Employment

North and Central Asia

December 11, 2013

Position Type:

• International Worker-Clergy Track
• Creative Access Country (CAC)
• Commercial TESOL/Evangelism and Discipleship Ministry
• Couple or Single
• Fully funded

Summary of Ministry Position:

This is a new initiative that involves teaching English at a commercial school and exploring the possibilities of the school’s expansion, for the purpose of demonstrating and declaring the Gospel among the host people. With over 300 students, and opportunities to open new schools among this people, the need is urgent for more help.

Our desire is to form a team that enters this business opportunity with a heart for evangelism and church planting. This individual or couple; as members of this team, would be expected to make a strong contribution in areas of professional teaching and/or management in the school setting. The individual or couple will carry out ministry objectives within the context of a work role that secures legal presence in the country/community in ways that are meaningful to local people and impactful with regard to our ministry goals. This position needs someone who is committed to sharing the Gospel and is willing to live in a challenging place.

The team of Alliance workers formed for this purpose will work in partnership with workers of another agency that have founded this first school, and that have opportunities for planting more schools among this people group.

Important Clarification: Applicants should be aware that serving in the international world typically requires a higher-than-normal degree of grace and flexibility. Overseas cross-cultural positions can be a bit of a moving target. For example, overseas teams can be suddenly and unexpectedly impacted by illness, government decisions, financial realities, team changes, or other factors beyond the team’s control. The challenge for applicants is that these factors can sometimes necessitate the sudden redefining of a position. This redefining can take place before, during, or even after the application/interview process has begun or is completed.

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Academic Qualifications:
• A recognized bachelor’s degree
• Completed a minimum of 30 hours of Bible/Theology/Ministry, 15 hours of Intercultural Studies (ICS).
• The wife must hold a recognized bachelor’s degree and have completed a minimum of 18 hours of Bible/Theology, 15 hours of missions/ministry studies. Of the 15 hours of missions/ministry studies, at least 6 hours must be in cross-cultural or missions fields.
• TESOL, TEFL, ESL, or CELTA certification for teaching English (for at least one spouse)
• MLAT Score of 40 or higher
2. Ministry Qualifications:
• Two years of successful Alliance Licensed Ministry Experience (ALME)
• A clear call to cross-cultural, pioneer outreach ministry.
• Be willing to live in a setting with very few expat friends and with a challenging living      standard (see below).
• Ordination required.

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Experience in teaching English to speakers of other languages.
2. Work experience in a business setting involving management, sales, and administration.
3. Church planting ministry experience.
4. Overseas experience.
5. Masters in Intercultural studies or TESOL.

Responsibilities:

1. Learn the local language to a proficient level and adjust to local culture.
2. Teach/work in the school of English.  This will begin concurrently with, and tailored to, the language-learning experience.  Teaching/work load will increase as language – learning tapers off.
3. Fulfill other duties as assigned by the Director of the School and/or Alliance Team Leader.
4. Make new contacts and develop relationships.
5. Confidently share the Good News with new people on a consistent basis and be involved in discipleship.
6. Give direction to church planting effort.

Timeline for deployment:

Late summer 2015

Geographic Information:

Creative Access Country (CAC) that brings witness to a very large and under-reached people group.

Work and Living Environment:

The environment is challenging.  The location is a small/town setting among people of an agrarian lifestyle. At the same time, the school serves a surrounding community of over 100,000 people, part of a larger region where 500,000 of these people live with very little exposure to the Gospel. Some homes are without indoor plumbing, electricity is inconsistent, no English-language school available for children, no public church outside of home setting.

Status of Christian Witness:

The immediate community of the town and village amounts to nearly 100,000 people who are part of a larger community of 500.000 people of this language group that live within a three-region (county) area.  People of this language group, overall, are very under-reached, with fewer than 0.005% believers.  This 500,000 are being targeted because they are isolated, surrounded by people of another language group, but have among themselves fewer than 20 known believers (0.00004% of the target group).  The dominant religion of this people group is Islam.  Within the target group for this project, most people have been nominal, but loyal, in their religious devotion, though greater accent on religious practice is growing in the area.

Language Expectations:

Language is an essential part of ministry. The goal will be to speak, read, and write the language at a functional level, in order to share the good news of Jesus. Due to the nature of the role, language learning must be pursued simultaneously with work obligations after an initial introductory period.

Health Considerations:

There are not any particular health risks. Any major change of location brings exposure to new microbes that can cause changes to digestive processes.  Water must be filtered.  There are local, but simply-equipped hospitals that can be used for emergencies and illnesses.

Expectations for Spouse:

Spousal roles vary based on the husband’s and wife’s giftings, training, and needs of the team. It is expected that both spouses will be meaningfully involved in meeting ministry objectives, depending on the nature of family roles, children, etc.

Children’s Educational Plan and Options:

Homeschool is the only option.

Compensation Package:

This is designated a fully GCF-funded role. Please visit our Compensation page for details on how U.S. C&MA international workers are compensated. You will see there a comprehensive package that would be offered with this role covering all costs related to a monthly living allowance, housing, travel, children’s education and full benefits.  GCF-funded workers share corporate responsibility for raising of GCF dollars from among Alliance churches and other possible sources.

Questions?

Please write Amy Roedding at [email protected] or contact your Candidate Developer.

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