posted on January 1, 2023
aXcess: Giving Gospel Access in a Larger Rural Setting in Guinea
Nestled among the mountains of central Guinea are numbers of smaller towns and villages without gospel access. A couple with a solid biblical understanding and strong evangelistic gifts will be able to reach out in larger rural areas to provide this access. Working as part of a team, they will seek to use their unique gifts and abilities to build relationships, lead people to faith in Christ, disciple believers to maturity, and cultivate communities of faith.
Position Type
- International worker (IW)–aXcess–Clergy Track
- Church planting, discipleship, and evangelism
- Couple only
Responsibilities:
- Become competent in the local language
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 of successful Alliance Licensed Ministry Experience
- A minimum Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 60
Preferred Qualifications:
- Exhibit gifts of evangelism, discipleship, and/or shepherding
- A basic understanding of the majority religion
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 Fouta region lies about 11° north, providing a warm dry season (March-May) with temperatures reaching 100°F while cooling off at night, a rainy season (June-October), and a cool, windy period early in the year. Towns in the Fouta are mildly developed with part-time electricity and cell phone coverage. Dirt roads can be quite rutted and secondary routes 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.
This couple will receive one year of French language study in a French-speaking environment followed by field-based language and culture acquisition in the local language. Both spouses 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 needs to 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 are 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 the Fouta region. There are no local French or English language schools that provide an acceptable level of education for workers’ children. A boarding option is available in a neighboring country for older children. Home schooling is also an option, with a home school library and resource center available in Conakry.
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.
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].
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.