Q: What perspective should I take towards missions training?

Satan has always tried to bring a wedge between those that have a strong emphasis with 'on the job training and field training' in comparison with academic training. Surely it is not either/or, but both/and. Some people are gifted in studying out on the field while others find this almost impossible and need the discipline that a good academic environment gives.

Let's remember you can be very trained and very 'professional' and still make huge blunders on the mission field and of course at home. We tend to over-react to mistakes (I know I have sometimes) and quickly communicate that it would not have happened if the person had more training or teaching, or better doctrine, etc. That can be an over-simplification, to say the least.

We have found over the years thousands who have come short-term, often for a specific purpose like working in the engine room on the ship, have later ended up in Bible College or something similar to further prepare for a different kind of ministry. Surely God leads different people in different ways, and He uses people in different ways. Greater obedience to Philippians 2:3 & 4 would bring a lot of balance and reality in all of this.

Remember that the Lord wants to teach you what it means to hear His voice and help you grow in faith, grace, obedience, and holiness (2 Peter 3:18; Romans 8:29). Don't be surprised when you encounter experiences of difficulty, personal conflict, and even anxiety. All these are training opportunities for the Lord to teach you what it means to depend on Him.

As part of the above, be faithful in your daily time of Bible reading and prayer. If you are not doing it already, begin to include intercession for non-Christian friends and needy areas of the world. An excellent resource is Operation World. As you read about these countries, ask the Lord to put places or areas of ministry on your heart. Look at the daily newspaper through "mission eyes." Soon you will find that certain areas will claim greater attention. Do research on them and pray more frequently for them.

Here are more pearls:

Take advantage of exposure to mission opportunities through conferences, correspondence with missionaries, and contact with mission agencies.

Read widely. My favorite genre of literature is biographies. Try to find Ruth Tucker's From Jerusalem to Iran Jaya, a collection of short biographies of missionaries all down through history.

Include intentional ministry opportunities in your schedule. In addition to faithful participation in worship in a local congregation, include experiences of sharing the Gospel and helping new Christians grow in their walk with the Lord.

Seriously consider formal Bible training, either full time or by correspondence. I strongly recommend the Perspectives course, which is offered though the U.S. Center for World Mission. It will give you a systematic presentation of the Biblical theology of mission and what's going on in cross-cultural ministry today.

Consider your gifts and desires for the future. Look at lots of options and combinations of options. Gather information on schools that teach the word and help you grow in your giftedness. Talk with your pastor and those on the mission committee who've had experience helping others move toward the mission field. If you already have some missions agencies in mind, ask them what they would suggest.

Consider the different possibilities and lay it all before the Lord and ask Him to show you how to proceed. God probably will not show you too far down the road. But he will show you the next step. One caution: There is no end to the amount of information available today. It is easy to go into overload with the sheer amount out there. Every step of the process, ask the Lord to help you filter and tell you when enough is enough. It's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle from a box that contains extra pieces. Only God knows which pieces belong.

Anyone who ventures into cross-cultural missions without some kind of preparation is nuts. One can be self-taught to some extent through selected reading, but almost always one will need to go through a training orientation program, and in some cases attend a Bible college. No one should begrudge the time spent in such preparation. It will cut out half the stress of arrival on the field, keep one from making needless mistakes, and make one a much better missionary.

How much training should one get in his or her chosen field? If you are pretty sure you are going to need a particular level of training, then it's best to get it before you go. However, if you are uncertain, then such training is better postponed until your first furlough, or even later. You will usually benefit more from the training once you have been on the field and seen the needs firsthand.

The purpose of training is to strengthen weak areas, to improve attitudes, to provide problem-solving skills, and to hasten spiritual and emotional maturation. Training should improve our learning ability, make us more adaptable and flexible, enable us to trust and appreciate others, and above all, deepen our spiritual life.

Disclaimer: The following answer has not been reviewed or edited.

I believe the most important thing in entering any field of ministry is to know without a shadow of a doubt that you have been called by God in that specific area. When you receive the vision, you receive the passion for it as well. When we fuel that passion with a life of prayer and hunger for more of God, He will bring us into the fullness of the call that He has for us.
When we recieve the call I believe that we now have a responsibility to prepare ourselves. Jesus didn’t enter the ministry until He was 30 years old, but the 1st 30 years of His life were not wasted, but spent in preparation for the fullfillment of scriptures.
The 12 disciples didn’t walk into their call of being "Fishers of men" and fullfilling the great commission until they had spent 3 years with Jesus being trained and discipled.
We should live every day as if it has an impact on our future. We need to clothe ourselves in prayer and intercession, and learn to abide in the presence of God every moment. If we don’t learn these things now, then how can we expect to walk in them when we’re finally on the mission field.