This is a new, pioneering work among refugees in Greece. The vision is to see churches being planted among immigrants and refugees who have come to Greece from the Middle East and North Africa. This ministry involves a lot of direct evangelism through the proclamation of the Word and service to the refugees. Ideally, this will be a joint project between aXcess and CAMA, with the expectation that aXcess workers will focus on direct evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.

Responsibilities:

• Language learning
• Evangelism
• Discipleship
• Church planting

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 of two years of successful Alliance Licensed Ministry Experience
• Completion of Alliance ordination/consecration (all single applicants or one partner per couple)
• Completion of Alliance Polity course
• A minimum Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 50

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in ministry among immigrants or refugees, especially those who come from North Africa and the Middle East
• Knowledge of Greek language and culture
• Knowledge of Arabic or Farsi

Biblical Characteristics Desired:

• Kingdom-minded
• Biblically grounded
• Spirit-dependent 
• Competently skilled
• Self-aware
• Self-disciplined

Timeline for Deployment:

Summer/Fall 2023. All appointees are required to attend a cross-cultural and language acquisition program and Pre-Field Orientation prior to deploying.

General Information:

Greece is part of the European Union with modern systems of transportation, education, and healthcare. However, most of this is found in the major cities, not on the isolated islands or in smaller towns of the mainland. The country has a population of about 10.6 million people (roughly 80% live in the urban centers) and the majority religion is Greek Orthodox (90%, not including diaspora). The country unwillingly hosts 1.2 million refugees and immigrants, primarily from the Middle East. Economic crisis and the influx of refugees have destabilized the country.

CIA World Factbook – Greece

Joshua Project – Greece

Work and Living Environment:

The successful applicant(s) will live in an urban setting with high refugee and immigrant density. For more information on Italy’s role in the refugee and migrant crisis, click here.

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.

As with other diaspora work, language is a challenge. This will be a multilingual setting requiring study in two different languages and achieving an advanced level in at least one.

Health Considerations:

Medical care is accessible in urban centers.

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:

Local Greek schools are available throughout the country. Limited international schools are available, and only in major cities. For children in high school, Christian boarding school is available in Germany at Black Forest Academy. For more information about schooling options in Greece, click here.