be updated. We will do that after the first of the year. Let me be more specific. If you begin your education with MTC you can go all the way through to your doctorate for FREE. If I , having a masters degree already...wanted my Doctorate of Ministry through MTC it would cost a total of $5000. This is certainly a low price considering the training you will receive. We do that as a method of making a way for others to get thier Bachelors for free. It's affordable. Your opinion about ethics is just that...your opinion. I have paid a great deal of money for my BA and MA from Lee. There is room for those seeking to grow in Thier knowledge of the word and ministry for schools such as ours. If you don't agree with that...it's fine. But, i ask you be more prayerful about calling this school or any others unethical because they don't agree with you. It's up to each school and each student to decide what they want, what they need and what is worthwhile. Just as it was for you. This is a GREAT ministry and should be congratulated for doing what almost no one does...give. We want to give everyone the chance to learn. By the way, one student left MTC and went to Christ for the Nations. Thier credits transferred. Then later they went to a Christian University...they took those credits from CFNI. So...it was a blessing to them Check out my Blog www.PastorJamesBuck.com

Buck keep on doing Kingdom business. Keep on training others to do Kingdom business. Don't let someone who is obsessed with earned degrees hinder your work for the Lord. I have a certificate in my closet from the CoG. It says that JLarry is an Ordained Bishop in the CoG. No one has a higher certificate with the CoG. Not even the current AB or any former AB. But with that and $1.97 I can buy a cup of starbucks. I preached before I earned that certificate. It is nice to have, but the fact is, it never helped me preach one sermon. To those who have an earned degree. I am happy for you. I in no way want to belittle the hard work you put in to earn earn that degree.On the other hand please pray for Buck and others like him who train others do do Kingdom Business. When we stand before Jesus we should hear him say, Well done good and faithful servant. He will see our names in the Book of Life. He will see the work we have done. Degrees will mean nothing in Heaven Recorded Sermons @ www.pastorwiley.com