posted on January 18, 2022
aXcess: Bring the Light of Christ to the Lao in Cambodia
There are no churches among the 60,000 Lao who live in Stung Treng Province, Cambodia, and the gospel has not spread from the Khmer people group who are now considered reached. Our team figures out what the Lao people group’s specific needs are and introduces them to Jesus!
Position Type
- International worker (IW)—aXcess—clergy track
- Business development, community development, discipleship, educational, evangelism, medical, NGO
- Partially funded
- Single or couple
Responsibilities:
- Working one’s way into the hearts of the community, learning to live with them
- Evangelism
- Discipleship
- Working to gather new believers into functioning bodies
- Partnering with locals and the Khmer national church network
Required Qualifications:
- A recognized bachelor’s degree
- Completion of at least 30 hours of Bible/theology/ministry and 15 hours of intercultural studies
- Note: The spouse must hold a recognized bachelor’s degree, have strong ministry experience, and have completed the C&MA Polity course and at least 18 hours of Bible/theology and 15 hours of missions/ministry studies (with a minimum of six hours in cross-cultural or missions studies).
- A minimum Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 60
- Completion of Alliance ordination/consecration (all singles or one member per couple)
- Minimum of two years of successful Alliance Licensed Ministry Experience
Preferred Qualifications:
- Deep heart for unreached peoples
- Experience in working with other ethnic groups
- Experience in cross-cultural evangelism and discipleship
Biblical Characteristics Desired:
- Kingdom-minded
- Biblically grounded
- Spirit-dependent
- Competently skilled
- Self-aware
- Self-disciplined
Timeline for Deployment:
Summer/fall of 2024. Following appointment, and once fundraising goals and other qualifications are met, the appointee is required to attend a cross-cultural and language-acquisition program and pre-field orientation prior to deploying.
General Information:
Once the language study is completed, the successful applicant(s) will travel to mainly rural Lao villages in and around the province, working with other like-minded individuals and organizations to accomplish this ministry. There are about 100,000 Lao-speaking people living in Cambodia. Most live in Stung Treng province (60,000) and Ratanakiri province (18,400). An additional 23,000 live in other provinces. There are a few scattered Lao-speaking believers in Khmer-language churches, but there are no Lao-speaking churches in Stung Treng province. Currently, Lao groups in two villages are open to hearing the gospel.
CIA World Factbook—Cambodia
Joshua Project—Cambodia
Language Expectations:
Language is an essential part of ministry. The successful applicant(s) will receive one year of intense language study followed by ongoing language and cultural acquisition. The goal will be to speak, read, and write the language at a functional level in order to mentor, teach, and train others.
Health Considerations:
Good health is required since Cambodia is part of the developing world.
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:
Most likely, there will not be an appropriate international school available once the applicant(s) moves into their permanent location. Homeschooling, some time in local schools, and boarding schools are all options.
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.
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].
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.