YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — When Josh Dokey was awakened by the howl of a coyote at 4:45 a.m. – an occurrence he refers to as his personal alarm clock – he knew he wasn’t in Carrollton anymore. And when, 45 minutes later he was arranging pastries and prepping the breakfast buffet at Lake Yellowstone Lodge, he knew he was not on summer vacation.

In fact, Dokey was more than 2,100 miles from home and serving tourists from around the world as they enjoyed their vacation and the natural beauty of the nation’s first national park. But he was also on another mission – not just as an employee of Xanterra, the official park concessionaire, but as an ambassador for Christ in his relationship with other employees.

Until he returns home later this month, after his 10-week stint, he will be looking for ways to meet the spiritual needs of his co-workers.

He may be far from home but he’s not alone. As a GBC Baptist Collegiate Ministries summer missionary, Dokey is one of a tight-knit group of 10 Georgians serving through their college’s BCM office.

Collegiate summer missions takes many forms. Many serve as summer missionaries within the traditional Baptist framework of leading Backyard Bible Clubs or Vacation Bible Schools through a local church. But those like Dokey serve as bivocational missionaries, placed in a secular work environment where they earn a paycheck but use that opportunity to minister to co-workers.

Known as Innovators, a program sponsored through the North American Mission Board, Dokey and his fellow Georgians are embedded in a secular environment where they build their own ministry with peers. They are not allowed to have social contact with tourists other than casual encounters and are not missionaries to park visitors.

But that’s what makes the program so unique. By becoming a vital part of the park employee network they naturally come into contact with other employees from around the world who may be enjoying the summer experience but are carrying a world of burden in their hearts.

Dokey, who serves as a pantry chef, learned about the ministry through his campus minister at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton.

“I’ve been here a month and have met a lot of people who are searching for peace and happiness,” he says on a break from the hot kitchen. “I remember sharing Christ with one guy who was just totally wild. We had some great talks but he just didn’t feel like he had the faith to believe.

“Several times he asked me how could I believe in something I could not see, and I told him that is what faith is all about. There were days when he would lower the brick wall and ask some deep questions but when he became vulnerable he would throw the wall right back up.

“He eventually lost his job because of poor performance and some behavior concerns but I hope I planted some seeds to grow. Maybe there will be another believer out there he will come into contact with who will be able to pick up where I left off.”

That’s what sets Innovators apart from other summer missions programs. While each ministry has its place, Innovators are placed directly in the path of unchurched individuals by living and working with them in the secular marketplace. In effect, they are bivocational collegiate missionaries; they are self-supporting and even pay their own transportation costs to and from their assignments.

One thing the Yellowstone Innovators are quick to admit: they may be living in a visually exciting locale, but they don’t get to see too much of it. They work long hours and don’t always have the energy to take hikes if they are to rise before the sun, like Dokey, to put in another day of work.

Rachel Eldredge, a member of First Baptist Church of Watkinsville who attends the University of Georgia in Athens, is in her second year as an Innovator at Yellowstone. She said during her first year she was “more of a stealth Christian who let my actions speak louder than my words; this year I want to be more bold in my faith and have a stronger witness.”

The housekeeping team leader says the ministry “is awesome because it’s not just about sharing your faith with strangers but about building relationships on which to share your faith. When you go the extra mile like helping someone clean up a room when they are running late, it’s not expected but greatly appreciated. That leads to building a relationship which you can use to share your faith.”

 

An influence that spills over

Brad Lartigue, NAMB resort missionary who serves as supervisor for the Georgians, says the Innovators are highly regarded by Xanterra, the park concessionaire, and are virtually assured of employment. That’s because they are dependable and help create a sense of community within the rather isolated locales where employees live in the park.

“Innovators help create a good, fun, healthy environment, and that spills over to other employees. Xanterra knows that happy employees help foster a good experience for any park visitors who they come in contact with, whether it is while serving them meals in the lodge dining rooms or freshening up their rooms.”

Lartigue said Xanterra receives up to 10,000 applications each year for the 3,500 Yellowstone positions so the competition for placement is tough. But, he adds, the Southern Baptist applicants have established themselves as being of the highest quality with the greatest productivity.

The NAMB missionary, who is based 45 miles away in Big Sky, Mont., does more than just supervise the Georgians and Innovators from other states. He also arranges events co-hosted by First Baptist Church of West Yellowstone – events such as potluck lunches and dinners at the church, as well as onsite cookouts on weekends in the park and overnight hiking events, which bring believers and unbelievers together in casual settings.

“Many times these events allow nonbelievers to socialize in a less threatening environment than attending a Bible study in a dorm room. They get to enjoy a good, home-cooked meal, hear the gospel, and see the Innovators are being approachable. That breaks down a lot of barriers down the road.”

Michael Morgan, a recent UGA graduate who attends Harps Crossing Baptist Church in Fayetteville, said the ministry is not for the faint of heart when it comes to spiritual matters.

“I would not encourage anyone to consider Innovators unless they were well grounded in their faith. This is serious business and what you believe will be questioned from every angle.

“Where many mission trips are only for a week or two, the Innovators program throws you together with people you will live with for 10 weeks. You get to know them and they get to know you under all circumstances and they will know whether you really believe what you say.

“It can be very emotionally and spiritually draining and you need to be sure you know how to stand strong in your faith,” says Morgan, who serves as a dining room assistant at Canyon Village.

“But when you do connect with someone who is really searching for life’s answers, the reward is just great.”

 

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Ministry opportunities through NAMB

 

The Alpharetta-based North American Mission Board works closely with state conventions to provide a variety of missions opportunities for youth and collegians.

High school students may want to explore participating in Sojourners while collegians have the option of serving as summer missionaries, Innovators, or semester missionaries.

Innovators, the ministry profiled in this issue of The Index, work at a secular job (usually 40 hours a week) while assisting local missionaries for up to 10 hours a week in evangelism and church planting. Supervision and mentoring is provided by the place of service.

While summer and semester missionaries may receive a small stipend and work within a Baptist environment such as teaching Vacation Bible School or Backyard Bible Clubs, Innovators are bivocational in that they provide their own income through their employment. In effect, they are embedded within a secular marketplace where they build personal relationships with the unchurched. Placement, such as 10 weeks of employment at Yellowstone National Park, allows the Innovator to share Christ on a more personal level than is allowed on shorter mission assignments.

Innovators are:

• self-funded college missionaries;

• must have completed their freshman year;

• must have a minimum 2.0 GPA;

Candidates may be members of a non-Southern Baptist evangelical church. The deadline for application is April 30 of each year.

For more information and to view a sample needs list and job descriptions, visit NAMB’s website at www.answerthecall.net and click on “College/Seminary Students” under the Student Opportunities heading. The page also includes a wealth of information on other ministry opportunities for high school students and adults.