Our team is looking for a clergy coworker to partner with the local church as it strives to reach the outlying areas with few or no known believers. The applicant(s) also will seek ways to connect with local people in relationships that lead to disciple-making, such as, but not limited to, activities at our English Center or community involvement.  They would help to facilitate conversations at the district and national church levels to earmark local believers with evangelistic hearts that would be given the opportunity to learn English. This would be done with the understanding that they would continue to take classes and be part of the Center’s classes that are focused on sharing Christ.

Responsibilities

• Successful completion of French and Bambara language study and signing the team agreement
• Build relationships with local church and district leaders
• Outreach, discipleship, and church planting in areas identified as strategic by the church
• Teach an English class or other community involvement

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 six hours in cross-cultural or missions studies).
• Minimum of two years of successful Alliance licensed ministry experience
• Completion of Alliance ordination/consecraton (all singles or one member per couple)

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of the majority religion and strategies to share effectively Christ in that context
• Training or experience in living and working in the majority religion context

Biblical Characteristics Desired

• Kingdom-minded
• Biblically grounded
• Spirit-dependent
• Competently skilled
• Self-aware
• Self-disciplined

Timeline for Deployment

Summer/fall 2022. All appointees are required to attend a cross-cultural and language-acquisition program and Pre-Field Orientation prior to deploying.

General Information

Our country has a long and proud history and deep cultural roots that traditionally include ethnic and religious tolerance. These values have been challenged recently, as ethnic conflict opened the door to international terrorists basing themselves within the country’s borders. A number of attacks have directly affected places where Westerners congregate (hotels and bars), and the U.S. State Department recommends against travel outside of the capital. In spite of that, we feel safer here than we would in most large cities and have policies in place to increase security and avoid risky places.

Advantages of our city include neighborly people, a major river, the National Park, and interesting restaurants and shopping.

Disadvantages include heat, heavy traffic, dirty air, and infrastructure issues.

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.

The first term will involve language study in both French and Bambara. We find that knowing these two languages build bridges with people and fosters cultural adaptation. Bambara is especially important for connecting with people with ties to rural areas, as well as workers, sellers in the market, and many church leaders.

Health Considerations

Our city poses some difficulty for people with allergies, especially dust during the dry time of year. If someone is especially sensitive to heat, they should be prepared to develop coping strategies. Malaria, typhoid and yellow fever are three diseases that an expatriate resident either should be vaccinated against or take prophylactic medication to avoid. Good medical care is available locally at a Christian hospital with a mix of local and expatriate personnel.

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 involved meaningfully in meeting ministry objectives, depending on the nature of family roles, children, etc.

Both spouses are expected to partner with one another and with the team unless one has a specific, different assignment. When young children are part of the household, creativity is necessary for balancing family life with language study or ministry involvement. Your spouse might feel called to teach English at our English Center, for which we have a MOD. We also have a CAMA women’s ministry MOD for a woman focused on helping to start ministries that empower young household workers.

Children’s Educational Plan and Options

Current options used by IWs in our city include private schools based on the French system, international schools, and homeschooling. There is also a boarding school option in the region for high school students.