TeachBeyond

About

TeachBeyond was born on the western Canadian prairies in 1954, when Leo Janz committed himself to bringing the Biblical message of hope to post-war Germany. Several members of his family joined him to create The Janz Brothers Gospel Association, which began broadcasting over Radio Luxembourg in 1955. News of the Association’s radio, church, music, and educational work spread to German-speaking communities in Europe. As opportunities grew, the original Janz Association established various national Janz organizations to serve needs in Europe and South America.

Today the founding Janz association is known as TeachBeyond. Its primary emphasis is on educational initiatives, such as English language camps, professional seminars, and schools, including Black Forest Academy, which was founded in 1956. Over one hundred workers serve with TeachBeyond in countries from Southeast Asia to northern Africa, Brazil and various countries in Europe. The name TeachBeyond reflects the organization’s commitment to teaching beyond one-dimensional, utilitarian forms of education to a comprehensive, holistic form of education.

Our Name

The name TeachBeyond best captures in two simple words our understanding of the Great Commission in Matthew 28, in which Jesus says, “go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” The word ‘beyond’ suggests not only crossing geographical and cultural boundaries, but also indicates further dimensions to the way teaching in a Christian education context is understood and practiced.

The name reflects both what our organizational mission is as well as our challenge to teachers to ‘think beyond’ their current context, encourage their growth as transformational educators, inspire them to get involved, and help them go where God is taking them.

Our Logo

The TeachBeyond logo reflects several ideas that are central to what we believe. Essentially the logo is a stylized open book – symbolic not only of education, but more importantly, of the role of God’s Word in missional education. It is placed in a circle, representing the world. The lines evoke a sense of motion outward and beyond – denoting the sharing of education around the world. The pages of the book are depicted by three lines, representing biblical integration, cross-cultural adaptation, and spiritual transformation – three elements we believe are key in order for missional education to be effective. The hint of a gothic window that emerged at the intersection of the lines was coincidental, but recalls the central role that education has played in the history of Christianity.