Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Victoria Isaac.
Hi Dr. Victoria, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I began my journey as a college professor, teaching and developing Christian Leadership programs and curriculum. I taught at several universities, and also developed a four -year leadership program for our church to equip leaders to serve effectively.
In 2008 and 2009, I spent time in Swaziland, a tiny nation in Africa now named Eswatini. At that time, Swaziland was the epicenter of the HIV epidemic, and the World Health Organization slated Swaziland for extinction by 2020 because of the demographics of those dying – children and young adults. We taught at a conference and in churches about the impact that leaders of character can make in their communities. We went into the schools to teach about self-worth, reinforcing the fact that adults should not take sexual advantage of children, that children are not property to be abused. We also served in orphanages. We went into rural areas, walking over mounds that were actually shallow graves. This experience was heartbreaking.
When I returned to the States, it was difficult to adjust back. The contrast of the “have’s” and “have not’s” overwhelmed me. I remember thinking, “We have so much. How can we share what we have been blessed with? And what would make the most difference?”
My husband and I began praying about what we have been blessed with and what to do with it. We realized that change is most impactful and permanent when it comes from people inside the at-risk countries. We understood the positive impact that strong leaders can have, even in the most desperate circumstances. After some research, we discovered that only 5% of pastors globally have had any formal higher education training, leaving them ill-equipped both theologically and practically to lead, particularly if they live in an impoverished or a dangerous nation where Christians are persecuted for their faith.
As a result, we determined to step into the education gap and launch an online Bible college to equip leaders in developing nations. We use the online modality to break down geography barriers and raise funds for scholarships to break down the economic barriers. We are in our fourth year, equipping pastors and leaders in fourteen nations. The majority of the students are attending on a scholarship and live in very difficult and dangerous places. The training they receive is being put to use immediately to help strengthen both the pastor/leader and the communities they serve. For some of the pastors, their churches have been burned, bulldozed, or confiscated. For others, their family members and community members have been murdered. Some hide at night in the bush to stay safe, yet they continue to show up for class and faithfully minister to their communities.
This year, our goal this year is to enroll pastors in eight additional nations that have been identified as at-risk, where legislation has passed or is pending to close churches where pastors without bachelor’s degrees can have their churches closed. Rwanda has already closed 10,000 churches. Most pastors in impoverished nations simply do not have the financial means or ability to leave their churches and families to attend a university.
It is extremely humbling to serve such courageous leaders and a privilege to play a small role in strengthening them. We hope to expand our equipping platform to pastors and leaders in at-risk nations to better prepare them for ministry and to more effectively serve and strengthen their communities.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Our online learning platform works well, and our professors are top-notch. All of the professors and staff working with us are dedicated to the mission and thus willing to receive minimal compensation. The administration all wear multiple hats to move the Bible Institute forward. Because the need is so urgent, there is always more to do than humanly possible to get done.
Our primary struggle is financial. We have countless students in developing nations registered to attend, but we do not have the funds to scholarship them all. As a result, we can serve some, but nowhere close to the number we could serve if scholarship funding were more plentiful.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I want to be known for being faithful to care about others, taking the gifts and talents God has given me, and using them to help others. The word “convergence” comes to mind. I have worked in media, in government, in non-profit, as a business owner, and now, finally, as the President of the Fully Equipped Bible Institute. All of the skills I have learned throughout my career have equipped me to do what I am doing now. Thus, convergence.
The Fully Equipped Bible Institute is a global, four-year Bible college that offers bachelor’s degrees in leadership and theology. We are highly focused on equipping leaders in developing nations, giving them the theological and practical training they need to positively impact their churches, communities, and nations. Both my husband and I have written books that are now used as curriculum in our Bible Institute and a Bible college in Zimbabwe, so that students have access to free textbooks.
I am most proud of our students. Two days ago, I received a voice message on WhatsApp – “Professor, I will be late for class. I am fleeing as I have been targeted to be killed tonight.” And yet this Nigerian student continues to show up for class. He also continues to distribute food, clothing, and medicine to the community that he lives in, regardless of the deaths around him. Another pastor in Haiti sent photos that are too horrific to publish of family and community members being murdered around him. He asked us to pray for safety for his family and community, then he preached a message on forgiving one’s enemies in church that Sunday. He told me, “I took the content from this week’s lecture and preached it to my church. Each and every course brings such positive change to my personal life, my family, my ministry, and the community I serve.”
This is my greatest honor – to serve such selfless, courageous leaders who are faithfully making a difference in their communities, no matter the difficulty or danger.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I grew up in a very broken home. My parents were alcoholics, and my mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia. As a result, I did a lot of raising myself and my younger brother. I was driven to excel in academics, sports, etc., to distance myself from the brokenness at home. I believe it was the brokenness that also made me want to help broken people, to make a difference in broken places… It also spurred me to write my first book, “The Grid of Truth, How to Think Biblically in a Deceptive World”, as I had to sort out my thinking processes regarding the pain of my upbringing and the healing role faith can play in issues like anxiety, fear, and grief.
Pricing:
- 75.00 is the monthly cost to sponsor education for a pastor or leader in a developing nation.
- $6000 is the total cost of a four-year bachelor’s degree.
- This year, our goal is to offer 80 additional scholarships in 8 at-risk nations.
- All donations are tax-deductible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fullyequippedbibleinstitute.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fully.equipped.bible.institute/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FullyEquippedBibleInstitute
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thefullyequippedbibleinsti4720
