posted on January 19, 2022
aXcess: Vietnamese Diaspora Ministry in Taiwan
One of the island’s larger communities of foreign residents are the Vietnamese who came to Taiwan seeking a better life. Often, they find misery instead. Vietnamese women married to Taiwanese men number over 120,000, and Vietnamese migrant workers number over 250,000. This team is reaching the workers with the gospel in detention centers and in their places of work, showing them the light of Christ in an otherwise dark existence. The Kaohsiung Alliance Church in southern Taiwan is a place where Vietnamese women and their Taiwanese family members can find Christ and grow in Him. Our team is working to see a thriving Vietnamese community of believers built up who will reach out with the gospel both in Taiwan and to their home country.
Position Type
- International worker (IW)—aXcess—Clergy Track
- Church planting, community center, discipleship, evangelism, leadership development, refugee or immigrant ministry
- Partially funded
- Single or couple
Responsibilities:
- Learn the local language of Mandarin Chinese
- Make new contacts and develop relationships within the Vietnamese community, seeking opportunities to share Christ
- Evangelize and disciple Vietnamese and their Taiwanese family members, raising up leaders who will continue to lead the church in Taiwan and Vietnam
- Develop relationships within the Taiwan C&MA national church in order to cast vision and partner in outreach to local Vietnamese
- Host and assist in the ministries of short-term teams
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).
- A minimum Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 60
- Completion of ordination or consecration (all singles or one member per couple)
- Minimum of two years of successful Alliance Licensed Ministry Experience
- At least two years of full-time ministry experience within the US as a licensed worker with the C&MA
Preferred Qualifications:
- Fluency in the Vietnamese language
- Experience in evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development within a Vietnamese cultural context
- Ability to work within a multicultural team structure
- Flexibility and willingness to adapt to changes
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:
Taiwan is a modern and convenient country in which to live and work. Excellent food, shopping, medical facilities, and public transportation options are readily available. Taiwan’s people are friendly and helpful and most new arrivals to Taiwan find life enjoyable and comfortable in an atmosphere, which makes it easy to establish new friendships.
CIA World Factbook—Taiwan
Joshua Project—Taiwan
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.
Health Considerations:
Taiwan has good health-care facilities and well-trained physicians, and most medications are readily available. IWs will be covered under Taiwan’s National Health Insurance, which provides inexpensive and accessible health care.
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:
IW children attend school at one of four Morrison Christian Academy’s campuses. There is a campus in the city of Kaohsiung for children in elementary through high school students.
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].