posted on January 17, 2022

aXcess: Business Owner—Bringing Light to a Creative-Access Country in Africa

The applicant will shine the light of the gospel into the darkness of our closed-access community both during their work (using their business/industry to build relationships with locals and share with them) and outside of it. Our hope would be that they are able to build (or join in) a business that could eventually employ local people, providing very necessary employment opportunities and skills training (although we are open to other business/industry models).

Position Type

  • International worker (IW)—aXcess—Vocational Track
  • Business, business development, community center (urban), discipleship, evangelism
  • CAC
  • Single or couple

Responsibilities:

Required Qualifications:

Preferred Qualifications:

Biblical Characteristics Desired:

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:

Our work is based in an urban area in an African country. The government is stable, and our city has a population of approximately 1.5 million people. Despite some economic growth in the past, the country grapples with poverty, unemployment, and high illiteracy rates, particularly post-Covid.

There is a national religion, and while there is a stated civil tolerance of other religions, familial and cultural persecution (as well as, more rarely, government persecution), follows conversion. It is estimated that 0.1% of this country is evangelical, although some are becoming disillusioned with the majority religion and the evangelical growth rate is estimated at 4.6% (for reference, the global growth rate is 2.6%).

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.

The primary spoken language in this field is the national dialect. This dialect is a requirement for candidates filling this MOD. We expect all new team members to be in full-time language study for two years. We have a very good language study option in our city.

French can be helpful in this context (it is an official trade language), but is not a requirement.

Health Considerations:

There is access to adequate medical care in our city. We do, however, recommend traveling to Europe for major procedures.

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.

Both spouses are considered vital parts of our team, and as such (following the leading of God and wise counsel) encouraged to engage in ministry. Each family unit is responsible to find the right balance of work, family investment, and rest for themselves.

Children’s Educational Plan and Options:

We have several options for schooling within our city. Private (French) schools, as well as an American and Canadian school, are available. Homeschooling is also an option.

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.

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