Indonesia: Reach Highland Migrants with the Gospel

Work as part of a team in Wamena, Papua, focusing on strategic ways to reach the Indonesian majority faith population, many of whom have come to the interior highland town of Wamena, Papua to work. Almost all islands are represented, but the majority are from Makassar, Padang, Java, and Madura.

Position Type:

• CAMA worker
• Wholistic development
• Partially funded
• Creative-access country (CAC)
• Single or couple

Responsibilities:

• Join a team in Wamena and be mentored by seasoned workers with experience in community development and reaching the non-church community
• Research and implement strategies for loving and reaching the majority faith, migrant population
• Engage the national church by modeling relational evangelism and possibly teaching an intensive at a local C&MA Bible school to enhance the passion among the student body for contextual outreach
• Recruit Christians from other islands who understand contextualization and are passionate about loving migrants and building relationships with them

Required Qualifications:

• A recognized bachelor’s degree
• Completion of Alliance Polity course
• A minimum Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 50
• Some experience in community development and intentional discipleship
• An understanding of contextual ministry to the majority faith population
• A willingness to respond in disaster situations
• A learner posture

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a community development related field (agriculture, adult education, public health, environmental issues, etc.)
• Completion of World Perspectives Mission course or other comparable mission course
• Knowledge, experience (if possible), and commitment to contextual ministry among people of the majority faith population
• TESOL certification or farming/business development experience
• Understanding of creation care (our responsibility to steward God’s earth)

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 of 2025. 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.

The candidate(s) would need to visit Wamena and interact with teammates before they are appointed.

General Information:

Indonesia is a large archipelago made up of over 17,000 islands and 583 languages. It has a total population of over 200 million. About 30 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Papua has a population of 4.3 million and over half of these are from other islands.

The appointee will live in Wamena, in the highlands of Papua, which is the most eastern island in Indonesia. This is a developing city with a long history of C&MA work in the Baliem Valley. The consistent emphasis with this ministry, however, will be ministering to and mobilizing ministry among the majority faith population.

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.

Health Considerations:

Well-trained doctors and medicines are available, though serious illnesses or medical emergencies are best handled in Jakarta or Singapore. Mission Aviation Fellowship services (and some commercial airlines) are available to fly to the north coast and beyond for possible medical help. Appointees will need to eat a variety of foods, therefore managing extensive dietary restrictions would be quite difficult.

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.

Children’s Educational Plan and Options:

There is a small international elementary school in Wamena—grades one through six. There are also several choices of boarding schools: one in Papua, one in Java, and one in Malaysia. Homeschooling is also an option.

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.

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.

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.