Darren Willett, Building A Church In Chadron, Nebraska
By Sue Sprenkle
No one ever knocked on Darren Willett’s door to tell him about Christ. Talking about God like that was totally unheard of in the small Nebraska town he grew up in. Now as an adult, the Kansas-Nebraska missionary spends his time making sure everyone in his community has the chance to know and receive Christ’s love.
Darren and Tiffany Willet never imagined they would end up ministering back home in Willett’s home state. When they finished seminary in Tennessee, they looked to Central Asia to serve as missionaries. Nebraska was definitely not on their “mission radar.” However, Willet’s childhood memories of no one openly evangelizing kept drawing them back to the Cornhusker state.
“Growing up, I don’t remember anyone knocking on our door and sharing Christ with my family,” Willet said. “That’s part of the reason we came back to Nebraska. People might know who Jesus is, but they don’t have that personal relationship with him. We need missionaries in Nebraska, too.”
Chadron was the perfect fit for the young couple. They wanted to raise their three children in a small town and share the love of Christ. They wanted a place to plant their lives in the community.
When the Willetts arrived, they found a church made up of three couples. All were from different communities, but met in the centrally located college town of Chadron. Willett said he couldn’t think of a better way to start a new church plant than with three core couples who had been meeting as a Bible study for years. While the church had a name, Grace Baptist Fellowship, it still lacked an identity or presence in the community.
Church members Vernon Rockey and Sandi Stetson said the group of six survived week-to-week before Willett came. Sometimes attendance expanded with a few college students coming in and out.
“There were two things we lacked – leadership and identity,” Stetson said. “We prayed for a pastor and some property, knowing both would be a miracle. With just three couples, there was no way we could afford either one.”
Grace Baptist Fellowship started meeting at the Days Inn. Rockey recalled there were many Sundays when no one showed up. They sat staring at empty chairs – yet, they kept praying.
Eventually, they moved to the Seventh Day Adventist Church. “That got a bit confusing for people,” Rockey said. “When you invited people to church, they’d ask what a Baptist church was doing at a Seventh Day Adventist Church.”
Now the church meets in the American Legion Hall awaiting construction to begin on their new property. Stetson said their prayers were answered in a grand way – they now have leadership and property. The salary of their pastor, Willett, is paid jointly by the North American Mission Board and the Kansas-Nebraska Southern Baptist Convention. A friend from the Nazarene church donated seven-acres of land so they could have a permanent place of worship.
As plans for the building progress, membership continues to grow through evangelism outreach efforts. When weather permits, Willett walks around town, stopping to talk along the way.
“I have a goal of sharing Christ at least three times a day,” Willett said. Most people will gladly chat. Sometimes, they will pray to receive Christ or accept an invitation to visit Sunday services.
Willett said he prays that two men will come to Christ each year and get involved in the church during the next five years. “If the men change their lives, they make an impact on their wives and family. They will bring their entire family to church,” Willett said. “At the end of five years, we’d have 10 new families. Now that’s a great way to build a future.”