Located in an arduous but strategic area of the Middle East, this people group has enormous potential to reach countries that make daily headlines. In a key city with an existing young team, help to provide meaningful skills, like English, and meet other felt needs at an NGO-based community center that touches hundreds of family networks.
The center unconditionally blesses this historically misunderstood people while creating broad opportunities to share and help people grow. Through the established international church, the goal is to plant small local-language groups capable of generationally multiplying across the country and region. As God opens the doors, you may have opportunity to help launch a new work in a smaller, untouched city.
Required Qualifications:
- A recognized bachelor’s degree
- Completed a minimum of 30 hours of Bible/theology/ministry and 15 hours of Intercultural Studies (ICS)
- The wife must hold a recognized bachelor’s degree and have completed a minimum of 18 hours of Bible/theology and 15 hours of missions/ministry studies (with a minimum of 6 hours in cross-cultural or missions studies).
- Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 40 or above
- Two years of successful Alliance Licensed Ministry Experience (ALME)
- Alliance ordination completed
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in engaging people to create new relationships
- Experience leading people to life-changing decisions to follow Christ and discipling them
Ministry Responsibilities:
- Spend first 20–24 months in full-time language study in the city
- Develop relationships
- Serve at the community center and international church, seeking to establish meaningful contacts and establishing discipleship groups that can multiply
- Flexibility and ability to change course rapidly
Timeline for Deployment:
Late summer 2017
General Information:
This country has been at war for much of the last 100 years. The 30 million-plus residents come from a diverse religious and ethnic makeup. In this country, the Shia A community is the largest, followed by the Sunni As and the ethnic target people group in the north. Dozens of minority religions and ethnicities also exist. This region has been autonomously governed since 1991 and took a big step forward in 2003. The last 10 years have seen major investment in the oil sector. As the only stable region in-country despite the emergence of new hostile groups, the region has developed strong ties with Western nations. The people are quite hospitable and loyal, with familial and social honor a high value.
Work and Living Environment:
This city is home to about a million people and one of three strategic target people group cities in this country. It is the cultural home of this long-oppressed people group and has a proud history of artisans and poets. To build economic strength, residents go out of their way to learn English from native speakers, and the culture generally is hospitable to Westerners. Electricity and water are not always dependable. There are a growing number of Western-style brands, chains, and restaurants. Most of the worker families live in houses or apartments in the community they seek to impact.
Status of Witness:
This target people group is overwhelmingly Sunni M. There are some pockets of historic ethnic Christians, but most are not believers and tend to keep to their own communities. Latest estimates indicate only 500 believers out of 6 million people. Many more have “professed” faith at some point but have not stuck with it for a variety of reasons. There are perhaps 10 visible local Christians across this region.
Persecution takes the form of social ostracizing, though it has the potential to turn violent at some point. However, the government officially allows freedom of religion, and rarely are Christians jailed. The international church is registered, and locals are allowed to attend freely. That has been the biggest source of new family and has also led to the formation of several small groups designed to multiply and function as the church. The New Testament has been published and revised. The Old Testament is under final review, soon to be released. There are a few other Christian resources available in the local language, with more being developed.
Language Expectations:
Language fluency is an essential part of this ministry. International workers will receive 20–24 months of language study. The goal will be to achieve the advanced low level in the K language, according to ACTFL guidelines, to share Christ, disciple new believers, and communicate effectively.
Health Considerations:
Teammates should be in good health to thrive in this environment. There is a local foreign-staffed private hospital and a few good specialists, but public health care in general is substandard. Pharmacies carry most medicines, including some name brands. Any routine procedures can be done locally. Any major nonemergency surgeries should be done abroad.
Expectations for Spouse:
The successful applicant’s wife is expected to engage meaningfully in fulfilling ministry objectives based on her gifts, training, the team’s needs, and her family’s needs.
Children’s Educational Plan and Options:
There are several English international schools, a homeschool co-op formed by the worker community, and plenty of local private and public schools.
Compensation Package:
This position is designated to be fully funded through the Great Commission Fund (GCF). Please visit our compensation page for details on how U.S. Alliance international workers are supported. We offer a comprehensive package for this position, covering all costs related to a monthly living allowance, housing, travel, children’s education, and full benefits. GCF-funded workers share responsibility for raising GCF dollars from Alliance churches and other sources.