Responsibilities:

• Become competent in the local language and make a healthy and positive adjustment to local culture
• Confidently share the gospel with new people
• Work with believers to train and establish them in their faith
• Work with local leadership to develop better ways of discipleship
• Contribute to Bible studies, discussions and other meetings or events which form part of the team’s 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 6 hours in cross-cultural or missions studies).
• Minimum of two years of successful Alliance Licensed Ministry Experience
• Completion of Alliance ordination/consecration (all singles or one member per couple)
• A minimum Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 60

Preferred Qualifications:

• Gifts of teaching, discipleship, and/or shepherding
• Basic understanding of both the folk and formal beliefs of the majority religion
• Flexible and resourceful

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:

Fouta is mountainous and has both a dry season and a rainy season. Temperatures can reach 100° but cool down at night. Towns in the Fouta are mildly developed. Part-time electricity and cell phone coverage exist, but dirt roads are quite rutted and secondary routes at times are difficult to travel. Only 0.01% of the people are Christians. They are unreached and have limited access to the gospel. While workers have freedom to talk about the gospel, there can be strong resistance, and believers suffer persecution. We build relationships and seek open doors of communication.

CIA World Factbook – Guinea
Joshua Project – Guinea

Language Expectations:

Language study isn’t something one “attends.”  It is engaging in a shared experience in order to learn to serve and participate in a new community. It is essential to ministry. Those who do not yet speak the local language will take part in language study with the goal to speak, read, and write the language competently in order to mentor, teach, and train others.

This couple will receive one year of French language study in a French-speaking environment. They will follow this with field-based language and culture-acquisition in the language of the unreached people group. Both spouses are expected to learn this local language and will have a dedicated period of time to develop competency in the language in order to facilitate their ministry and their ability to impact Guinea with the gospel.

Health Considerations:

Basic health services and medications are available here, but Guinea lacks quality, comprehensive health care. Advanced diagnosis and treatment would need to be obtained outside the country.  For this reason, medical conditions that require constant monitoring and control would be difficult to maintain here. Malaria is a fact of life in this part of the world, so use of prophylaxis is strongly recommended. The state of secondary roads may also make life difficult for those with chronic back pain.

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.

A strong call to ministry is essential for both husband and wife. Women have many opportunities for ministry, including but not limited to personal evangelism, orality storying, engaging in Bible studies, children’s ministry, and discipleship. Both husband and wife form an integral part of the ministry team.

Children’s Educational Plan and Options:

Quality formal educational opportunities are limited in the Fouta Jalon. There are no local French or English language schools that provide an acceptable level of education for workers’ children. Home schooling is an option, with a home-school library and resource center available in the capital city. A boarding option is available in a nearby country for older children.