Qualifications

The following is a basic list of qualifications that we use to select missionary staff for FamilyLife. Please note these criteria are not for the purpose of judging a person's standing with the Lord or his worth in the body of Christ. Rather, they are for the purpose of evaluating a person's readiness to serve in the midst of spiritual battle in ministry with FamilyLife.

Spiritual Maturity

God's Leading
Applicants must be able to state clearly how and why they believe God is calling them to serve with FamilyLife. They must be able to explain how they have been prepared and led by the Holy Spirit. Husband and wife each need to express God's calling to serve with FamilyLife.
Walk With God
We are looking for people who maintain a lifestyle of personal holiness. Scripture places some restrictions on a mature believer's liberty in Christ in that, while serving Christ, he must act with a high level of sensitive regard for those around him. As a result, we ask our staff members to be willing to give up any social habits that might lessen their effectiveness and ability to represent FamilyLife to others.
Spiritual Maturity
Before beginning active ministry with FamilyLife, an applicant must have been a Christian for at least one year before applying and being accepted for staff. He must also understand and be in full agreement with Campus Crusade for Christ's Statement of Faith, our emphasis on Scripture and its application to daily living, and our emphasis on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The applicant needs to be mature enough in his walk with the Lord to build into the lives of others.
Knowledge of Scripture
An applicant must have a basic knowledge of Scripture and is expected to attend Campus Crusade's Institute of Biblical Studies. Campus Crusade for Christ requires all full-time missionary staff to complete a 24 credit hour (twelve courses) IBS certificate within their first six years on staff. Because we have such large concentration of staff at FamilyLife we are able to offer courses on a regular basis at our headquarters.
Effectiveness of Witness
An applicant must demonstrate a concern for others and a willingness to learn how to introduce others to Christ.

Character

Moral Conduct
As a ministry we must evaluate the moral character of applicants in light of the biblical standards of sexual purity. Any breach of these standards may affect the timing of one's acceptance for staff.
Character
An applicant must be able to communicate and work well with others. Priority is placed upon dependability, willingness to assume responsibility, a teachable spirit, a good reputation, and moral purity. He must have leadership qualities or show potential in this area.
Emotional Maturity
The demands of support development and an initiative-oriented ministry necessitate that an individual have a reasonable degree of self-assurance and an ability to handle pressure.

Marriage/Divorce/Single Parents

Marriage
We consider a husband and wife to be a team; therefore, they must be called as a team to FamilyLife and both must apply and be accepted as staff members. Both husband and wife need to be committed to ministry involvement with FamilyLife. Couples need to be married at least one year prior to applying for FamilyLife Staff.
Divorce
At FamilyLife we believe that God intends marriage to be between one man and one woman for life. While we recognize that in a sinful world there are times when marriages fail, we feel that it is important for individuals who have gone through a divorce to have had sufficient time for reconciliation and healing before returning to a prominent role in ministry. Divorce is a serious issue and may be a disqualifier depending on the circumstances. We will address each couple's situation individually. Because our purpose is to help families grow and develop strong Christian marriages and families, we are looking for staff who not only share our values, but who exemplify those values in their own lives.
Single Parents
God's design for the family is that a husband and wife jointly share the task of raising children. Therefore, when a parent finds himself forced to parent children alone, the demands are tremendous. The needs of the children have not changed, but the number of parent hours available has. The demands of full-time ministry as a staff member would jeopardize adequate time, energy, or attention for the children. For this reason, FamilyLife is unable to invite single parents to become missionary staff members, although they could be considered for a paid staff position.

Skills and Training

Skills and Training
Applicants must have a minimum educational background of a high school diploma or equivalent and have been out of high school for at least one year prior to receiving acceptance as a staff member. Your greatest asset is not so much your ability, but your availability. We base your potential "fit" with FamilyLife on: spiritual gifts, natural talents and abilities, life skills experience, and your current resume.
Availability for Training
We want our new staff members to have the best possible training to enable them to effectively minister for Christ. New Staff Training is an important Bible training and orientation experience to help new staff make the transition to life as a staff member.

Debt

We do not want a person to join the staff of FamilyLife with indebtedness that would prove to be a hardship based on our salary scale. New staff applicants must be able to live within their means. We do not expect everyone to be debt free but minimal debt is encouraged. Experience has shown us that missionary staff having unmanageable debt tends to hinder ones effectiveness to serve in ministry. Our representatives will help you access your debt position as part of the process for determining your readiness for ministry.