Children's Ministry

Job Description

OMF is working in the Wanhua area of Taipei. This is a low income area and there is a high rate of family breakdown, abusive relationships and drug and alcohol abuse. Contacts are made with local children through activities held in local schools and parks.

The ministry involves pre-evangelism in the form of moral education and friendship building in the schools. The contacts made are followed up individually and through evangelistic activities held in the community using games, drama, music and stories. The outreach to the children is used as a springboard into their families and the wider community. OMF has a high level of trust from the community and there is a tremendous opportunity to expand the ministry to have a much greater impact. There is a need to build up the team to take advantage of these opportunities. 

Missionaries will live in apartments in the neighborhood where they are serving, mostly in urban environments. Taiwan is wealthy and advanced, so the standard of living is relatively high. Communciations and transportation are excellent. The culture, language, food and values of the people are primarily Chinese.

Responsibilities

* Helping to organise and lead activities in elementary schools for children from dysfunctional and/or abusive families.

* Spending time with children at local parks, or at home, assisting them with homework.

* Visitation of families which may include evangelism or providing practical assistance as required.

* During vacation time helping to lead Vacation Bible Schools and similar activities.

Qualifications

* Must have a passion to reach the lost and proven skills in evangelism.

* Experience in children's ministry at home is preferable. 

* An understanding of family dynamics, experience in counselling or social welfare would be an advantage. 

* Some formal Bible college training is necessary. The government also requires incoming missionaries to have recently spent one to two years in Christian ministry.

* Must be willing to work as part of a team.

* Must be flexible - we are looking for people who are open to new ideas and able to function well in an unstructured situation with a lot of freedom.

Living Situations

* Willing to learn Mandarin to a high level in order to communicate effectively.

* Need to adjust to a busy, crowded, and often noisy environment. Life in Taiwan is often exciting but also exhausting.

* Oral methods of communciation (e.g. Bible storying, testimonies, music, drama) are most effective in evangelism and discipleship. A willingness to learn these ways of communicating the gospel is essential.

* Taiwanese people are deeply religious. Spiritual attack and demonic activity are not uncommon. Spiritual maturity is needed to deal with these situations.

* Practical skills or training in areas that can be used to serve working class people are a plus. e.g. counseling, social work, education