France: Creative Community Development Through a Café Space

Share the gospel with a local community

photo Apply Now Return to Current Openings
Questions?

Please contact CAMA at
cama@camaservices.org.

Join other Alliance Missions international workers from aXcess who are engaged in church planting in the northern part of the city. The church plant started in 2021 and is looking to create an association (outside the church), which can rent a public space to be a blessing to the community. So much of church work is illegal for the church to do, so it is necessary to develop a creative approach. Applicants need to be imaginative so that they can create and maintain a meaningful impactful presence within the community. This will take the form of adding something to a community center/café space.  

Position Type:

  • CAMA worker
  • Urban/rural poor
  • IDP/refugee 
  • Business development, community wellness/advocacy, education 
  • Partially funded 
  • Single or couple 

Responsibilities:

  • Pray 
  • Work with the cultural association (non-governmental organization/nonprofit) to bring the whole gospel to the poor and overlooked communities and to demonstrate who Jesus is to a post-Christian French society 
  • Blend aXcess and CAMA workers in unity to advance the Kingdom under the field and team leadership in place  
  • Specialize in a post-Christian setting 

Required Qualifications:

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience in nonprofit organizations 
  • Experience in an urban post-Christian setting 
  • Experience on a team 
  • Experience in café setting  
  • BA/MA in community or urban development  

Biblical Characteristics Desired:

  • Ability to articulate personal conversion and call to gospel ministry 
  • Demonstrated heart for the poor and marginalized (Micah 6:8) 
  • Theological Alignment with The Alliance 
  • Demonstrated flexibility and grace in all aspects of life 
  • Vibrant spiritual life with consistent practice of spiritual disciplines 
  • Ability to learn and recover from failure 

Timeline for Deployment:

Summer/fall 2026. Once appointed and fundraising and other qualifications are met, the appointee is required to attend a cross-cultural and language-acquisition program and pre-field orientation prior to deploying.

General Information:

Imagine this: A table set with bread and wine and deep discussions about the significance of your faith. The people are committed to art, beauty, and the good life. This means work–life balance is crucial, as the French work to live. You will have the opportunity to be the first person someone has ever met who follows Jesus because of how He changed your life. In Bordeaux, where there is one church for every 33,000 people, your gospel impact will be felt!  

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. 

Applicant(s) will attend language school for one year in Albertville, France. Albertville is the legacy French learning institution for France and Franco-African international workers. After successful completion of the program at Albertville, applicant(s) will continue French studies in Bordeaux for an additional school year. Ideally, applicant(s) will have C1 French fluency by the end of their first term. 

Health Considerations:

France has access to modern medicine and has nationalized healthcare. This means that for some specialist appointments, wait times may be long. Additionally, facilities are less glamorous than newly built American hospitals. The French have one of the lowest BMIs in Europe––obese people can experience discrimination. 

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. 

 The spouse will be expected to work within the center/café, be active in the church plant, and open to starting something new within the ministry context.  

Children’s Educational Plan and Options:

Bordeaux has a wide variety of schools to choose from—both public and private—that are high quality educational institutions. Children are required to start school at three years old. School runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Homeschooling is not a legal option in France. While in language school, children younger than three will be placed in a daycare facility at the language school. If you have children with special needs, please mention that to the team.   

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

CAMA Services is the relief and development specialized structure of Alliance Missions. 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. 

Important 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.