posted on January 1, 2023
aXcess: Establishing Communities of Faith in Kosovo
Today, many young Kosovars are disillusioned with the majority religion and are looking to the West to find hope for the future. We are looking for colleagues who will live in a medium-sized city in eastern Kosovo and creatively use their skills and experience to engage this young population, share Christ, and develop communities of faith. If you enjoy building relationships over numerous cups of coffee and collaborating with a national church network to transform communities, then Kosovo may be a good fit for you. This position will be messy, stretching, and life-changing. An adventurous, flexible, go-with-the-flow attitude is a must.
Position Type
- International worker (IW)–aXcess–Clergy Track
- Church planting, community development (urban), discipleship, ESL/TESOL, theological education, evangelism, leadership development
- Single or couple
Responsibilities:
- Learn the Albanian language to full proficiency and make a healthy adjustment to the local culture
- Build and nurture new relationships on an ongoing basis, intentionally share the gospel with Kosovars, and appropriately disciple them
- Collaborate with our national church partner network to create and develop new communities of faith
- Participate in the spiritual life of the local church, fulfilling leadership roles as appropriate
- Integrate into the existing team and contribute to healthy team dynamics
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
Preferred Qualifications:
- A master’s or bachelor’s degree in intercultural studies
- Ministry experience that reflects an ability to initiate new ministries, measurably grow them, and transition them to new leadership
- Experience collaborating in partnership alongside other local churches, ministries, or community groups
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:
Workers usually rent a modest, fully furnished apartment or house within a few kilometers of the city center. Internet is widely available. Electricity and water service are fairly regular with occasional rationing or outages. Hospitality is a high priority, and the Kosovar people value relationship over task. IWs will work primarily out of a home office but will spend significant time connecting with people in the community in various locations.
World Factbook – Kosovo
The Joshua Project – Kosovo
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.
Language study will be completed in-country and is done through private tutoring, individual language helpers, personal study time, and significant practice in the community under the oversight of the team’s language coach. The goal at the end of two years of full-time language study is to reach a proficiency level of 2.5 (advanced/high) based on ACTFL guidelines.
Health Considerations:
Basic health-care services are readily available including private clinics, hospitals, dentists, etc. Specialized treatments (chiropractors, etc.) have limited availability. More advanced medical care is available in nearby countries. Air quality is regularly poor during the winter, which can exacerbate existing respiratory problems. Climbing stairs and navigating uneven ground is unavoidable.
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:
Educational options in Kosovo consist of local Albanian language public and private schools, home-schooling (after language study), and Black Forest Academy in Germany for high-school-age children. For children of some ages, a family could live in the capital city during language study and send their children to an international school. However, there are currently no international or English-language schools in the target city in eastern Kosovo, so families would need to consider one of the above options after language study.
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.
Important 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.