posted on September 1, 2021
aXcess: Church-Planting Partner in Paraguay
As part of the team, the applicant(s) would be expected to make a strong contribution in areas of relational outreach, discipleship, and mentoring in developing Paraguayan leaders for church ministries and church-planting efforts. Here, Alliance international workers work closely with the Paraguayan national pastors and leaders. Our primary role is to be a source of support in the growth and development of the Alliance church in Paraguay.
Position Type
- International worker (IW)—aXcess—Clergy Track
- Church planting, discipleship, evangelism
- Partially funded
- Single or couple
Responsibilities
- Learn Spanish to a full professional proficiency and adjust to Paraguayan life and culture
- Work closely with national church pastors and leaders in local church ministries
- Confidently share the gospel and model discipleship to young believers
- Serve in a multicultural team setting
- Work alongside national leaders in church-planting efforts
Required Qualifications
- A recognized bachelor’s degree
- Completion of at least 30 hours of Bible/theology/ministry and 15 hours of intercultural studies
- Note: If a couple, one spouse must meet this requirement. It’s preferable that the other spouse holds a recognized bachelor’s degree, has strong ministry experience, and has completed the C&MA Polity course and at least 18 hours of Bible/theology and 12 hours of missions/ministry studies (with a minimum of six hours in cross-cultural or missions studies).
- Minimum of two years of successful Alliance Licensed Ministry Experience
- Completion of Alliance ordination/consecration (all single applicants or one member per couple)
- A clear calling to cross-cultural ministry
- Previous experience in church planting
- A desire to work in a multicultural team environment
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
The successful applicant(s) will initially live in Asunción, Paraguay’s capital. With a population of 2.5 million, Asunción maintains the feel of a small city. The people are highly relational, warm, friendly, and open to sharing life together. The majority speak both Spanish and the indigenous language of Guarani. Asunción is a quickly developing, culturally diverse city. The climate is sub-tropical and subject to moderate seasonal changes. Asunción has a great variety of restaurants at reasonable prices, and grocery stores are well-stocked with some State-side products. According to the Joshua Project, Paraguay is estimated to be about 8 percent evangelical, though locally, this estimate is considered high. Most Paraguayans are professing Catholics but do not practice the religion. Within Asunción, most young adults have little religious background.
CIA World Factbook – Paraguay
Joshua Project – Paraguay
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 successful applicant(s) will spend one year focusing on language study in Costa Rica before arrival in-country. After moving to Paraguay, the first year will be largely focused on continued language and cultural acquisition in a local language institute, private tutoring, and independent learning. Further study of the Guarani language is highly recommended as part of the church-planting effort.
Health Considerations
Asunción has quality health-care facilities. IWs often take advantage of the many physicians in the country who have studied in the United States and speak English.
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
Current missionary children attend Asuncion Christian Academy, an English-speaking, ACSI-accredited, K–12 Christian school in Asunción (see website).
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].