Requirements
We do not require that students be college graduates. We suggest that all students have a good working knowledge of the Bible and basic Bible doctrine. We require that students come with the approval and blessing of their pastor and church. We essentially trust their pastor’s judgment as to their spiritual
maturity. We want mature (not necessarily old), serious-minded, and disciplined people. We do not have any “dorm parents” to look after students. Students are responsible for their own cooking, housekeeping, laundry, etc. The mission field is no place for lazy people, and neither is BBTI.
We only accept those who align with us in basic Bible doctrine. This doctrine includes, but is not limited to, the exclusive authority of the Word of God (KJV for English-speaking people), eternal salvation by grace through faith with no mixture of human works, baptism by immersion of believers only, a Trinitarian view of God, and a Biblical view of the Holy Spirit (to the exclusion of Pentecostals and Charismatics). We do not train those who hold to the doctrine(s) of Calvinism. We reject the teaching that God has chosen a certain number of people to be saved, and that Christ died only for that select few, leaving all others without any hope of salvation.
The first requirement for entrance is the completion of an application and a written testimony of salvation. Married students must submit separate applications. The BBTI staff and sponsoring church pastor then consider the applications. Both husband and wife are required to take most of the classes together.
Although some of the courses are technical and difficult, our classes are small, and we give personal, hands-on help to each student. With completion of our training, students gain confidence in their ability to
accomplish language and culture learning assignments for any mission field.
Tuition/Costs
BBTI is tuition free. Since BBTI is supported by churches that share our burden for
training missionaries, we are able to keep the cost to the students very low. Also, no
staff member receives a salary from the BBTI, allowing us to be a tuition-free school.
Students pay modest housing costs. Married students with up to four children pay
$350.00 per month for housing (which includes utilities). Married students with five or
more children pay $400.00 per month for housing. Single students pay $250.00 per
month for their own house or $200.00 per month each when sharing a house. There is
also a $50.00 per semester administration fee.
Students will also be required to purchase some textbooks, but we try to keep costs
minimal by printing many of them in-house.
Washing machines and dryers are available to students at no charge. Students, with
the approval of their home churches, are encouraged to continue their deputation on
weekends. There are hundreds of churches in the Texas/Oklahoma area.