posted on January 27, 2022
aXcess: School Community Center Youth Program Coordinator in the Middle East
This position is for a male pastor to the community that can work with the Alliance Academy and the pastor of the local church to reach and disciple families from the school and community, as well as church families. As a primary contact with the church, this person should speak Arabic. The worker would not be on the church staff but would collaborate with the pastor and church staff to plan and carry out community outreach. They would also work with the school director to connect the school to the community.
Position Type
- International worker (IW)—aXcess—Clergy Track
- Church planting, discipleship, community center, educational, and leadership development
- Creative-access location
- Partially funded (requested to raise partial support)
- Single or couple
Responsibilities:
- Learn the local language
- Work with the spiritual development team to facilitate home visits and community events
- Work with the church pastor in community outreach, youth activities, and community development projects
- Plan and coordinate ministry group visits to the school
- Work with the activities coordinator to plan Christian activities after school and/or on weekends
- Work with the church pastor to disciple church members and help train leadership for the new church
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).
- Completion of Alliance ordination/consecration (all single applicants or one partner per couple)
- Completion of Alliance Polity course
- Minimum of two years successful Alliance Licensed Ministry Experience (ALME)
- A minimum Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 80
Preferred Qualifications:
- MDiv or master’s degree in community development or related area
- ESL training
- Minimum two years of experience with youth and adult discipleship ministries
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 Alliance Academy in the Middle East is a school for local children that follows a British International Curriculum. Instruction is in Arabic with mathematics and sciences. The school shares facilities with a church building, and the Alliance World Fellowship of the country is starting a church in the community.
Language Expectations:
Language is an essential part of ministry. Those who do not fluently speak the local language will attend language study. The goal will be to speak, read, and write the language at a functional level in order to mentor, teach, and train others. Two years of full-time language study will be required upon arrival. After those two years, part-time language study will be provided until one can maintain intimate relationships in Arabic.
Health Considerations:
Hospitals, pharmacies, and public and private clinics are available for health-care needs.
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.
Teaching certificate, coaching, or therapy skills that could be used in a school context or a ministry background to work with the spiritual development committee would be ideal.
Children’s Educational Plan and Options:
Children can attend the Alliance Academy. This works best if they start in the early grades so they learn Arabic. There is a Christian school for third culture kids (TCKs) that teaches an American curriculum in our city. Some children in high school attend Black Forest Academy in Germany.
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.