Are You a Good Fit For Christar?

Ten Key Qualities for New Workers

Among the many factors involved in choosing an agency, fit is a key consideration. In addition to exploring if Christar might be a good fit for you, we encourage you to consider if you’re a good fit for Christar.

Below we list 10 traits we look for in potential new workers, as we’ve seen how each of these things helps them thrive in full-time cross-cultural ministry. This isn’t a checklist of qualities we expect every potential worker to have at the start, but a collection of qualities we want to see developed in each worker before they leave for the field.

A Growing Relationship With God

One of our core values is godliness: We value a growing love for God, a humble dependence upon His Word and a serious commitment to prayer. So, we’re looking for men and women who love God and continually seek to become more like His Son: people who can truly model a relationship with Him in places where few know Jesus.

Active Disciple-Making

Going overseas won’t automatically transform you into someone who shares the gospel and helps others grow in their faith. So, if you’re not intentionally looking for opportunities to tell others about Jesus and come alongside them in their walk with Him now, you probably won’t on the field, either. Workers who effectively and joyfully proclaim the good news across cultures typically do so first in their home cultures.

Ministry Experience

Ministry of any kind can be difficult. So, it’s important that workers first learn to navigate the realities of ministry in general before adding the extra layer of challenges that come with serving cross-culturally.

If you’re looking for a way to gain this experience, a Christar Church Ministry Residency could be a great fit for you! Through hands-on involvement, mentorship, theological training and cross-cultural exposure, they provide a framework for developing effective ministry skills, all in the context of relationships.

Involvement in a Local Body of Christ

Effectively establishing a church requires that you’ve first experienced being part of a local body of Christ—it’s hard to build something you’ve never seen firsthand! In addition, there’s no substitute for the local church when it comes to preparing for the field and discerning God’s leading.

Being involved in a local church not only provides you with opportunities to gain ministry experience, it also places you in a community where you can be held accountable, be discipled and help others grow in their faith as well. In addition, God often uses people and experiences within a local church to guide future cross-cultural workers to ministries that are a good fit for them.

Teachability

Living and serving cross-culturally involves learning countless new things. Having a humble, teachable attitude enables workers to adapt in ways that help them serve more effectively and thrive on the field.

Cultivating this sort of spirit doesn’t happen overnight. So, we look for people who are already open to learning and growth.

Emotional Health

Cross-cultural workers aren’t immune to mental health struggles. These challenges are incredibly common, and they’re often magnified by the stresses of life and ministry in least-reached communities.

Just as going overseas won’t transform you into an effective disciple-maker, a change of setting won’t resolve any mental or emotional struggles you face. That’s why it’s vital that workers proactively pursue mental health and have resources at their disposal. We’re seeking people willing to grapple with mental and emotional challenges both as they prepare for the field and continually as they serve in least-reached communities.

Training in Bible and Theology

We want those who plant churches through Christar to be firmly rooted in Scripture so they can impart biblical and theological truth to others. So, we look for believers who’ve been trained in these areas or are willing to complete training before leaving to the field.

As part of its pre-field training process, Christar partners with the BibleMesh Institute to offer high-quality online theological education at an affordable rate to candidates, appointees and workers. Christar requires all appointees to complete the online BibleMesh pre-assessment, which determines if any additional training in Bible, doctrine or historical theology will be required.

A Marketable Skill

Many least-reached communities lack access to the gospel, in part, because they’re places where Christian workers aren’t permitted. But, in many of these areas, businesspeople, health care workers, educators and many others with professional skills are welcomed.

Since Christar focuses on establishing churches in these areas, believers with marketable skills and experience are often a great fit for our teams. Many of our workers serve in marketplace roles or as entrepreneurs, allowing them to live and minister in communities otherwise cut off from the good news of Jesus.

Ability to Live Independently

Living overseas adds an extra layer of complication to countless everyday experiences, from paying bills to doing laundry to buying groceries. Tackling these challenges without first having done these things in the States can be an overwhelming task, so we want our workers to head to the field after they’ve lived independently in their home country.

Our goal at Christar is to see Churches established in communities where they don’t yet exist. We want not only to start local fellowships of believers but to come alongside them over the long term so that they grow and multiply. We’re seeking people who share this goal and want to pursue it with us!

If we just described you, we’re eager to learn more about you! Click here to tell us about you (no obligation!) or email us at [email protected]. We’d love to walk alongside you as you seek God’s leading about cross-cultural ministry.