“Let me tell you a story.” Delron says. “I have a missionary friend who travels to the island nations of the South Pacific which look like dots on a map. While my friend is there, she wins the king, queen, prince, and princess to Jesus, and the whole island then is impacted with the Gospel.
“Well, one day a ‘friend’ of this woman said to her, ‘Oh, you aren’t a missionary. All you have is a spirit of travel and adventure.’ This, of course, wounded her to have this woman say that—especially since she thought they were friends. When my missionary friend told me all this, I said to her, ‘You are a missionary because you have a spirit of travel and adventure. God put that in you so that when He called you, you would already have the nature to fulfill that call.'”
Stories like this one are the reason Delron does what he does as director of the School of Missions. He leads one of the third-year tracks at Charis Bible College. What started as merely an elective class for second-year students has now evolved into a full third-year school. It is complete with guest speakers, Delron’s own missionary curriculum, and on-the-field experience during a six-week missions trip to the Dominican Republic.
This, of course, is only the beginning. Like all the other third-year tracks, the School of Missions has big plans for the future. “Right now the statistics show that 95 percent of people who are preparing themselves for a lifetime of ministry have a vision to minister in America,” informs Delron. “That’s only 5 percent of the world’s population. I would like to see the tables turned where the 95 percent are being trained to reach the 95 percent.”
“There simply was not enough time to adequately prepare the students for a six-week missions trip,” explains Delron. “They spent more time on their trip, developing more as a team than doing actual ministry.” Since the school became established, however, students now spend an average of nine hours a week under their missions training and are further equipped for when their trips approach in the spring.
Plans for multiple locations of missions trips are a part of Delron’s heart as the school continues to grow. “I have a vision to go beyond just one specific place to be trained,” admits Delron. “One day when people say ‘I want to go minister in Africa,’ we’ll have a camp in Africa where they can go and spend their six weeks. And it will be the same for people who want to minister in Europe or the 10/40 Window. As the student body grows, I would like to see the school expand to where people can actually get a hands-on feel in the environment where they are called.”
Delron concludes, “I grew up with that wanderlust, travel and adventure spirit. And I believe God put that in me as a child, so that when He called me to missions as an adult, it would just naturally fall into place. I’m looking for those people who have that adventuresome spirit and who aren’t afraid to try new things or go to new places.”
For more information on the School of Missions or to apply for the 2015-2016 Charis Bible College school year, visit our website: www.charisbiblecollege.org. The greatest adventures begin with the first step. Make yours today!
