posted on January 1, 2025
aXcess: Between the Vineyards and the Sea—Urban Church and Community Development in Bordeaux, France
An appointed candidate will join a vibrant intrapreneurial team commited to impacting the growing north-side of Bordeaux with the message of Jesus. This team is church planting, based out of a creative cafe/center location in the heart of Ginko, a new eco community build on the shores of Bordeaux Lac (Lake). This church plant started in 2021 and functions both as a place of worship and a humanitarian association where we endevor to meet the needs of the whole person. Our vision is to see a movement of church planting on the north-side of Bordeaux. IWs must think outside the box to create and maintain a meaningful, impactful presence within this community. While we value incarnational ministry, we are uncompromising in our commitment to communicate the gospel of Jesus early and often in our relationships.
Position Type
- International worker (IW)–aXcess–Clergy Track
- Church planting, community center, community development (urban), creative arts/ethnoarts, business, discipleship, evangelism, leadership development, refugee or immigrant ministry
- Partially funded
- Single or couple
Responsibilities:
- Prayer engagement––this is the primary work of God’s people
- Church engagement––work with Mosaique, a blossoming urban church plant in Bordeaux
- Social engagement––use your gifts and passions to engage the larger local community in partnership with the church plant/third space
- Team engagement––serve within and support local Bordeaux team “cohort”
- Cultural engagement––continual development of gospel fluency in a post-Christian setting
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
- Completion of Alliance Polity course
- A minimum Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 50
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in nonprofit organizations
- Experience in an urban post-Christian setting
- Experience working on a team
- Experience in communicating the gospel to non-Christians
Biblical Characteristics Desired:
- Kingdom-minded
- Biblically grounded
- Spirit-dependent
- Competently skilled
- Self-aware
- Self-disciplined
Timeline for Deployment:
Summer/fall 2027. All appointees are required to attend a cross-cultural and language acquisition program and pre-field course/experience prior to deploying.
General Information:
Imagine: A table set with bread and wine. Deep discussions about the significance of your faith. A people committed to art, beauty, and the good life. This means work life balance is crucial, as the French work to live. You will have the opportunity to be the first person someone has ever met who follows Jesus because of how He changed your life. In Bordeaux, where there is one church community for every 33,000 people, your gospel impact will be felt!
World Factbook – France
Joshua Project – France
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.
After completing one year at the language school in Albertville, France, applicant(s) will continue French studies in the ministry context in Bordeaux for an additional school year. Applicants should attain a B2 level in French.
Health Considerations:
France has access to modern medicine and has nationalized health care. This means for some specialists, appointment wait times may be long. Additionally, facilities are less glamorous than newly built American hospitals.
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:
Bordeaux has a wide variety of schools to choose from, both public and private, that are high quality educational institutions. Children begin school at three years old. Homeschooling is not an option in France. While in Albertville, children younger than three have a daycare facility within the language school. If there are children with special needs, please speak with the regional education consultant (REC) during the application process.
Black Forest Academy in Kandern, Germany, is also an option for high school students. Direct flights are usually accessible from Bordeaux to Basel/Mulhouse.
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.
Important 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].