English as a Second Language Ministry

Many people from other countries live, work, and study in the United States and Canada. Often, they need to learn to speak English well to

• get or keep a job
• obtain medical care
• communicate with their children’s teachers
• hear the Gospel

The English as a Second Language Basic workshop equips local church volunteers to intentionally share the Gospel with new English speakers. It addresses these topics:

• English classes as an intentional missions outreach
• Organizing a local church English as a Second Language ministry
• Dealing with cultural misunderstanding
• Techniques for teaching English
• Planning class sessions
• Understanding a student’s English fluency
• Incorporating the Bible in class sessions
• Sharing the Gospel with students.

Each twelve-hour fully-live English as a Second Language Basic Workshop  is led by a trainer who has been trained through the National Literacy Missions Partnership (NLMP) and the North American Mission Board/Send Relief. Workshop leaders are also experienced  English as a Second Language ministry volunteers.

The NLMP now offers an online/live hybrid English as a Second Language Basic Workshop. Participants learn much of the workshop content through reading the manual and going through the interactive online lessons. After the online component, participants attend a five-hour live session in which they learn practical skills needed for the ministry.   During the live portion of the workshop, participants learn practical skills of teaching English.

Before registering for the online workshop consider this information:

• Participants must have basic computer literacy skills and be self-motivated. The online portion is at the student’s own pace within the time limit of the course. Though the work is equivalent to a live workshop, the amount of time the student invests may be more or less.
• Assignments are required. They include creating a ministry organizational plan, a lesson plan, a fluency interview, and a personal salvation testimony. Assignments are checked by a course facilitator. Other checks for understanding are built into the online course. Please do not skip screens. The program will not record work you do unless you go screen-by-screen.
• State Conventions and associations are encouraged to schedule hybrid workshop. It is helpful for groups (rather than individuals) take the course at the same time and schedule a five-hour live session for the ministry. Churches may request a class just for their ministry.
• The five-hour live session is required to receive a certificate. This portion is scheduled after the online portion is completed.  Contact the coordinator for questions.
• Registration fees are set by the sponsoring entity,  are non-refundable and apply only to the online portion of the course.
• Participants who do not complete the online portion of the course before the closing date will have to pay the registration fee to take the course in another month.

Contact the NLMP for more information.

Click on the button below to download a list of potential curriculum resources. There is no “one size fits all,” so it is wise to explore options before spending money on a series.