In the 1940s, Hollywood Presbyterian offered a small discipleship group for promising young leaders. Over time, one of those members became the Chaplain of the United States Senate, another the pastor of National Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, and a third became pastor of the most influential church in California, where Ronald Reagan was an active member.
The fourth of these young leaders, Bill Bright, along with his wife Vonette, founded a ministry in 1951 called Campus Crusade for Christ, now called Cru, which became the largest evangelism ministry in the world, now with 30,000 staff working in 190 countries.
Bill and Vonette were wonderful mentors and influential friends to me. And when they launched The Jesus Film on a global scale in the late 1980s, Bill asked me to lead their campaign to raise $2 billion to fund it, which was an unheard-of goal back then.
At the same time Bill was talking with me about that responsibility, I was contacted by a small Presbyterian college in central Kansas to be a candidate for their presidential search. I was only 34 and wondered who would want such a young and inexperienced president.
As MaryLou and I went through that decision process, I vividly remember standing with Bill on the lawn outside their retreat headquarters in Arrowhead Springs, California. Bill was pushing me to come with him to The Jesus Film, but he was also a mentor, so I needed his counsel about taking the Christian college presidency route.
Bill said that if you are driven by evangelism, what we do with The Jesus Film will be much bigger. On the other hand, if it is deep-level discipleship that drives you, it will be lots slower and probably take generations, but your Kingdom reach may go further in a college than here –if you stay committed to discipleship as your highest calling.
That was 37 years ago. Beginning at Sterling College, and now these 30 years at Belhaven, I've been privileged to team with faculty, coaches, administrators, and staff to create a robust learning environment committed to discipleship that has reach and impact I never imagined would be possible.
Today, Belhaven is going to the nations:
Serving online masters and doctoral students in China.
Offering hybrid graduate degrees for students from India working for major corporations in America.
Equipping a record number of traditional campus and online students to become people of significant influence in the "nations" of the arts, education, health care, business, pastoral and missions ministry, public service, social work, counseling, athletics, law, technology, and engineering.
Here at Belhaven University God has called us to participate in the Great Commission by being both faithful and dependent on Him for the outcome. In this calling, I’m often reminded how true Bill Bright’s words have proven over the years: the opportunities for discipleship in a college are deeply, humbly, thrillingly satisfying. I’m so thankful that at this corner of Peachtree and Pinehurst we are committed to long-haul Kingdom building, engaging in discipleship wherever and whenever God opens a door.
I have never been more energized about the future of our University. While the campus is focused on the 4,500 students currently enrolled and the opportunities ahead, this 30th year milestone as Belhaven’s president is an appropriate time to look back and reflect on all God has done.
We cannot measure the most critical work of Belhaven – students’ lives equipped, energized, and transformed by God. But an overview of advances and resources the Lord has provided is a visible demonstration of His work across the campus.
God has graced Belhaven University with opportunities far beyond our wildest dreams: 17 new buildings or major renovations, 25 new undergraduate academic programs, 16 new master's degrees, three new doctoral-level programs, seven new sports at the NCAA DIII level, thousands and thousands of graduates, and more good memories than we could ever count this side of heaven.
I pray that you’ll be filled with thankfulness for all the Lord has done through students, faculty, administrators, coaches, staff, board members, alums, and friends of Belhaven. Truly the Lord has blessed this “dear green hill” far beyond what any of us could have ever imagined possible.
Dr. Roger Parrott has been president of Belhaven University for 30 years.
