The DeLille Family Supports the DTS Commitment to Missions
Students at Dallas Theological Seminary develop a global perspective for sharing the gospel with all people—and this is a vision that continues beyond graduation. One missions-minded alumni family recently found a way to bless DTS students and faculty for years to come. Bob (MABS 2019) and Carrie DeLille have created the Rachel M. DeLille Endowed Chair for Missiology and Intercultural Ministries to support the leadership of the Missiology and Intercultural Ministries department in perpetuity. This endowment supports the seminary's commitment to prepare and send the next generation of Christian leaders into the world.
Vice President for Advancement Kim Till states,
What a blessing to receive this meaningful gift from [the DeLilles]. Their heart for reaching the world with the gospel will be lived out through the DTS Department of Missiology and Intercultural Ministries as they equip and send out men and women who are committed to serve Christ worldwide. We could not be more honored and thrilled.
The DeLilles established this endowment in memory of their late daughter, Rachel. She was known for her enthusiastic sharing of the good news of Jesus with everyone around her.
The Heart for Missions
Rachel M. DeLille was the first of Bob and Carrie’s nine adopted children. Rachel was born with infant-onset myotonic muscular dystrophy, which challenges cognitive and muscle development. Rachel came to the DeLilles as an infant foster child and was adopted when she turned three.
Rachel was a fighter. Despite her physical and cognitive challenges, she graduated from high school and became an avid horseback rider and skier. Yes, skier! Rachel demonstrated and expressed her childlike faith in Jesus Christ from a young age. She loved to talk about Jesus and sing worship songs.
Rachel went to be with the Lord on August 19, 2021, at the age of twenty-seven. She never wavered in her faith, and she was confident that she would be with Jesus. In one of her journals, Bob and Carrie found that she had written the following:
But God is always right there beside me. He will never leave me.
She heard the Word, believed, and wanted everyone to know the joy she found in Jesus. This endowment to the department reflects Rachel’s effect on people. In the same way that Rachel’s life reflected her love for Christ, DTS is committed to training and equipping God’s people to share the good news to all the world.
The Rachel M. DeLille Endowed Chair’s Influence at DTS
Dr. Brian Bain is the newly appointed Rachel M. DeLille Endowed Chair for Missiology and Intercultural Ministries. His professional and educational expertise in missiology has equipped him to lead his coworkers and students with excellence. The Department of Missiology and Intercultural Ministries will significantly benefit under his leadership.
When asked about the goals for the Missiology and Intercultural Ministries program, Dr. Bain stated,
Our focus is on preparing students to go out into the world. So any students in our program will be equipped to go out into the world and proclaim Christ. We want believers, regardless of geography, to passionately proclaim Jesus.
Through the endowment, DTS also established the Rachel M. DeLille Scholarship. The scholarship will assist students with tuition payments to fulfill the goal of "training and sending ensuing generations of missionaries by equipping them with biblical truth through a preparatory and comprehensive education."
The Rachel M. DeLille Endowed Chair for Missiology and Intercultural Ministries and the Rachel M. DeLille Scholarship reinforce DTS’s long-standing tradition of training and sending missionaries. DTS alumni represent over 270 missionary organizations in 74 countries.
President of Dallas Theological Seminary Dr. Mark Yarbrough states,
God’s heart for the nation is integral to the story of Scripture; Dallas Theological Seminary and the DeLille family’s ministry share that same heartbeat. DTS is humbled and blessed to partner with the DeLille family to train the next generation of mission-minded disciple-makers.
Dallas Theological Seminary is committed to its mission to equip godly servant-leaders for the proclamation of His Word and the building up of the body of Christ worldwide.
Teach Truth. Love Well.
About the Contributors
Abby Wills
Abby Wills grew up in Dallas, Texas, and graduated with her BA from Baylor University in 2018. She earned a master’s from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 2019. She has been with DTS Advancement since 2019 and is honored to serve as the mid-level donor officer.
Neil R. Coulter
Neil R. Coulter completed degrees in music performance and ethnomusicology from Wheaton College and Kent State University. He and his family lived in Papua New Guinea for twelve years, where Neil served as an ethnomusicology and arts consultant for Wycliffe Bible Translators. In 2015, he helped design and launch the PhD in World Arts at Dallas International University. He teaches doctoral courses in theory and ethnography at DIU’s Center for Excellence in World Arts. At DTS, he teaches about art, literature, film, and theology, and he is senior writer and editor of DTS Magazine. Neil is married to Joyce, and they have three sons.
Contributors
