Through the years and by means of different kinds of trainings, the Lord has perfected many saints in His recovery for the work of the ministry unto the building up of the Body of Christ. Our dear brothers Watchman Nee and Witness Lee were always deeply burdened for this matter and conducted numerous trainings during the course of their ministries. In the Life-study of Ephesians, Witness Lee said, “In these days I bear a very heavy burden concerning the perfecting of the saints. This burden cannot be discharged until I see that all the saints are able to do the same kind of work as was done by the early apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers” (p. 352). The Full-time Training in Anaheim (FTTA) was established by Witness Lee to perfect the young people in the churches to know the high peak truths, to live the God-man life, and to carry out the New Testament priesthood of the gospel.
In light of the Lord’s soon return and the need to consummate His economy in this age, many middle-aged brothers and sisters realize that they too need to be perfected in the areas of truth, life, character, service, and the gospel. In the book All Ages for the Lord’s Testimony, Witness Lee pointed out the importance of the middle-aged saints in the Lord’s recovery saying, “Presently we are seriously lacking those who know how to care for the tabernacle in a fine way in order to carry the Lord’s testimony. In the Lord’s recovery we need a group of experienced ones who have been trained to bear the Lord’s testimony” (p. 13).
The Middle-age Training (FTTA-MA) was established to have a part in discharging such a burden. To meet this need, the FTTA-MA offers an annual two-term multi-language training for the middle-aged saints in the Lord’s recovery. The classes and schedules are designed to meet the specific needs of this age group as well as that of the different language groups. We hope that many saints between the ages of 35 and 65 will seize this opportunity to be perfected.
May the Lord bless and strengthen His move on the earth through this training.