Meet the Missionaries
Eric and Heather Zeller are members of Compass Bible Church in Aliso Viejo, CA. Eric was born in Santa Monica and spent his early years in Westchester, but moved to Dallas, Texas, at the age of 10. His earliest years were in a non-church going home, but when he was 5, his parents came to Christ under the ministry of John MacArthur. From that point on he was raised in a faithful Christian home. As a child Eric recalls making various professions of faith and thought of himself as a Christian into his teen years. However, as a teenager especially he recalls being very inconsistent in following Christ. As he puts it, “having all the answers at church and being a leader in the youth group; but happy to participate in whatever kinds of sin suggested by friends on the baseball team or the neighborhood.” Eventually his father as well as his youth leader confronted him and exposed the inconsistent life he was living, questioning him about whether he really believed what he professed to believe about Christ. It was at this point he knew that to truly confess Christ would have radical life implications. God used that time to give him a genuine desire for repentance and longing for the things of God. Eric recalls his life changing very quickly after that, and he was baptized at age sixteen. Looking back on this time Eric stated, “Truthfully, I don’t know if I was genuinely born again only at sixteen or earlier, but I know that was the key time from which I haven’t looked back.” Eric has earned a B.A. in Biblical Studies from The Master's College, an M.Div. from The Master’s Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Bible Exposition from Dallas Theological Seminary.
Heather was born and raised in Redding, CA. She can’t pinpoint exactly when she was saved, but knows God used her family, church, and even missionaries that she had contact with, to allow her to see her sin and need for a savior, as well as to see the spiritual needs of many others around the world. It was between the ages of 10-12 that she realized faith in Christ had to be something she was personally committed to and not only something she was part of because of her family. During these early years she began seeking the Lord through daily times of private prayer and Bible study. As a 7th grader she remembers having a plan of earning a teaching credential so she could teach and minister in a closed country (a country that does not allow missionaries to enter). She earned a B.A. in Christian Education from The Master's College in 2001.
They met at The Master's College in 19997 and were married in June 2001. They have five children: Caroline, Emmet, Randall, Makaria, and Moses.
The Journey
After attending Masters College and getting married, Eric and Heather moved to Dallas so Eric could work on his Doctorate of Ministry at Dallas Theological Seminary. It would be five years before he finished, but they were interested in becoming career missionaries. God had used short-term mission trips in India to impact them deeply. They saw the overwhelming need of the gospel overseas. Let this sink in for a minute: the evangelized countries of the world possess 91% of all Christian literature. The unevangelized countries of the world have .005% of all full-time Christian workers. How will the estimated 2 Billion unreached people of the world hear the gospel unless the church sends its own to them? These were the realities drawing the Zellers. The big question was what would the Zellers do?
There was a time when Eric didn’t understand missions. In his own words it was because he neither understood worship, nor his own salvation. God has long since changed his life. In September 2013 Eric preached a sermon at DRC titled Worshipful Missions Among the Nations out of Psalm 96. He cast a wonderful vision for God-centered mission and then spoke of how strategically they were seeking to be part of bringing the gospel to 2,300 unreached people groups of India. They determined the best thing for them to do was to train existing Indian Christians and mobilize them to reach the 2,300. Church planting and evangelism cannot exist in a vacuum of biblical illiteracy and faulty doctrine, so they were going to start a seminary!
Nearly 19 million people live in Delhi coming from all across India. Delhi made an ideal place to headquarter their efforts. Eric wisely partnered with the Asia Biblical Theological Seminary in Thailand to start the Delhi seminary. He would receive accreditation through them, intending to later establish the seminary independently.
The seminary had a fairly successful first year. Eric and his brother provided most of the teaching. They were offering an M.A. in Biblical Studies. Forty students came from surrounding churches to complete their first year. Things were going better than hoped. After years of preparation they were finally building great partnerships with local churches. Everything was looking up. In a moment though, it all began to fall apart. Eric’s brother was struggling with health complications. The Delhi weather and smog made it impossible for him to remain. At the same time, Eric and Heather were residing under tourist visas. When they applied for permanent work visas the children were denied, but Eric and Heather were granted theirs. On top of that, Heather gave birth to their fifth child, Moses, who was in need of surgery. He was born with two clubbed feet.
When Eric’s brother left India, he settled in the dry and modern city of Dubai. Upon hearing of Eric and Heather’s visa issues, he extended an invitation to them to come to Dubai. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is an Islamic state, but the country fancies itself as a place for global commerce. In fact 90% of the city is not from Dubai. In many ways, Dubai is even more strategic for the gospel. While India has been denying visas and expelling missionaries, Dubai is allowing them. Sitting at the center of the 10/40 window, its influence on the region is greater than Delhi. In April 2015 they made the move after being in India for just over a year. There is a large church in Dubai the Zellers have joined that is providing assistance in their newly founded seminary: The Gulf Training Center. The road is long, but their hope is strong.