posted on January 1, 2023
aXcess: Church Planting Among the Urban Poor in Senegal
Join a team from CAMA to further their reach and impact in the slum communities they serve in Dakar, Senegal. Through your actions, attitude, and words, you will help the urban poor understand that they are people of value and worthy of dignity. That there is a God who sees and cares about the injustice they suffer and the poverty they feel helpless to change. Ministry focus includes discipleship, education, health, poverty alleviation, and asset-based community development initiatives. Watch this video to learn more.

Position Type
- International worker (IW)–aXcess–Clergy Track
- Church planting, community development (urban), discipleship, evangelism, leadership development, and refugee or immigrant ministry
- Single or couple
Responsibilities:
- Make Jesus known through the medium of relationship that as you both proclaim and demonstrate the gospel
- Mentor young believers in their faith and leadership skills to develop the next generation of Senegalese church leaders
- Be a teammate by praying, playing, supporting, and working in unity with like-minded teammates to achieve desired outcomes in our target communities
- Use your life-giving gifts to be creative and use the natural gifts God has given you to engage in meaningful ways in the lives and communities you’ll serve
- Plant a church by gathering believers for regular teaching and worship to form a healthy, sustainable, reproducing community
Required Qualifications:
- 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 Polity course
- Completion of Alliance ordination/consecration
- Minimum of two years of successful Alliance Licensed Ministry Experience
- A minimum Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 40
- Education or experience in community development
Preferred Qualifications:
- Basic understanding of the majority religion
- Experience in discipleship and evangelism
- Gifts of mercy and compassion
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:
Our city is a major urban area that often defies life expectations in Africa. The weather is cooler much of the year, beaches abound, modern supermarkets and goods are available, and there are many options for eating out. On the flip side, many find it harder to build relationships, and battling traffic is always an issue. Dress is more conservative, especially for women. The team supports new workers during the process of cultural learning and facilitates new relationships and ministry encounters.
World Factbook—Senegal
Joshua Project—Senegal
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.
The worker(s) spends a school year in French language study in France. Upon arrival in the country, the worker will study the Wolof language before taking on full team member responsibilities. The team will guide and help new workers develop a participant-driven local language program with local language partners.
Health Considerations:
Our city is on a coastal peninsula and has a milder climate than interior regions, which can be extremely hot from May through October. It has extreme levels of air pollution, which can affect those with respiratory issues. All typical health care specialties are well served here.
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.
We would expect both spouses to fulfill language requirements and be an active part of the team based on their gifting. We are a flexible team and can be creative in the options available for ministry.
Children’s Educational Plan and Options:
International workers have exercised a variety of educational options with their children, including home school. In our city, some team members’ children attend private French schools that use the French system and are taught by Senegalese teachers. Most of the children’s classmates are other ex-pats from around Africa and Europe as well as Senegalese children. Other members’ children attend an international pre-K-12 school following the American system with all courses in English and taught mostly by Americans, as well as some foreign English speakers.
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.
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].
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.