posted on January 1, 2024
aXcess: Church Planting in the Mountains of Guinea
Passionate about bringing Jesus to unreached people? We are planting a church among a large people group who face opposition and persecution for following Jesus. Join us as we build relationships with the lost, lead people to faith in Christ, and gather new believers into a community of faith reflecting their own language and culture. We envision using our centrally located facility for multi-faceted outreach tailored to your unique gifting and calling (e.g., English classes, tutoring for youth, personal finance management, girl’s programs). There is a new spirit of openness with unprecedented opportunities to reach this majority people!
Position Type
- International worker (IW)–aXcess–Clergy Track
- Church planting, community center, community development (urban), discipleship, education, ESL/TESOL, theological education, evangelism, leadership development
- Partially funded
- Single or couple
Responsibilities:
- Learn the national language (French) and the language of the focus people group
- Make Jesus known through relationship in both words and action, using various methods and approaches
- Develop young believers in their faith and ministry skills and work alongside existing leaders and teammates
- Work with the local believers in evangelism and outreach
- Be a teammate by working and praying in community with coworkers
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 successful Alliance Licensed Ministry Experience
- A minimum Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 60
- A deep calling to take Christ to the hard places
- Experience in discipling believers to spiritual growth and ministry
- Training, experience, or calling to work among those of the majority religion
- Flexibility to adjust to the unexpected
- A willingness to work independently and as a team
Biblical Characteristics Desired:
- Kingdom-minded
- Biblically grounded
- Spirit-dependent
- Competently skilled
- Self-aware
- Self-disciplined
Timeline for Deployment:
Summer/fall 2025. All appointees are required to attend a cross-cultural and language acquisition program and pre-field course/experience prior to deploying.
General Information:
Our town is sprawling but not fully developed. There are occasional power outages, so workers use generators and solar electric systems as back-up power. Wells, rather than public systems, provide water. Local shopping includes staples and a good supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. The capital city, some hours away, can supply a greater variety of appliances and imported goods. Our region lies about 11° north and has a warm dry season (February–May) with daytime temperatures up to 100°F but cooler at night, a rainy season (June–October), and a cooler season (December–January). Secondary routes can be rutted and difficult to traverse.
World Factbook – Guinea
Joshua Project – Guinea
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.
These IWs will receive one year of French language study in a French-speaking environment, followed with field-based language and culture acquisition in the local language. Each IW will have a dedicated time period to develop language competency in order to facilitate their ministry and ability to impact Guinea with the gospel.
Health Considerations:
Basic health services and medications are available, but Guinea lacks quality, comprehensive health care. Advanced diagnosis and treatment must be obtained outside the country. Medical conditions requiring constant monitoring and control are difficult to maintain here. Malaria is a fact of life, so use of prophylaxis is strongly recommended.
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 will be a vital part of our team and will be encouraged to engage in ministry. Each family will need to find the right balance of work, rest, and family time.
Children’s Educational Plan and Options:
Quality formal educational opportunities are limited in Fouta Jalon. There are no local French or English language schools that provide an acceptable level of education for workers’ children. Homeschooling is an option, with a homeschool library and resource center available in the capital city. A boarding option is available in a nearby country for older children.
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.
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].