SIMTEC/TEN3 is a multi-country ministry of SIM International's Ministry Development Team (MDT).

SIMTEC/TEN3 is a team of SIM missionaries who are responding to the requests from African churches for help starting and running Christian institutions of higher education. This includes technical colleges and universities.

SIMTEC was started in Nigeria by Dr. Anthony Petrillo through the establishment of the ECWA Information and Computer Science Institute (EICSI). Later the ministry expanded to help churches in Senegal and Burkina Faso start institutes. The EICSI school itself also helped a church in Niger start an institute. Today we have requests from churches in 24 countries in Africa and 2 in the Caribbean to help start Christian institutions of higher education.

Because the first stage of an institution in the SIMTEC/TEN3 model is a computer training institute, and because one of SIMTEC's major projects involves providing computer laboratories for schools, the ministry has sometimes been mis-interpreted as primarily a computer-oriented ministry. The true focus of SIMTEC has always been transformational education for Christian post-secondary institutions.
A major development came when SIM started a new organization, the Transformational Education Network, with the motto - Discipling to the Third Generation, and the acronym - TEN3, to carry on and expand the ministries started by SIMTEC.

SIM continues to play a significant role in getting TEN3 off the ground as an independent organization. Some of TEN3's board of directors are SIM members, and most of TEN3's full-time staff are provided by SIM-TEC. SIM maintains several projects which provide financially for much of the work of SIMTEC/TEN3 until TEN3 can gain enough public support for 501(c)(3) status with the IRS.

The SIM missionaries serving with SIM-TEC/TEN3 include: George Cail, Ray de la Haye , Joe Gallop, Ken Klay, Dr. Anthony Petrillo, Bill Robfogel, and Jim Szymanski. We also have several SIM associates and appointees who are serving in various capacities part-time. They include Scott Frazier, Claude Kennedy, Jean M., and Cheri Shea. SIM also continues to recruit for some of the key vacant positions in TEN3.

The major ministries of SIMTEC/TEN3 have stayed the same over the years.:

  • Curriculum Development and Writing of Course Materials

  • Training teachers to be disciple makers who endeavor to see their students transformed to the image of Christ.

  • Administrative consulting and provision of a financial model that enables a school's operations to be financially self sustaining.

  • Establishment and maintenance of standards for excellence in transformational education.

Progress of varying degrees has been made, but the institutional environment in general and the education environment in particular pose great ongoing challenges to the churches in Africa. Developing a single quality post-secondary institution takes years of hard work to accomplish. SIMTEC/TEN3's goal is to see many come into existence.

For more up-to-date and detailed information on SIMTEC/TEN3, please visit the TEN3.org website. There you will find information on the activities of TEN3, contact information, prayer requests, opportunities for service, and ways to give financially.

Visit the TEN3.org website