Welcome to the Bethany College of Missions web site!
As the parent of a student heading into college you probably have many questions and concerns, as well as hopes and dreams for your son or daughter. With your child interested in a missionary career perhaps you have even more questions! I welcome you to scour our website and familiarize yourself with who we are and also to e-mail or call our offices to get answers to whatever questions you might have.
So often sending a child off to college means that they are going to be “on their own”, and that can be a scary thought for a parent. Bethany has been training missionaries for over 60 years from our campus in Bloomington, Minnesota and it is our passion. Your child will spend their first year on our campus alongside classmates who want to know and serve Jesus. They will be under a dedicated staff with decades of combined missionary experience and a genuine love for young people. They will be part of a resident cell group of students their age, under the care of a recent graduate Mentor. They will also benefit from the presence of our retiree community, made up of some of the founding and early members of Bethany who continue to give their lives to the great commission and love to pray with and for our students. You won’t find many college campuses today with two dozen elderly mentors who interact with the students daily! We believe that with this intricate system of support your son or daughter will receive more personal attention than in any other training program you’ll find.
Though a career in missions may seem ambiguous or unstable I assure you that the future is bright for your child. No matter what his or her talents, abilities, and interests, God is eager to utilize them to reach the world for His glory! No gift is wasted by Him, and it’s our desire to help your child find their niche.
After their first year on campus during which students earn a certificate in Bible and missions, they will have the opportunity to spend 16 months overseas on a Global Internship. They will be under the care and supervision of seasoned Bethany missionaries and an overseas mentor. They will continue their education in a safe and supportive environment with a team of their classmates, while getting invaluable hands-on mission experience. Throughout the Global Internship, our staff stays in touch with them through blogging, My Space, and assignments submitted electronically. We even send our Director of Global Internship to them for a mid-internship conference. Interns learn life skills that will equip them well for the many challenges and opportunities they’ll face after graduation.
Once this phase is complete, a final term on our campus will complete their studies and in just three years they will have earned their Bachelor of Arts Degree in Cross Cultural Studies!
Our 3000 plus graduates serve all over the world and here in North American in a vast scope of fields. Bethany graduates are pastors, church planters, English teachers, evangelists, orphanage workers, Bible translators and so much more. Regardless of where God might call your child, Bethany will be a place where their love for and commitment to Jesus will flourish. Their passion for the world will be matched with the understanding and skills needed to grow and strengthen Christ’s Church.
I look forward with great anticipation to meet you and your child.
Ken Krause
Director
Bethany College of Missions
