Our Team.
On the Certificate level CMT has a large international team of trained study group leaders who guide students to reach learning objectives through interactive discussion and practical application of lesson material.
On the Diploma and Bachelor level CMT university courses are taught by experienced instructors who are also mature Christian leaders. Most of them have years of ministry experience, including in cross-cultural settings. Here is our CMT faculty and administrative staff..
Dr. James Towner is Founder and International Director of Center for Ministerial Training and its sister school in Spanish, Centro de Entrenamiento Ministerial. He is a missionary pioneer and entrepreneur in three continents for over 45 years. He and his wife now live in Minnesota, USA. They have six grown children and 16 grandchildren. Dr. Towner has served as a Church Planter, Pastor, Educator, Designer and Producer of E-Learning Courses, radio broadcaster, and professional Bilingual Interpreter. He currently supervises a group of Spanish-speaking congregations in Minnesota, U.S.A. that are pastored by alumni of CMT. Dr. Towner has a BA in Missions and Theology from Bethany Global University, an Advanced Diploma in Spanish Language Studies from Rio Grande Language Institute, an MA in Theology and Cross-cultural Communication from Wheaton College, and DMin from Life Christian University. His doctoral dissertation was entitled: LIFE IN THE FLOW: MISSIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF KOINÉ PREPOSITIONS EIS, EN AND EPI FOR ORAL LEARNERS. Among the CMT courses Dr. Towner teaches are the following: CMT205 Life of Christ in the Gospels, CMT249 Book of Acts, CMT290 Religions and Cults, CMT117 Galatians and Romans, CMT313 Corinthian Epistles, CMT500 Ephesians - Life in the Flow.
Dr. Thomas Shetler is an Educator, author, pastor, physicist. He and his wife live in Minnesota, USA and have two grown children. He is author of Can We Know?, a book on apologetics that examines how the agnosticism of Hume and Kant and the Enlightenment damaged modern Western beliefs regarding the existence of God. He has PhD in Cross-cultural Studies. His dissertation was entitled: A CRITICAL EXPLORATION OF SIEGE AS A KEY SCRIPTURAL MOTIF ANALYZING ITS KEY COMPONENTS AND DRAWING MISSIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS FROM IT FOR REACHING THE REMAINING UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS. Dr. Shetler's degrees: BA in Physics from from University of Colorado, MA in Christian Education from Providence Seminary, Winnipeg, Canada, PhD from Bethany International University, Singapore. Faculty member of Bethany Global University, Minneapolis for 30 years. He regularly contributes academic articles to missiological journals. He sits on the International Board of Directors of Center for Ministerial Training (CMT). Among the CMT courses he teaches are CMT211 Old Testament Survey, CMT212 New Testament Survey, CMT231 Hermeneutics, CMT319 Pentateuch, CMT320 Poetical Books, CMT322 Book of Isaiah, CMT323 Wisdom and Literature Books, CMT401 Church History, CMT315 Biblical Eschatology, and CMT321 Christian Apologetics.
Madasamy S. Thirumalai, PhD, CMT Consulting Faculty Educator, Publisher of online journal Language in India. Author of many books on World Religions, English as a Second Language, Linguistics. Visiting Professor at Bethany International University, Singapore. Former Professor and Academic Dean at Bethany College of Missions, Minneapolis. Former tenured Professor and PhD Examiner at several universities in India. Former Faculty Member at University of Phoenix.
Dr. Zacharia Shitote is Head of Department Business and Management Sciences and lecturer of Project planning and Management, School of Business, Economics and Management Sciences, University of Eldoret, Kenya. He holds a PhD in Disaster Management and Sustainable Development, Masters in Project Planning and Management, Bachelors in Business Administration, and Certificate in Intensive Aquaculture Production from, MATC Israel. He also holds a Diploma in Science Education and Higher Diploma in Entrepreneurship Development. He teaches Research methodology at Bachelors and Post graduate level. He researched and published widely on Food Security, Project planning and Management, Drug and Substance Abuse and Aquaculture among many others in reputed international journals and speaker in several conferences. Dr. Shitote is a church leader with a passion for Evangelism and Missions across continents. He serves on the board of several Christian organisations. He and his wife live in Eldoret, Kenya. Here are some of the CMT courses that Dr. Shitote teaches: CMT403 Project Management, CMT5006 Research Methodologies 1, CMT5007 Research Methodologies 2, CMT5008 Research Methodologies 3, CMT5009 Research Methodologies 4, and CMT5010 Research Methodologies 5.
Dr. Jackie Towner has a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Her dissertation was entitled: BIOPHYSICAL CONSEQUENCES OF SEQUENCE CHANGES ON DYSTROPHON AND UTROPHIN. She is a Christ-follower, wife, educator, disciple-maker, and biologist. She is Assistant Professor of Biology at Bethel University, Saint Paul, Minnesota. She has a BS in Biochemistry from Azusa Pacific University, PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics from University of Minnesota. Dr. Jackie Towner teaches CMT333 Christ in the Sciences.
Dr. Edward Dudek has a doctorate in International Studies, DIS. He is an international educator, author and conference speaker. His dissertation was entitled: IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIFIC SUPRA-CULTURAL INDICATORS OF SANCTIFICATION FOR DEVELOPING CROSS-CULTURAL DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING MODEL: A CRITICAL COMPONENT IN MISSIOLOGICAL DISCIPLESHIP ACROSS CULTURES. He and his wife are fluent in Portuguese and served 20 years as missionaries in Brazil. He is a former director of Bethany Seminary in Brazil. Dr. Dudek is also on the faculty of these schools: Bethany Global University, USA, MTPI-Nigeria Graduate School of Intercultural Studies (Nigeria), and Bethany International University (Singapore). He has a Bachelor in Science (BS) in Chemistry from Westminster College, USA, plus a BA and MA from Bethany Global University. He earned his doctorate from Bethany International University. Dr. Dudek serves as consultant for GlobeServe, a worldwide alliance of missionary training centers and universities. Dr. Dudek teaches the CMT213 Book of Romans course.
Dr. John Kayser completed his doctoral studies at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, earning a PhD in missiological education. His BA in theology and missions is from Prairie Bible College in Canada, and his Masters Degree is from Grace Theological Seminary in Indiana, USA. Dr. Kayser was born and raised in Ethiopia, the son of missionaries with SIM International. He had his first nine years of schooling in Ethiopia and finished up High School in British Columbia, Canada. He and his wife pastored for two years in North Vancouver, BC, Canada, then headed back to Ethiopia in 1974 to work in famine relief and community development. The Kaysers have three daughters. Later, Dr. Kayser served on staff at Prairie Bible College, where he taught for nine years. Dr. Kayser designed the Graduate Studies program at Prairie Graduate School and served as its first Dean of Faculty for four years. After that, he joined Bethany International and went to Singapore to teach in the Bethany School of Missions, where he became its director. Dr. Kayser helped develop a new vision at the school for training trainers at a graduate level to start their own missionary schools around the world. Students began coming from Africa and Asia to join the new program. A Singaporean board took over the school in 1996, and the Kayser family returned to Canada. Then Dr. Kayser joined Bethany International in Bloomington where he has been until the present. He serves as a training consultant for the development of new schools around the world. He also in involved in Bethany’s Graduate program, doing course revisions and teaching graduate courses. Dr. Kayser sits on the International Board of Directors of Center for Ministerial Training (CMT) and has been instrumental in retooling CMT curriculum to carry a primary, single focus of Transformational Leadership in all its programs, through an integrated learning model that seeks to develop well-trained, influential servants of God around the world.
Rev. Pius Wawire graduated from East Africa School of Theology (EAST) with two degrees, a Diploma in Bible and Theology and a BA in Bible and Theology. He continued his studies and earned an MA in Christian Education and a Graduate Teacher Diploma from Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST). Rev. Wawire was a lecturer at East Africa School of Theology from 1987 to 2000 and headed its Missions Department. He also directed its Faculty Development program, and served as Secretary of the Alumni Association. During those years he founded Mihang’o Kenya Assemblies of God Church. He started the organization Children's Evangelism Ministry in Kenya and traveled extensively in East Africa doing open air evangelistic crusades for children. He trained teams of evangelists to reach children with the gospel using his skills in puppetry and music. Rev. Wawire was Assistant Pastor in charge of Children's Ministry at the Buru Buru, Kenya Assemblies of God Church. He served from 2010 to 2022 as lead pastor of Church of the Open Bible in Palmdale, California, U.S.A. He authored the book Children's Ministry: Seven Basic Ideas and co-authored another volume called Bible Doctrines. Both publications are part of the Discovery Series. His Master's dissertation was entitled Teaching the Children of 8-12 Years the Concept of Salvation. Among the courses Rev. Wawire teaches at Center for Ministerial Training are CMT113 Evangelism and Missions, CMT130 Children’s Ministry, and CMT311 Prayer and Worship.
Rev. Patrick Dugan has served God as a missionary in Brazil for 49 years with the organization Bethany Gateways. He received his BA in Missions at Bethany Global University and an MA in Theology at Wheaton College, USA. In addition to pioneer missionary work, he has decades of experience as a author, pastor, musician, and Christian educator. Rev. Dugan is part of Center for Ministerial Training's initiative to develop a Portuguese-speaking department of the school, called Centro de Treinamento Ministerial (CTM), for the Lusophone African countries of Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe. Rev. Dugan wrote and published two training courses for the Four Square denomination in Brazil entitled Teologia Sistemática II and Teologia Sistemática III. He wrote and published the following books: Nove Provas de Autenticidade Cristã, Contra o Sistema, Para Terminar Bem Comece Hoje. He co-authored with his wife Nedra the book, Depois do Sim. The Dugans have been married 54 years. They have four children, 12 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Bishop Robinson Matende has a BA in Bible from Northpoint Bible College and Seminary (formerly Zion Bible Institute) in Haverhill, Massachusetts, U.S.A. and an MA in Ministry from Midwest Seminary of Bible Theology. He is currently pursuing PhD studies. Bishop Matende serves as Academic Dean for Center for Ministerial Training (CMT) in Kenya. He also sits on the CMT Kenya Governing Board. He is Founder of Injili (Gospel) Mission Church in Nairobi, Kenya and Lead Pastor of the Kenya branch of Fellowship of Christian Assemblies, an international network of ministers and ministries. Bishop Matende travels widely preaching the Word of God and is passionate about church planting in the power of the Holy Spirit and equipping gospel ministers to effectively multiply and advance God's Kingdom. He and his wife Margaret live in Nairobi, Kenya. They have been married for 36 years and have four children and four grandchildren. Among the courses Bishop Matende teaches in Center for Ministerial Training are CMT81 Basic Bible Doctrine, CMT223 Practical Theology 1, CMT224 Practical Theology 2, CMT225 Practical Theology 3, and CMT327 Church Administration.
Bishop Evans Achanga earned a Bachelor of Science in Theology from Covenant Bible College and Seminary, Florida, U.S.. He is pursuing a Masters Degree in Transformational Christian Leadership. He is a member of Center for Ministerial Training's Kenya National Governing Board, and he also sits on the CMT International Board of Directors. Bishop Achanga served many years as a traveling evangelist. He founded a church in the western part of Kenya and is still its lead pastor. In 2012 he was consecrated as a bishop and soon after was asked to become the leader of his denomination, a position he still holds, overseeing more than 150 churches in Kenya. He is passionate about cross-cultural church planting to the unreached people groups in East Africa. He devotes much time raising up leaders, mentoring pastors, doing evangelism outreach to schools and communities, and leading Christian conferences and seminars. He and his wife have been married for 31 years and have two grown sons. The courses Bishop Achanga teaches in Center for Ministerial Training are CMT201 Church Planting 1, CMT202 Church Planting 2, CMT263 Missions 2, CMT402 Church Growth.
Rev. Richard Doebler earned a Bachelor Degree (BA) from the University of Minnesota, USA and another BA in Bible and Pastoral Studies from North Central University, Minnesota. He obtained Master of Religion degree from Seaver College/Pepperdine University in California. With over 40 years in ministry, Rev. Doebler has served churches as lead pastor in both Minnesota and Texas. He continues to serve as an Elder with the Fellowship of Christian Assemblies in Minnesota. For years he served as an associate editor of Leadership Journal at Christianity Today in Illinois, where he also prepared commentary notes for the Quest Study Bible (Zondervan, 1994) and recruited various theologians and writers as contributors for the project. Rev. Doebler serves on the International Board of Directors of Center for Ministerial Training (CMT). He and his wife Sharon have been married for 50 years. They live in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA and have three adult children and six grandchildren. Among the courses Rev. Doebler teaches in Center for Ministerial Training are the following: CMT122 Epistles of Peter, John, and Jude and CMT120 Gospel of John.
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Rev. Daniel Brokke earned his BA in Biblical and Intercultural Studies and his MA in Intercultural Leadership from Bethany Global University, Minnesota, USA. He serves as a consulting faculty member of Center for Ministerial Training (CMT) and also sits on CMT's International Board of Directors. He is a founding partner in Vision Catalyst Partners, which is focused on increased mission fruitfulness by providing consulting and management services for Christian and secular organizations. His specialty is assisting these organizations to clarify direction and develop strategy for growth and impact. Rev. Brokke served for 16 years as President/CEO of Bethany International in Bloomington, Minnesota. Bethany’s mission is to “take the Church to where it is not” by training and sending workers and teams focused on disciple-making movements among 580 unreached people groups in 98 countries. Before his tenure at Bethany, he served in Christian publishing for 24 years. Rev. Brokke's vision is that new generations will be mobilized to join God through proclaiming the Gospel among all peoples in all places. He and his wife have been married for 47 years and have 4 children and 9 grandchildren. They live in Minnesota, USA.
Rev. Timothy Freeman earned his BA in Biblical and Intercultural Studies and his MA in Intercultural Leadership from Bethany Global University, Minnesota, USA. He is currently a PhD candidate at Bethany International University in Singapore, researching effective missional engagement of unreached people groups. He serves as a consulting faculty member of Center for Ministerial Training (CMT) and also sits on CMT's International Board of Directors. Rev. Tim Freeman is a Co-director for the U.S. office of GO Movement, a global collaboration with the goal of seeing every person on earth prayed for by name and hearing the gospel by the year 2033. The mission of GO Movement is to mobilize every believer to live an evangelistic lifestyle. “Everyone can reach someone, and together we can reach the world.” For more than forty years Rev. Freeman served with Bethany International in Bloomington, Minnesota. Bethany is a Great Commission ministry with the mission statement to “take the church to where it’s not and help others do the same.” For many years Rev. Freeman was Bethany’s Executive Vice President, responsible for coordinating mission partnerships with more than 300 indigenous mission training and sending ministries in 70 countries. He also served on Bethany’s overall leadership team, carrying fundraising, legal and financial responsibilities, and he oversaw Bethany’s IT department. Prior to that he provided oversight to Bethany’s mission sending arm with 140 missionaries serving in 27 countries. Rev. Freeman also served on the faculty of Bethany Global University’s Graduate Studies department, an online program with three intercultural master’s degree programs. On the undergraduate level, many of the University’s alumni have served as missionaries in more than a hundred nations since 1946. Rev. Freeman and his wife Carol served for 15 years in the Philippines among the Ilokano people in church planting and leadership development. They have five children and four grandchildren.
Rev. Mark Johnson was raised in a Christian home and was born again at a very young age. He felt a call to pastoral ministry at the age of 18 and studied at Berean School of the Bible (now Global University). He became ordained in 1984. Over many years Pastor Mark has pastored three churches. He was founding pastor of two of these congregations, including the multicultural church he currently leads. Pastor Mark also serves as Vice President of Global Apostolic Alliance, an international network of churches and ministries. He also is an advisor to several congregations and pastors. Pastor Mark has a strong spiritual gift in teaching, as well as serving as a prophetic voice to secular culture. Pastor Mark is the instructor for Center for Ministerial Training’s course CMT323 Book of Hebrews. Pastor Mark has been married to his wife Becky (who is also highly involved in the ministry) since 1977. They have three adult children and eight grandchildren.
Bishop Cleophas Lusega sits on the Kenya national Goberning Board of Center for Ministerial Training. He is also Overseer in charge of Maranatha Faith Assemblies, Lang'ata Pastorate (Diocese), Nairobi West Region. Bishop Cleophas has been a pastor and Bible teacher since since 1993. He earned a Certificate and Diploma in Theology (Nairobi Pentecostal Bible College) and a Higher Diploma in Ecumenical Leadership (Mindoro Ecumenical Foundation, Zambia). He is currently enrolled in Center for Ministerial Studies to further his education. Bishop Lusega and his wife live in Nairobi, Kenya. They married with five children and three grandchildren. Among the courses Bishop Lusega teaches in Center for Ministerial Training are: CMT106 Preparing and Preaching Biblical Messages, CMT226 Christian Family, CMT301 Christian Counseling.
Pastor Francis Musiya Musamali studied at Friends College of Science and Technology, Kaimosi, Kenya. He also earned a Diploma and a Higher Diploma in Practical Ministry from Grace Bible College, Eldoret, Kenya, where he also serves currently as a faculty member. He is a member of the Kenya Association of Professional Counselling. Over many years he has served in various pastoral, Bible teaching, counselling, and administrative positions in Marnatha Faith Assemblies, Eldoret and Huruma Fellowship. He is also a Sales Executive in an insurance firm. Pastor Musamali serves on the Kenya national Governing Board of Center for Ministerial Training (CMT). He is continuing his theological training with CMT. He is also on the CMT faculty as instructor for CMT181 Ministerial Ethics and CMT301 Transformational Christian Counselling. He is married with five children and lives in Eldoret, Kenya.
Rev. John Karanja has been a missionary, educator and pastor. For many years he was Chancellor of East Africa School of Theology (EAST), Nairobi. He currently is a Consulting Faculty member for Center for Ministerial Training (CMT) and also sits on CMT's Kenya national Governing Board.
Bishop John Muliro is Kenya National Director of Center for Ministerial Training (CMT). He is also an evangelist, pastor, Bible teacher. He heads a ministry organization in Kenya called Back to Bible Reality. He earned a Diploma in Theology from Nairobi Pentecostal Bible College and a Bachelors in Theology (BA) from Center for Ministerial Training. Bishop Muliro and his wife Ebby live in Nairobi, Kenya. They have three children.