Aim
A mission term of 9 months or longer offers greater opportunity for local relationships to be built as you have more time to put into language and culture learning. You start to put down roots and understand a bit more of ‘how life works’ in your host country. These insights will enable you to learn to be more culturally appropriate in your communication, your goal-setting and the adaptation of skills to suit the local context. Empowering and training local people will be more likely as you begin to better understand how to pass on skills effectively in a different culture.

Placement
Placement depends on your skill-set, training, & experience (along with a sense of call to serve) and you are carefully matched with personnel needs in countries where SIM works. There is a greater variety of placement because longer availability permits greater language acquisition, thus broadening the range of service possibilities and increasing transferability of skills to local people.

Training
Placement and length of service help define the training required. In general if you serve longer than 2 years you may require some theological training and also some language and culture skills development prior to departure overseas.

Structure
The orientation process is in-depth and ongoing as you develop your support team. During your preparation you will be mentored on areas like cross-cultural adaptation skills, attitudes to ministry/service, how to work in multicultural teams, as well as being given information about life and faith in your country of placement. You will be expected to take responsibility for your own ‘learning’ and work through various areas that will help you prepare well. Accommodation in your country of placement will often be your own apartment or house, or sometimes sharing with others.

Support
When going on a mission placement, you are encouraged to raise financial and prayer support to enable you to minister overseas for this longer period of time. The involvement of your faith community (sending church and friends) will be vital in supporting you in so many different ways during your time overseas, right through the process of being ‘sent’.

If this sounds like you, please phone 0508 474669 or fill out our Register Interest Form. We will make contact with you.