How did Haggai Institute get its name?

Haggai Institute was founded by Dr. John Edmund Haggai. It was originally called Evangelism International. However, a number of other Christian ministries were operating under the same name, and as the organization became established, the trustees decided that a new and distinctive title should be found. The name Haggai was thought to be memorable, to have Biblical connotations, and to reflect the unique vision of its founder.

Does Haggai Institute oppose conventional Western missionary methods?

The world is changing. The traditional missionary movement began in 1792 when William Carey challenged European Christians to take the Gospel to all nations. This movement was born during a unique socio-political situation that no longer exists. Western governments were, at that stage, in nearly total control of most of Asia, Africa and Latin America. This is no longer the case. Today millions of people live in countries that either bureaucratically discourage or openly prohibit foreign missionary efforts. Yet we still have the Great Commission of Jesus Christ to evangelize the world. We thank God for the dedication of traditional Western missionaries. But times have changed. It simply isn’t appropriate or effective now to rely on the old approach.

Why is it more effective for nationals to train nationals?

To many people of the East, Christianity is identified as a Western religion. To many, it is a means of cultural imperialism, a way that Westerners have of trying to press Easterners into their own mold. The gospel must be communicated in terms of the prospects’ own cultural environment. We must never change the essence of the gospel; but we must adapt the ways we express it — or it will not be heard.

Who are the people of Haggai Institute?

Our alumni include lawyers, doctors, government officials, professors, university presidents, judges, psychologists, engineers, businessmen, bishops, pastors and evangelists. These men and women have the potential to impact great numbers of people for Christ in their countries. Already proven leaders, they exert considerable influence among both Christians and nonbelievers.
The faculty includes Christian scholars from Asia, Africa and Latin America who combine spiritual depth, scholastic qualifications and significant achievements in the area of evangelism. The people who endorse and support this program include Christian leaders, in religious and secular vocations, representing various denominations in countries throughout the world.

Why were Singapore and Maui chosen as training bases?

The importance of Singapore lies in its independence and neutrality. People from all of the world’s nations can meet on ground that is unambiguously Eastern, close to the world’s great mission fields, yet endowed with the advantages of political and economic stability. The decision to found a second training center in Maui reflected the growing number of leaders coming from Latin America, and also the geopolitical changes brought about by the demise of communism during the 1990s. Though politically now part of the US, Maui remains culturally identified with Oceania and the Pacific.

How do you find the people you train?

Unlike universities and Bible schools, we do not advertise for clients. We have a global network of representatives who ensure that word-of-mouth recommendations from leader to leader can proceed to application. The fact that Christian leaders regularly recommend their colleagues for admission underscores the acceptability that God has given this ministry. We frequently get recommendations from Bishops, prominent businessmen, government leaders, professors, and influential Christians from all walks of life.

What does the training consist of?

Carefully selected Christian leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin America are brought together — in small groups — for intensive studies in the “how” of evangelism. These leaders participate in lectures and workshops, and then draw up their own individualized strategies for evangelism, in consultation with fellow participants and the Haggai Institute faculty. Haggai Institute preparation focuses on two areas: (1) How to communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ; (2) How to train others to do the same.

How do you prevent people using your training as a free vacation?

We screen all applicants carefully. We also require that they bear a portion of the cost of their own training — which means that they have to ask their own churches and colleagues for funds and therefore become answerable to them.

Why does the training cost so much?

Bringing leaders to residential seminars is an expensive business. In fact the cost of a sponsorship, now $9,100 (US), does not fully cover the expenditure. Also, it is worth noting that, hour for hour, the cost of training at Haggai Institute compares very favorably with the costs imposed by Western business training courses. Also, we have not raised our fees for more than ten years.

How can you say that 100% of donations goes directly to training?

It’s true. Of course we have administration and development costs, but these are met entirely by our trustees. That’s a measure of the commitment of the men and women who are now core supporters of this ministry. Also, training is the only thing we do. We are not involved in agriculture, food programs, orphanages or literature distribution. All of these are needed and worthwhile, and indirectly, through our alumni, we help to drive them forward. But Haggai Institute was founded and is operated solely to meet the need of non-Western Christian leaders for excellence in leadership.

Isn’t Haggai Institute elitist?

Some have criticized us for focusing attention on influential people. Why, they ask, do we neglect the “ordinary” people? Isn’t that unfair? In fact, of course, we are as concerned about “ordinary people” as any other Christian group. The question is how to reach them. All Haggai Institute alumni must have demonstrated proven leadership ability. We reason that, if they have been successful in leading their compatriots in business, law, medicine, or any other secular discipline, they will have the ability to lead in evangelism as well. That’s not elitism. It’s just strategy.

Surely Haggai Institute is too small to make a difference?

An organization represented in over 170 countries can’t be that small. What makes the Haggai Institute approach so remarkable is the attention we pay to quality control. We vet every leader who goes through our international and regional training programs. We deliberately train small groups, to maximize the training’s impact and benefit. It’s a condition of entry to Haggai Institute seminars that a leader agree to train 100 other leaders in his or her own country. So the donor who sponsors one leader in fact disseminates advanced skill in leadership and evangelism to at least a hundred more.

How do you know your alumni will do what they promise?

With most alumni, a more effective outreach begins right after graduation — partly because only proven, evangelistically minded Christian leaders are accepted into the program. In addition, every Haggai Institute graduate, on the average, trains at least 100 others, who reach others, who reach others ... and so on. The multiplication factor is substantial. As more qualified applicants are sponsored and accepted into the program, ultimately millions will hear the Gospel for the first time. Long experience shows that, on average, our alumni do pass on their training as required. And they return to their countries as members of a worldwide fellowship of Haggai-trained leaders. Alumni associations are springing up all over the world, dedicated to keeping leaders in touch with each other and facilitating second-level training at local and national level.

Is Haggai Institute really unique?

Lots of groups will tell you they train Christian leaders. But the fact is that no other organization has the same stringent selection procedure, has the same quality of participants, is active in as many countries, is as sensitive to culture and geopolitics, or is as downright effective. As one donor put it recently, “I support Haggai Institute because, after traveling the world, I see that the program is unique, and that it delivers more bang for the buck than I get in any other overseas ministry.”

Why doesn’t Haggai Institute cooperate with other mission groups?

Haggai Institute cooperates with many groups, but it does not align itself with other Western organizations — for two reasons. First, to do so would discredit us with leaders outside the West who object to Western methods of addressing the evangelistic challenge. Second, in a rapidly changing world, the attitude of governments to Christianity in general and evangelism in particular can shift very fast. In some cases this means missionaries will be asked to leave. In other cases it means that national Christians will be put in jail for associating with foreigners. Staying free of other Western mission groups enables Haggai Institute to function freely where intrusive methods of evangelism are being resisted. So partly out of principle, and partly for reasons of operational effectiveness, Haggai Institute works on its own.

What is Haggai Institute's statement of faith?

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God, without error in the original writings. We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three Persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that by one man, Adam, sin entered the world; that for the salvation of lost and sinful men, regeneration by the Holy Spirit through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ is absolutely essential. We believe in the deity and virgin birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He died upon the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sin of the world, that He arose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, from whence He will return with power and glory. We believe in the doctrine of justification by faith, realizing it is impossible for man, through works, to please God or save himself. We believe in life after death; that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. We believe in the resurrection of the saved unto everlasting life in Heaven and the resurrection of the lost or unsaved unto eternal punishment.