What is needed in order to be prepared and be ready for serving Globally?

Perhaps a question may come to someone's mind as soon as mention is made of qualifications. The person says, "I believe God has called me and so I can just get on an airplane and go and serve." To respond to this question it is helpful to explore the life of Paul, someone who knew alot about working cross-culturally.

Paul's convernsion story is well know (Acts 9) as his almost immediate sense that God had very specific plans and purposes for him. Indeed, he began to become involved in serving God. However, a period of almost 10 years passed between his conversion and when he was sent out from his home church, Antioch, on his first "missionary journey." What happened during those ten years?

Paul certainly was involved in loving God and actively serving. But it was also a time of God preparing Paul for the demands and the challenges which were to come. We know that Paul says he spend three years (Gal. 1:17,18) in Arabia, probably devoting himself to times of meditation, prayer, and a complete reworking of his knowledge and experience of God. After this time of preparation he became very actively involved in the church in Antioch. While in Antioch he lived in such a way that quickly gained the respect of people and he became a leader in the church. Acts 13 indicates that the Holy Spirit called him and Barnabas to embark on a cross-cultural journey and that those in the church saw clear evidence to confirm this calling.

We believe that God works the same way today as He did in the first century in terms of preparing people for cross-cultural ministry. Some of the key elements we see in Paul's journey that carry on to this day are:

• Spiritual and character maturity- The Spirit of God continued to transform Paul's character and mature His walk with God. In the very demanding realities of international ministry, people today also need time to develop spiritual and character maturity.
• Knowledge of God and his purposes- Paul knew the scriptures well as a result of his Rabbic training. But he also need a time of intense reformulation of his understanding and experience of God, probably the three year period mentioned in Gal. 1:17-18. So also today cross cultural workers need a thorough grounding in God's revealed word.
• Ministry experience- Paul faithfully and effectively served God and discovered the spiritual gifts that God had equipped him with. Today, ministry experience is very important in order to be prepared for serving in another, more hostile context.
• Confirmation by the Church Community- Paul was sent out by the church in Antioch. Although the Spirit of God clearly called him to this activity it is clear that his community clearly saw much evidence to confirm the reality of this calling. Today a person's local church is the key element in confirming God's call to international ministry.

International staff are expected to have the following basic competencies/requirements:

• Spiritual Maturity – Individuals must evidence spiritual conversion, baptism and the filling of the Holy Spirit, borne out through a vibrant Christian life.
• Doctrinal and Scriptural Soundness – Individuals must be in agreement with the Statement of Faith of The Christian and Missionary Alliance and have a good working knowledge of the Bible.
• Ministry Track Record – Individuals must evidence involvement in the ministry of a local church in some capacity, sense a God-given call to international ministry and be affirmed by their church leadership.
• Physical and psychological health – Sufficient to withstand the rigors of diverse environments.
• C&MA Commitment – Individuals must be members of a Christian and Missionary Alliance Church and become licensed workers with the C&MA..
• Citizenship – Individuals must have Canadian citizenship.
• Willingness to complete application, accreditation, and screening process.

Please see specific educational requirements in WAYS TO SERVE.