Consider all that goes in to making up one solitary life – the moments, the emotions, the relationships, the experiences, the sights, the pain, and the triumph of just one soul. And now imagine that from the first beating of their heart until their final gasp of breath, this one face, this real name, never once heard about Jesus.
The entire expanse of their existence from birth until death was spent without knowing who created them or why they were born. Their life arose and then fell into the grave without ever worshiping their Maker or enjoying the glory of His saving sacrifice on their behalf. This tragedy is not fiction.
It is the harsh, staggering reality for billions of people alive on the earth right now. From the arid deserts of North Africa to the lush jungles of Southeast Asia, multitudes and multitudes wake up and lie down day after day with no knowledge of the truth about Jesus.They will continue to languish and perish unless someone leaves behind their homeland and actually goes to them as a herald of the good news. This is the frontier. And this is why the ACTS School exists. “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent?...And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named…” Romans 10:14-15, 15:20. Like the apostle Paul, we have been gripped with a burning desire to see Jesus supremely exalted where He is not known.
How to Apply
The online ACTS application has five components and is not considered complete until all five components are submitted (including the $65 non-refundable application fee):
- Application form (completing the application may take between 30-60 minutes to complete)
- Personal essays
As part of your application, you are required to write two essays each between 350-700 words. Please take note of your spelling and grammar, as well as your presentation. Please attach these two essays with your application form below.
1. Personal Journey. Please write a summary of your personal journey in Christ, including your conversion, family life, and any experiences that you have had overseas on short-term or long-term outreaches. Please also include any life-controlling issues that you are struggling with, whether mental, emotional, or relational.
2. Life Vision and Ministry Plans. Please describe your goals for the future, including your life vision and ministry plans. Be as specific about your plans as possible. Please include your reasons for desiring to enter into ACTS and what you expect to gain from your training.
- Pastoral recommendation
- Personal recommendation
- $65 non-refundable application fee
- Notification of Acceptance
Please note that upon submitting your complete application packet (all required components), we will contact you within 10 business days via email or phone to set up a phone interview with you. We will begin to notify prospective students of acceptance beginning March 1, 2016. However, we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible as we will give priority consideration to applicants who submit their applications early. We only expect to admit 50 students per class and we generally reach that threshold very quickly. Once we reach that threshold, we will place remaining qualified applicants on a waiting list. Upon your acceptance, you will receive an email, letter of acceptance, and/or phone call from us. A non-refundable deposit of $600 will be required within two weeks of acceptance notification to secure your spot in the program.
Curriculum
There are 4 Phases to the ACTS School of Frontier Missions. By applying here, you are applying for Phase 1.
Phase 1: Commission
This phase is 5 months long, and covers an introduction to the Great Commission. It begins with 3 months of prayer and teaching in Colorado Springs, followed by an 8-week international outreach to an unreached nation. During this outreach, students will decide whether or not to continue to the following phases of the school.
Phase 2: Financial Partnership
This phase is 4 months long, and covers 1 month of intensive financial partnership teaching, followed by 3 months of active financial partnership development to raise support for eventual field deployment.
Phase 3: Advanced Training
This phase is 6 months long, and includes rigorous biblical studies, principles of missiology, and practical equipping for life overseas. This is the final phase before a 2-year deployment with ACTS.
Phase 4: Field Immersion
This phase is 2 years long, and consists of 2 years living overseas with an ACTS team, undergoing intensive language learning, and finishing their training for long-term work.
Student Life
In Acts 13 there is found a description of the church in Antioch. We see in these verses a value of team ministry and ministry to the Lord that we desire to emulate in ACTS. One very tangible way that this is reflected is our practice of only sending missionaries in teams. The school reflects this principle and is structured in a way where the majority of your days will be spent praying, learning, eating, and playing with the others who have chosen to pursue frontier missions. We intentionally limit our intake of students so that we can cultivate a spiritual family who learns to love one another deeply. The daily schedule of the school is very rigorous but a profound camaraderie is forged as you do this with like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ.
Outreach
The outreach is one of the most vital components of the ACTS School. Our goal is to train young pioneers for a long-term commitment to frontier missions, and the only way to know if you're ready for that is through a short-term immersion among the unreached. The classroom, and even the prayer room, can never take the place of actually getting on a plane and spending two months in another country where you will be surrounded every day by a sea of people who do not know Jesus. The locations for outreach include cities in North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia. Students will pray and worship for four hours every day, and then spend the remainder of their time strengthening small bands of local believers, praying for the sick, and preaching the gospel to the lost. Many who have participated in outreaches describe it as a life-changing experience. Come and let Jesus mark you forever for His glory in the nations.
