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Looking for accessible, biblical training that equips you for real-world ministry?

GREAT COMMISSION TRAINING INSTITUTION (GCTI) 

Our vision is to equip reproducible disciple-makers through content, community, contextualized training, and coaching. GCTI provides accessible, affordable leadership development for pastors, lay leaders, women ministers, and bi-vocational leaders to strengthen church health and gospel impact.

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Our Mission

  • Provide an online model of certificate or non-certificate programs for church leaders to develop higher-level ministry skills, knowledge, and grow as reproducible disciple-makers.

  • Also:

    • Provide opportunities to serve as teachers/workshop leaders.

    • Provide relational & practical internship and field training.

    • Provide ministry opportunities at GCA churches, church plants, replants, revitalization programs, and pulpit supply.

 

Curriculum​

We use the pastors to pastors (P2P) curriculum to train potential leaders, lay leaders, pastors, and women ministers to become reproducible disciple-makers who abide in Christ. The 12-class P2P curriculum includes discipleship, missions and church planting, evangelism, hermeneutics, Old Testament survey, New Testament survey, applied church history, leadership (pastoral/lay ministry), teaching/preaching, theology of the church, theology of God, and theology of Salvation.

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We offer a Spanish class on Mondays from 7-8:30pm and an English class on Tuesdays from 7-8:30pm. We have different English and Spanish classes to encourage bilingual students who wish to take two classes during the same term.

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Cost 

  • $50/course (plus online transaction fees) for GCA churches & GCA employees.

  • $75/course (plus online transaction fees) for non-GCA churches.

  • Payment can be made on the GCTI registration form or via check.

  • Please mail checks payable to GCA to 17705 Hale Ave., Building H, Suite 2, Morgan Hill, CA 95037.

  • If you are paying for a group, please list the students' first and last names on the registration form. Each student will need to fill out this registration form individually and indicate that your church will make a group payment.​​

Learn how GCTI can help you grow as a leader and disciple maker of the gospel! 

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Fall 2026 Applied Church History

Class Description:

During our Fall Church History class, we are going to unpack some BIG questions about how the church started and how it changed over the past centuries. We will consider what the defining stories of the church are, and how those stories shape who we are today. Going back to the beginning, we will see that the early church worshipped the same God and had the same Word of God but did things in different ways. As we come closer to modernity, we will meet giants of the faith like Eusebius, Augustine, Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, Lottie Moon and more. Along the way, we will return to God's Word repeatedly to see precisely WHO He calls us to be. Come join us for a journey through history! The class content will be different from the first time we taught this class in 2023.

Time: Tuesdays at 7 pm (PST)

Duration: A 7-week class meeting once a week starting 8/25/26.  

Class Format:  This course is delivered entirely online using Zoom. This class contains synchronous (live) and asynchronous (anytime) components.  Classes will meet live for weekly, 90-minute online sessions.  

Teacher: Dr. Chase A. Thompson is a writer, pastor, and college professor from Birmingham, Alabama.  He has pastored Valley Baptist Church in Salinas, California for eight years. Chase and his wife Janet have five children, ages 15-25. He graduated from Samford in 1994 with degrees in History and Philosophy. Following that, he earned a Master of Divinity and then a doctoral degree, splitting his time among Beeson Divinity School, Liberty Theological Seminary, and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been involved in pastoral ministry for over 30 years and has written 9 books. His passion is to see the Body of Christ equipped for the mission that Jesus has called us to, and everybody ministering according to their individual spiritual gifts. His latest book, releasing in July of 2026, is called 13 Myths That Can End a Marriage and One Truth That Can Save a Marriage.  It is full of wisdom and insight from Scripture, the early church fathers, and vintage church leaders like those we will be studying in our class! 

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Dr. Chase A. Thompson

​Equipping disciple makers, together. 

PROGRAM

General Program Brochure

Open Program (Non-Certificate) 

Open to all GCA churches and SBC churches

Languages

  • English and Spanish

  • Other languages as needed

Certificate Program

  • All students apply to the program (pastoral endorsement required)

  • Will be presented a certificate of completion at GCA annual meeting

  • Pastor Endorsement Form for GCTI Certificate Program

Any Time Option

Our GCTI classes are also available through an anytime asynchronous format. Contact Chris Smith for more information.

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Get in Touch

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If you have questions, would like more information, or want to connect with the GCTI ministry, please contact Dr. Chris Smith at chris.smith@gcasbc.org​

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