How Do I Get There?

As you begin to respond to God’s call to share Christ among the unreached, you may feel you need some help in exploring where to serve and how to be involved in cross-cultural ministry. Although there are a number of steps to achieving the goal of joining a mission team, your involvement in world missions may be closer than you think.

Our desire at AWM is to partner with you as you discover God’s plan and purpose for your life.

As you can imagine, AWM has gained experience over the years in helping Christians and their supporting churches prepare, send and go on mission to the Arab world. Our concern is that you would be released into the fruitful ministry to which the Lord has called you. The Bible says, that plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed (Proverbs 15:22 NIV). We would encourage you to contact us and consider AWM as a voice of counsel in your journey into mission. AWM calls this mentoring towards mission.

AWM’s desire is to come alongside and help you explore your vision for mission. We would love to mentor you throughout the process from initial interest to long-term ministry. This simply begins with a conversation which you can initiate by calling or emailing HELEN, our Mobilisation Manager.

Completing our PRELIMINARY INFORMATION FORM – is a great way to take that first step.

Of course, to build a relationship, we would then wish to meet you in person further down the line, so that you can share your heart for mission and learn about our vision and CORE VALUES.

If you feel you would like to explore your involvement in mission further, it is extremely helpful if you complete the follow up forms that we send you. This will give us a more detailed picture of your heart for mission. You will not be obligated to AWM during this exploratory process and you may wish to contact other relevant mission agencies.

As God’s direction for your life becomes clearer, we would encourage you to visit the particular area of the Arab world to which you feel called. This will enable you to have a deeper sense of what the Lord is saying to you and a greater understanding of what your ministry might look like. It also gives you the opportunity to interact and form relationships with existing team members and hear their heart and passion for mission.

A debrief on any short-term trips or field visits will take place on return. We would then ask you to spend the necessary time to pray, reflect and explore with trusted friends and church leaders about what God is saying and where the Lord is leading you in the future. This time of discernment and preparation for the next steps vary from person-to-person depending on a number of factors. It could take weeks, months or years.

As you proceed on your journey, you may feel ready to partner with AWM and apply to join an AWM-Pioneers team in the Arab world. The next stage would be to fill in a Formal Application. Completing this application is your signal to us that you are seriously considering partnering with AWM. We would expect at this point to also be in discussion with your sending church. As you would imagine, formal references would be taken from those in your church leadership who have an intimate knowledge of your relationships and ministry.

Once references have been collected and thorough discussions with your sending church have been completed, AWM will invite you and your church leader to attend an interview at AWM’s UK office in Loughborough or in another suitable venue. The interview process allows AWM, in partnership with your church leadership, to suggest any recommendations that would help you to prepare thoroughly for life in the Arab world. If approved by AWM’s Council, you will become an appointee until you are placed as a member of a cross-cultural team.

The next steps in your journey towards mission will be tailor-made to your Christian life, experiences and specific call and be guided by your Personal Development Plan. Moving from appointee to members stage can take several months or even years depending on  life circumstances, your pre-field preparation needs and openings in your ministry location.

You will be invited to attend an AWM orientation either after your formal interview and acceptance or because you have expressed a serious interest in learning more about our vision and values. This week will allow you to meet and form relationships with key field workers, office staff, and other new AWM workers. We will look closely at our core values and how cross-cultural ministry is expressed through our team-based and field-based leadership structure. This week is built to be interactive and adaptable to the participants involved.

As you embark on this journey of partnering with God in His redemptive mission, you will encounter setbacks, frustrations and spiritual opposition. It is essential, right from the beginning, that you gather believers around you who will commit to pray, encourage and strengthen you in the Lord. This network of supporters may consider committing to your financial support needs in the short and long-term too.

You will be sent out in partnership with your supporting church(es) to play your role in God’s purposes. You will join a church-planting ministry team (or pioneer one) and maintain contact with Team Leaders and Area Leaders.

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WHERE COULD YOU GO?
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