So Others May Hear and Live
Fusion is a one-year missions training program where students earn college credit while preparing for real-world ministry and global missions. Through discipleship, academic training, and cross-cultural engagement, Fusion equips students to make disciples wherever God sends them.
What Is Fusion?
One Year of Missions TRAINING with College Credit
Fusion is a one-year missions training program at Spurgeon College that combines accredited coursework, discipleship, and cross-cultural evangelism. After nine months of field training and classes, Fusion cohorts spend three months in the summer partnering with an International Mission Board missionary in some of the hardest places around the globe.
Why Fusion?
So Others May Hear and Live.
Everything in Fusion is driven by this one aim.
God’s heart for the nations compels the church to send faithful messengers of the gospel—especially to people and places where Christ is not yet known.
Fusion prepares students to go wisely and obediently, living with urgency, clarity, and faithfulness as they take the gospel to those who may not otherwise hear it.
Fusion Objectives
Be. Know. Do.
Fusion exists to equip young men and women to be, know, and do what it takes to make disciples. As part of their training, students will memorize the Fusion Creed, which captures our vision for the Christian life. The heart of these words was originally penned by Karen Watson, an IMB Missionary to Iraq who was martyred in 2004.
Life-on-Life Discipleship
Students live in close community with mentors who walk with them daily—encouraging growth in holiness, humility, and faithfulness.
Church Partnership
Each student is actively involved in a local church, learning to serve within the body of Christ.
Bible Saturation
Scripture shapes every aspect of the program, forming students to think and live biblically.
Fusion students are trained to understand and articulate the gospel clearly across cultures.
Coursework Includes:
- Evangelism and Discipleship
- World Religions and Cross-Cultural Studies
- Global Missions
- Bible and Theology
- Language acquisition fundamentals
33 College Credits. One Intentional Year.
Students complete 11 accredited courses that apply directly toward a degree at Spurgeon College.
Explore the BA in Intercultural Studies
Explore the Accelerated MDiv, Missions
Fusion prepares students for the realities of life and ministry in difficult environments.
Training Includes:
- Public transportation navigation in urban settings
- Field personnel and resilience training
- First aid and survival training
- Security awareness for closed or restricted countries
Training is hands-on, supervised, and intentionally demanding because real ministry requires real preparation.
As a follower of Christ:
I am called not to comfort
or success but to obedience.
Consequently, my life is to be
defined not by what I do
but by who I am.
Henceforth:
I will proclaim His name
without fear; follow Him
without regret; and serve Him
without compromise.
Thus:
To obey is my objective,
to suffer is expected,
His glory is my reward.
Therefore:
To Christ alone be all power,
all honor and all glory
that the world may know.
Amen.
IMB Partnership
Prepared for a Lifetime of Faithfulness
Fusion includes a supervised, cross-cultural missions experience alongside long-term workers in partnership with the International Mission Board.
Equipped to carry the gospel forward
Every deployment is structured, supported, and aligned with the mission of the local church.
Fusion Students:
- Learn from experienced missionaries
- Serve within established ministry strategies
- Apply their training in real-world contexts
Students leave prepared for:
- Long-term international missions
- Church planting and pastoral ministry
- Intercultural and nonprofit work
- Completing a degree in Intercultural Studies
- Faithful gospel witness in any vocation
stories from students
Estimated Cost for 2026–27 Academic Year
$33,900
This program covers a full year of training, discipleship, college coursework, and global missions engagement. We believe students and families should clearly understand both the investment and the pathways available to make Fusion possible.
PHYSICAL TRAINING
9 months of instructor-led physical training designed for endurance, resilience, and personal growth.
33 COLLEGE CREDIT HOURS
11 accredited courses covering missions, theology, evangelism, leadership, and more.
SECURITY & SURVIVAL TRAINING
Fort Sherman Academy training, Wilderness First Aid certification, and survival preparation.
LIFE-ON-LIFE DISCIPLESHIP
12 months of intentional discipleship from mentors who live and serve alongside you.
INTERNATIONAL DEPLOYMENT
3 months of overseas travel including flights, meals, housing, visas, insurance, and security access.
TRAINING EVENTS & TRAVEL
Transportation, meals, and lodging for all Fusion trainings and travel events.
COMMUNITY LIVING
9 months of dorm housing with your cohort, mentor, shared spaces, and campus community.
CAMPUS LIFE & FACILITIES
24/7 access to recreation, athletics, library, biblical counseling, and campus amenities.
BOOT CAMP & FIELD EXPERIENCE
Camping, team-building, and field preparation with meals and lodging included.
9-MONTH MEAL PLAN
Buffet-style campus dining throughout the academic year.
FUSION-ISSUED GEAR
Training and travel equipment including backpacks, apparel, ponchos, canteens, and field gear.
MENTORSHIP & LEADERSHIP
Ongoing investment from missionaries, professors, team leaders, and Fusion staff.
Path to Zero
$5,000
Fusion students receive $5,000 from generous donations to MBTS to lower the total estimated costs to $28,900.
IMB Scholarship $3,000
Fusion students receive $3,000 from the International Mission Board to offset the overseas trip costs to approximately $25,900.
$5,500
Fusion trains its students theologically and practically to raise funds for various program cost, bringing the amount need down to $20,400.
Support a Student Directly
$7,395
The Fusion program, as part of the Bachelor of Arts in Intercultural Studies degree, is eligible for federal aid programs. Students awarded full Pell Grants receive $7,395 and reduce their needed amount to $13,005.
Path to Zero
The remaining funds can be met in a variety of ways. Here are some options that students have used in the past to keep their out-of-pocket costs at $0.
- Eligible to receive 529 plan education funds.
- Work part-time job leading up to their Fusion year to save for out-of-pocket expenses.
- Fundraise the full remainder of their out-of-pocket expenses. The entire Fusion experience (classes, room, board, training, trip) is intentionally designed as part of the formation and discipleship process. To invest in your education at Fusion is to invest in your development and mission.
- Fusion is eligible for student loans and government subsidized student loans.
How to apply
Application Considerations
The Fusion staff will humbly review each applicant in an effort to invite those candidates who will best thrive in the Fusion process. Applicants will be considered according to the following criteria:
- Demonstrate a unique desire to submit to the Fusion process.
- Be physically capable to handle the demands of Fusion’s training process.
- Be emotionally stable enough to adapt to Fusion’s training process.
- Be academically fit for the mental rigor of Fusion classes.
- Be socially adept to participate and contribute in the life of a small team.
Step 1:
Apply to Spurgeon
Complete an application to Spurgeon College. Our application requires the following documents: application, pastoral recommendation, and high school/college transcripts.
Start Your Application
Request more information
Step 2:
Fusion
Once applicants have been approved by Spurgeon College, they will be contacted by Fusion Leadership with a final decision. Applicants can expect the Fusion Leadership team to either (1) extend an invitation to the applicant to be a candidate in Fusion or (2) inform the applicant that they are no longer being considered for candidacy.
Step 3:
Deposit
The decision to accept the invitation to candidacy must be made within three weeks of receipt and must be accompanied by a $800 non-refundable deposit to hold a spot. This deposit will cover a portion of the Field Personnel Training costs incurred for each candidate, and will qualify the first 50 deposited students for a $7,500 scholarship.
Frequently Asked Questions
While it is not a traditional gap year, Fusion offers many of the same benefits students seek in a gap year, such as time to explore interests, gain independence, and build real-world skills. In addition, students make meaningful academic progress, stay on track toward their degree, and benefit from personalized support and an immersive campus environment. It’s a fully accredited degree path where students earn 33–36 credit hours during the year.
The Fusion year runs from early August through late July and combines college coursework, discipleship, and hands‑on mission experience into one integrated schedule.
Students arrive about a week before the semester begins for initial training, then spend the academic year in Kansas City. Throughout the year, they take around 33 college credit hours as part of the Intercultural Studies degree, all while living in close community with their cohort.
A typical week includes:
- College classes
- Cohort time with a small group
- A weekly one‑on‑one meeting with a team leader
- A Fusion gathering and chapel
- Active involvement in a local church
- Regular training events and team activities
Fusion is intentionally structured, and students are expected to fully participate in all aspects of the program—academics, training, and community life. Students do have built‑in breaks, including fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, as well as most open weekends when no training is scheduled.
The year culminates in a summer international mission experience (May–July), where students apply what they’ve learned in a real cross‑cultural context before returning at the end of July.
Your team will be a small, gender-specific cohort of 3–4 students led by one team leader. Throughout the year, cohorts share life together—living, training, attending classes, studying Scripture, and participating in church rhythms—as they prepare to serve in an overseas context.
Each cohort includes:
- Candidate: A student fully engaged in the Fusion program
- Advocate: The cohort leader who disciples and guides students throughout the year
- Intern: A supporting leader who assists the advocate and invests in the cohort
During the Fusion year, cohorts attend church together with their team leader. However, candidates are not required to become members of that church during or after the program.
Your overseas service location will be decided during the first week at Field Personnel Training. Your cohort will attend your team leader’s church during the Fusion year, but you not required to become a member of that church during or after their Fusion year.
You don’t need to have a long-term calling to missions already figured out to participate.
Fusion is designed to help you clarify your calling, not assume you already know it. Throughout the year, you’ll grow in your relationship with Christ, deepen your understanding of the gospel, and gain firsthand experience with ministry and global missions. For some students, that confirms a call to long-term missions. For others, it shapes how they will live faithfully in the church, their career, or their community.
Whether you’re exploring missions for the first time, considering ministry, or simply want a year focused on spiritual growth and direction, Fusion provides a strong foundation for wherever God leads next.
