Our desire in Namibia is to come alongside believers and churches to provide discipleship, encouragement and training to those who need a firm foundation and brotherly love.

Background

The Namibian Evangelical Theological School (NETS)  is a theological institution in Windhoek, Namibia with which AIM has had a partnership from the school’s inception in 1991. It is pivotal to training and influencing the church in Namibia across the denominational spectrum and it is one of the only Evangelical institutions in the country. It trains leaders of all ages from various denominations.

Faculty appointments are central to NETS being able to fulfill its vision and mission. There is a long-term strategy to reduce dependence on foreign missionaries, but there are presently insufficient qualified Namibians to fill lecturing posts and insufficient funds to replace all missionaries with paid staff. NETS has had staff vacancies for a long time and this position would fill some of those needs.

Living conditions in Windhoek are excellent. Windhoek is known as “the cleanest city in Africa” and is well-organised with a stable infrastructure. Good schools and high quality, specialised healthcare are readily available. Electricity and running water in the home are consistent. The individual would have access to leadership development and mentoring possibilities through close proximity to the Unit Leaders and to local pastors.

Ministry & Type of Work

The Ministry Vision of this position would be equipping church leaders and mobilising disciple-makers through teaching and personal discipleship both at the school and in local churches. The full-time position is for a person to join a team of faculty working to equip men and women for Christian ministry in a range of government-accredited courses offering certificates, diplomas and degrees in theology. At present, the faculty at NETS are from Namibia, Zambia, Australia, Germany, UK, and USA.

The strategy of this role will be to train and equip current and future national church leaders from multiple denominations and people groups to grow in their faith, disciple others, and evangelise in their own country and beyond. This will be done through;

1. Lecturing and helping develop curriculum.

2. The ‘Evangelism and Mission’ which is included in the coursework at NETS. Lecturers have the opportunity to take students out on short-term missions trip as part of the coursework.

3. A structured discipleship programme, with lecturers expected to mentor a number of students on a regular basis. Students are required to participate in the discipleship programme.

4. Additionally, there are many opportunities in the city and environs to work with churches and outreach programmes; lecturers could involve their students in their own ministry interests and use this interaction as mentoring, training and teaching time.

Qualifications & Experience

Language: Courses and ministry are conducted in English, although Afrikaans (or Dutch) could be helpful in one-to-one interactions with students.

This individual needs to have teaching experience of at least 2+ years either in a church or Bible school setting (NETS ideally is looking for individuals with 5 years pastoral ministry experience within their own cultural context and some ministry experience within an African context). It is desirable for this individual to have cross-cultural experience in a racially/culturally diverse setting. Lecturers at NETS are expected to disciple their students in a structured program and are encouraged to do so in a casual setting as well. Therefore, experience in personal discipleship and a passion for discipleship would be very helpful. Training in TTI (The Timothy Initiative), T4T (Training for Trainers) or another type of Discipleship Making Movement experience would be useful.

Academic qualifications in Biblical or Theological studies are required, but the candidate would be expected to work in an interdisciplinary manner. The ideal person will have a primary degree (BTh Hon or MDiv) or a research Master’s degree in Theology (MTh), a PhD in Theology, or a DMin in either Ministry or Theology.

The ideal candidate will have the above qualifications and a personality ready to enter into dialogue and discipleship with students with whom he or she also has a formal teaching relationship. This person could be, but is not limited to, a semi-retired or retired educator, as living conditions would provide access to excellent medical care, shopping and technological needs.

Other Information

This role could be either short term (6-24 months) or long-term (24 months+). The application process is different depending on the length of time you wish to serve for. Get in touch to find out more and chat to your local Mission Advisor.