posted on January 1, 2024
aXcess: Church Planting through ESL in Eastern Europe
In order to reach the young urban professional who rarely encounters followers of Christ, we need passionate teammates with experience in living among and having connections with the lost. This is an opportunity to live in an urban center and experience the life and culture of one of the largest cities in Europe while using your creativity to develop relationships and build a community of faith. We believe the Lord is leading our team to partner with local believers to strategize and develop a new network of local churches in and around the city. We are looking for people to join this initiative and work alongside a team where you will find opportunities for personal development, support, and ministry partnerships as the Lord grows a network of churches.
Position Type
- International worker (IW)–aXcess–Vocational Track or Clergy Track
- Church planting, discipleship, ESL/TESOL, evangelism
- Partially funded
- Creative-access country (CAC)
- Single or couple
Responsibilities:
- Plan and lead the English club
- Lead cross-over (English to local language) evangelistic group or activity
- Develop relationships with the unchurched people and share the gospel
- Participate in one-on-one discipleship and discipleship groups
Required Qualifications:
Clergy Track
- 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
Vocational Track
- Completion of Alliance Polity course
- Completion of the World Perspectives Mission Course (minimum of certificate level) or equivalent
- A minimum Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 60
Preferred Qualifications:
- A master’s degree in intercultural studies
- Church planting ministry experience or training
- ESL experience
Biblical Characteristics Desired:
- Kingdom-minded
- Biblically grounded
- Spirit-dependent
- Competently skilled
- Self-aware
- Self-disciplined
Timeline for Deployment:
Summer/fall 2025. All appointees are required to attend a cross-cultural and language acquisition program and pre-field course/experience prior to deploying.
General Information:
This world-class city is developing rapidly, providing a bustling urban environment. This requires applicants to be prepared to carry on many ministry activities in the evenings with the large student and young professional populations of the city. Much of the city has a European mentality. Housing is in apartment buildings with 100–200 apartments. Public transportation is excellent. This country is famous for its beautiful and clean subways, and this city of nearly 5.5 million is no exception. The subway connects most parts of the city. An English-speaking international Christian school is available for children.
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 learning would be a combination of classroom time at a local private language school and learning with a language helper.
Health Considerations:
The city has decent medical care. Food allergies might be challenging to manage but not impossible.
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:
There is an international academy in the city that is an accredited international K–12 Christian school with an American curriculum. Also, many local schools can provide a quality education with excellent opportunities for your children and whole family to integrate into the culture. Pre-school programs with flexible hours are prevalent throughout the city.
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].