AIM MINISTRIES ARE FOCUSED IN THREE PRIMARY AREAS:
Making Disciples
There are still over 900 unreached people groups in Africa, and reaching them with the Good News represents an incredible challenge. We’re excited to have a part in that challenge, and privileged to serve alongside our African church partners and other mission agencies in making Christ widely known. Disciple-making happens in the context of many ministries: church planting, outreach teams, evangelism, healthcare, community development and agriculture, working with youth, and a variety of creative access initiatives.
Equipping and Mobilising
Africa’s church is alive and growing. It needs godly leaders who can grow believers in Christ and instill vision for reaching out to others with the Good News. Since our beginning AIM has put a high priority on providing and supporting theological education through Bible colleges and seminaries, and through lay leadership programs like Theological Education by Extension (TEE). Discipleship opportunities exist in all of AIM’s ministries and are a key part of our leadership training ministries.
Support
Ministry in Africa is a team effort. Those serving in remote outreach teams need others to back them up. Africa Inland Mission is blessed to have men and women serving together in a range of support roles. Our Africa-Based Support (ABS) team serves in administration, finance, aviation, logistics, member care, media production and more. Serving Missionary Kids, teachers, dorm parents, and administrators also make it possible for families to answer God’s call to serve Him in Africa.
Africa Inland Mission has over 250 open opportunities to serve as part of our ministry to reach Africa’s unreached. If you live in Africa, click here to go to AIM’s African Mobilisation Hub. If you are from the Asia-Pacific region, find out more below.
SERVE FULL-TERM
Full Term is for those who seek to invest themselves into longer-term ministry. Ranging from one year to an entire career, AIM’s Full Term assignments enable believers to use their gifts, training and life experience to make a difference in world mission. Individual assignments vary widely, but all contribute to AIM’s mission of Christ-centred churches among all African peoples. There are two options for full-term service:
- Individual Placements (1 year or more)
- Team Placements (2-3 years)
SERVE SHORT-TERM
The majority of Africa Inland Mission’s full-term personnel had their start in mission through a short-term ministry assignment. Our hope is that those who serve through AIM’s Short-Term program will grow in their vision for cross-cultural ministry and one day enter full-term ministry. And we’ve developed our assignments to nurture that vision. There are two options for short-term service:
- Individual Placements (up to 1 year)
- Team Placements (up to 3 months)
OUTREACH TEAMS
Teams are a central part of who we are as a mission. Teams bring together men and women with different giftings and abilities, foster interdependence, and bring synergy to the work at hand. Most of our outreaches fall into one of two categories: TIMO teams and Focus teams.
TIMO
TIMO stands for Training In Ministry Outreach. It’s a two-year curriculum-based program that brings together a team of six to 12 new missionaries and their team leaders, and places them among one of Africa’s unreached or least-reached people groups. During their two year ministry, the team works hard to learn the heart language of their host people group, and to share Christ in word and deed. Team members have required reading, write papers, and meet together as a team to encourage one another and to learn together. AIM places TIMO teams in very remote and rural locations, and in some of Africa’s cities. We’ve also placed teams among Africans living outside of Africa.
Find out more about TIMO under Full Term Opportunities (above).
FOCUS TEAMS
Focus teams are similar to TIMO teams in that they bring together men and women to serve under the leadership of well-qualified leaders to work among one of Africa’s unreached or least-reached people groups. While many Focus teams can accommodate team members who are somewhat new to missions, some do require prior ministry experience. Focus team lengths can vary – but are usually a minimum of two years. Focus teams often have flexible starting points, allowing some team members to join a team even after its initial launch. Focus team curriculum is selected by the team leader, and varies from team to team. Families with children are welcome on TIMO and Focus teams, as long as ministry location or other factors wouldn’t prohibit having children on the team.
Find out more about FOCUS teams under Full Term Opportunities (above).
CREATIVE ACCESS MINISTRY
We use ‘Creative Access’ to refer to nations, areas or ministries where there is great hostility towards Christianity and where traditional missionary work is not possible. Workers, therefore, need to be creative in how they proclaim the liberating news of Jesus Christ. In North Africa alone, 200 million people from 472 people groups are unreached with the gospel.
Workers use skills in many areas, including business, education and healthcare. Whatever you do for your job at home, with a bit of modification you could probably do it in a creative access area. Whatever role you have, the aim is to be as intentional as possible – to have the name of Jesus Christ on your lips at all times. Whether it is buying bread for breakfast, meeting with a client to discuss business, dropping off children at school, or drinking tea with a friend, the intention is to always be ready to share the truth of the gospel. AIM offers opportunities for both short-term and full-term assignments in Creative Access ministries.
IF THE SHOE FITS
There are many roles in mission, many locations, all requiring different capacities… and footwear. What shoes do you like to wear? Where might they take you? Click on the image and explore…
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptised into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (I Corinthians 12:12-13 NIV)
