“I give up, Lord. Take it all. I'll go anywhere, do anything ... Well ... except for being a pastor or missionary .. I don't have the faith for something like that … ” 

Stephen Croft (B.A. ’14), Talbot School of Theology alumnus, prayed this prayer before starting as a freshman at Biola University. Little did he know that God would lead him to serve in the mission field, even as a college student. During his first year as a Christian ministries major, which is now part of the Bible, theology, and ministry major, he joined the Student Missionary Union (SMU) and went on two short-term mission trips. 

“I had felt the Lord had called me to join an SMU short-term mission trip to the Dominican Republic in the fall semester, then to accept a request to co-lead a trip to Belize in the spring semester,” said Croft. “The incoming SMU president recruited me to join his staff for the following year, and in my sophomore year, my fellow staff strongly encouraged me to consider running for president.” 

It was in the next year, during his time as SMU president, that moving abroad for mission work was a prayer becoming reality. During Biola’s Missions Conference, which has since been renamed the Cook Missions Conference and is the largest student-led missions conference in the world, Croft sensed a strong pull toward India and knew he had to go. 

“Door after door opened for me to take my Christian ministry program senior internship in India, in partnership with local Indian pastors and missionaries, with great favor and affirmation from my local church and with many encounters that seemed divinely arranged,” said Croft. “At that point, my heart had already come to burn for the least-reached in the world, and for the carrying out of the latter portion of the Great Commission.” 

The Great Commission is something Croft holds with great reverence, emphasizing that it is a direct commandment from the Lord.

“Fulfilling [the Great Commission] is indisputably tied to God's heart and will, to His love for the lost, and to His jealousy for His deserved glory. Whether we are fulfilling it in our own backyard or to the ends of the earth, we must understand how important Jesus' final words to us were as we consider His great love for us and for all, and his incredible salvation for us, which He has wrought, demanding our all,” said Croft. “Examining what role we will play in fulfilling the Great Commission is an essential part of properly responding in surrender to His loving salvation for us.”

After graduating, Croft and his wife, Erika, a Biola alumna, accepted the call to serve people in Iwate, a district in northern Japan that is considered one of the five least-reached prefectures in the country. The couple’s approach to mission work is called “tentmaking” mission work, in which missionaries take on local work to either supplement or even completely replace their missionary income for strategic reasons. When it comes to the Crofts’ decision to approach their mission work in this way, many factors play into it. Croft said that the Japanese culture’s values for honor through work result in Japanese people spending nearly all their time at school or work. Ultimately, Croft has found himself back in the classroom, only this time, as the teacher.

“I quickly realized that English teaching is incredibly strategic as a tentpole, pun intended, of tentmaking ministry in Japan, because of the respect of the profession, the incredible amount of connections with local youth and their families, the protection from overwork afforded to non-Japanese English teachers, allowing for work-life balance and for time to be given towards church planting, and the encouragement of the Japanese government for teachers to cover religious topics in their teaching,” explained Croft. “We feel that God has greatly blessed both our in-country work in education and also our work in church-planting over the years.” 

Croft said the most rewarding part of being a teacher in Japan is the opportunity to support his students. 

“The number of meaningful connections I get to have with local students is mind-boggling, and really, more than I can handle effectively in many ways. I love to support them holistically and strive to show them the love of God through my words and actions,” said Croft. 

Not only is he teaching English in the classroom, but also God’s word at the pulpit. 

“I find it deeply rewarding to be able to serve in the local church setting as well, as an elder, worship leader and part of the preaching team, pastoring the flock there through struggles and joys,” said Croft. 

God is working in Croft’s life as he and his family serve in Japan, but he recalls his time at Biola with fondness, noting how well equipped he felt to serve on the mission field because of his classes. 

“The Christian Ministries program equipped me very effectively for the mission field,” said Croft. “In the core classes, learning to have meaningful interpersonal and cross-cultural communication and conflict management skills has been instrumental in pastoral care and evangelism; lessons learned in the Organization and Administration class have helped very practically with everyday operation within church-planting ministry; counseling, spiritual formation and Bible study courses provided a tremendous foundation for pastoral and church-planting work.”
For 96 years, Biola has paused classes for three days to train students in their role in fulfilling the Great Commission, specifically once a year at the annual Cook Missions Conference, which took place on March 18-20. The Bible, theology, and ministry major equips students who feel called to the mission field to prepare for what comes after graduation. Study at the number one comprehensively Christian university by applying to Biola today. The application deadline for Fall 2026 is May 1, 2026.

Written by Sarah Dougher, strategic communication manager. For more information, email sarah.m.dougher@biola.edu.