A new opportunity from 9:38 in partnership with AIM, Crosslinks and OMF. These overseas apprenticeships are based on the model of an apprenticeship based in the UK with the following three main elements:
Practical service
Bible and ministry training
Bible teaching in ministry
Each apprenticeship will have these three main components in different proportions depending on the individual situation of the particular church. These new overseas apprenticeships will have the added experience of being in different countries and cultures. It would be ideal for:
Someone who is considering some sort of overseas gospel work in the future.
Someone who has done one year of a UK apprenticeship, and who is considering some sort of overseas gospel ministry in the future.
What’s the point?
Apprenticeships aim to act both as a testing of the water of whether full-time gospel ministry is right for the apprentice, and as a stepping stone into full-time gospel ministry if it is right for them. These one year placements (with the possibility of a 2nd year in some cases) will provide great experience of cross-cultural overseas ministry, in a context of training and mentoring, that will help in discerning whether overseas gospel ministry is for the apprentice or not.
How does it work?
UK based apprenticeships are run by local churches and similarly these overseas apprenticeships will be run by churches and missionaries who are supported by the agencies AIM, Crosslinks and OMF.
All the placements have been chosen carefully to ensure that the church or missionary has the attitude of ‘train, train, train’ where the apprentice has the attitude of ‘serve, serve, serve’.
As we begin these overseas apprenticeships the placements available are limited.
What’s the next step?
The first step is to talk through the possibilities of full-time gospel work, here or overseas, with your local church leader (the minister, or student worker etc). This is also the case if you are an apprentice at the moment. Then take a look at the placements and see if there is one that you would be interested in doing and contact the agency. They’ll take it from there.