posted on January 1, 2024
aXcess: Disciple-Making Movement Among North Africans in Southwestern Europe
More than 50 million people of the majority religion live in Europe. Like never before, the Church has an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with many who have never heard. Our city has a large presence of both North African and West African immigrants. We are a team committed to seeing a discipleship movement that would impact the community and beyond. We are looking for teammates who are passionate to share Christ, have a desire and commitment to work within a team, and are willing to work in a multi-cultural/multi-lingual setting.
Position Type
- International worker (IW)–aXcess–Vocational Track or Clergy Track
- Church planting, community development (urban), discipleship, evangelism, NGO, refugee or immigrant, sport/outdoor club, youth mentoring
- Partially funded
- Creative-access work
- Single or couple
Responsibilities:
- Regularly share personal testimony and the gospel with those of majority religion
- Participate/initiate team and ministry activities
- Open home to visitors, both Western and immigrant
- Disciple new believers
- Attend and participate with the national church towards engaging those of majority religion
Required Qualifications:
Clergy Track
- A recognized bachelor’s degree
- Completion of at least 30 hours of Bible/theology/ministry and 15 hours of intercultural studies
- Spouse must hold a recognized bachelor’s degree and have completed at least 18 hours of Bible/theology, 12 hours of missions/ministry studies (with a minimum of 6 hours in cross-cultural or missions studies)
- Completion of Alliance ordination/consecration
- Minimum of two years successful Alliance Licensed Ministry Experience
Vocational Track
- Completion of the World Perspectives Mission Course (minimum of certificate level) or equivalent
Both Clergy and Vocational Tracks
- Completion of Alliance Polity course
- A minimum Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 40
- Demonstrated confidence in evangelistic ministry
- Excellent relational and listening skills
- Previous cross-cultural experience
- Clear burden and passion to share Christ
- Ability and commitment to adapt to the life of the team and the cultures represented
Preferred Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree
- Training in evangelism/discipleship
- Knowledge of Spanish and/or Arabic
- Skill as self-starter and taking initiative
- Commitment to a Spirit-led, prayerful life
Biblical Characteristics Desired:
- Kingdom-minded
- Biblically grounded
- Spirit-dependent
- Competently skilled
- Self-aware
- Self-disciplined
Timeline for Deployment:
Summer/fall 2025. All appointees are required to attend a cross-cultural and language acquisition program and pre-field course/experience prior to deploying.
General Information:
Although this is a non-CAC country, the main focus of this ministry is on North African CAC peoples. Understanding that daily life is lived between local culture and North African cultures is very important to long-term resilience and success. There are very few known evangelical believers, and professing Christians number less than 1 percent. Most immigrants have come to Europe in search of a better life. Some are seeking refuge or asylum. For the first time in their lives, they are coming in contact with a religion, belief system, and worldview other than their religion. For many immigrants, this transition offers their first chance to explore the concepts of Christianity and meet a true follower of Jesus.
Language Expectations:
Language is an essential part of ministry. Those who do not know the language will attend a language study program. The goal will be to speak, read, and write the language at a functional level in order to mentor, teach, and train others.
Fluency in Spanish is required, and Arabic would be beneficial. Where language needs exist, there must be a commitment and dedication to pursue proficiency through personal study, class attendance, interaction with native speakers, and evaluation by a language-learning mentor.
Health Considerations:
This country has modern health-care facilities and well-trained doctors, and most medications are readily available.
Expectations for Spouse:
Spousal roles vary based on the spouse’s gifts, training, and abilities as well as the 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:
The area offers a large range of options. There are public, private, and semi-private schools that teach in Catalan, Spanish, and some English. A Christian English-immersion school in available in Barcelona (Synergy International). Christian TCK schools are also available in Madrid (ECA) and Germany (BFA).
Compensation Package
The successful applicant(s) will receive a full compensation package with the expectation that, once appointed, efforts will be made to raise a portion of support costs through the applicant’s network of friends, family, local church, or other resources. Information on support costs will be made available upon application. Training and/or coaching in fundraising is available.
Whole-Life Health
As part of an evangelical denomination, we are committed to biblical holism, which is modeled and reflected through our work. Due to this commitment, part of the required qualifications includes optimal emotional, spiritual, and physical health. These will be assessed during the application process.
Importance Clarification
Applicant(s) should be aware that serving in the international world often requires a higher degree of grace and flexibility. 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, which may take place before, during, or after the application/interview process has begun or is completed.
Questions?
Please email the IPO office at [email protected].