Our multinational team partners with existing believers from a large unreached people group who were largely responsible for the spread of the majority religion throughout the region. These believers have a desire to see a church planting movement take place among their people. From a major urban center, we support an emerging regional network of believers and often travel to encourage and build relationships among believers and help with training in more remote locations.

Responsibilities:

• Learn the national language (French) and the language of the target people.
• Disciple individuals and small groups as they grow in their likeness to Christ and work through the challenges of ministry.
• Teach individuals and small groups of local believers church planting methodology and walk with them through implementation.
• Build relationships with non-believers and begin study groups with them or connect them to existing groups/disciplers as fits best.
• Pray and help foster a movement of prayer to accomplish our mission.

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 50
• Some understanding of and a desire to work among Muslims
• Willing to work collaboratively on a team

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with current church planting strategies such as T4T, DBS, Oral Storying
• Experience in discipling believers in spiritual growth and ministry
• Willingness to travel by car in remote areas and appreciate rural hospitality
• Specific training or experience in working with those of the majority religion

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:

Our city is a major urban area which often defies expectations of life in Africa. The weather is cooler much of the year, beaches abound, modern supermarkets and goods are available, and there are lots of 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.

CIA World Factbook – Senegal                 

Joshua Project – Senegal

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 worker spends a school year in French language study in France in a formal language school. Upon arrival in the country, the worker will study the language and culture of the target people group for a year 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 has a milder climate than interior regions, which can be extremely hot from May through October yearly. There are high levels of air pollution at times, which can affect those with respiratory issues. All typical healthcare specialties are well served, though people often choose to seek more specialized care elsewhere.

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.

This ministry is a part of a larger team with other work in urban church planting, reaching urban professionals through business and leadership training and medical ministry. A spouse could also serve in one of these areas.

Children’s Educational Plan and Options:

Some team members’ children attend private bilingual French schools that use the French system. Most of these children’s classmates are the children of people from around Africa and Europe, as well as local children. Other members’ children attend a Christian 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.