Missionary Staff
FamilyLife has various staff opportunities for people who want to make a difference in our culture
The Call to Ministry
To begin evaluating God’s call for your life, ask yourself the following questions:
1. Have you committed your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?
Your life takes on new meaning and impact when you wholeheartedly follow Christ. “And He [Jesus] was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me'” (Luke 9:23).
2. Have you considered your role in the Great Commission?
Obeying Jesus’ command is key to making your life count. “‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations'” (Matthew 28:18b-19a).
3. Is your life captured by the cause?
To make your life count, your heart must be aflame for the cause of Christ. “‘But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God'” (Acts 20:24).
4. Additional questions:
- If married, does your spouse also sense a call to ministry?
- Are you willing to live a moderate lifestyle?
- Are you teachable?
Qualifications and Standards
We use a list of qualifications in our process 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. Below are a few considerations we take into account when evaluating potential missionary staff.
- Walk with God: We are looking for people who maintain a lifestyle of personal holiness.
- Spiritual maturity: Before beginning active ministry, an applicant must have been a Christian for at least six months prior to applying for staff status, and one year before being accepted.
- Character: An applicant must have leadership qualities, be attractive to others in personality and character, or manifest potential in these areas.
- 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: We consider every married couple who desires to join our ministry to be a husband and wife team; therefore, couples must be in agreement as to their leading to ministry with FamilyLife, and both must apply and be accepted as staff. For couples without dependent children, both husband and wife should be committed to full-time ministry involvement with FamilyLife. For couples with children at home, the wife is not required to be in the office. Though her office involvement is not required, she is considered full-time.
- One Spouse on Staff: If only one spouse desires to join our staff they must complete the application process similar to any other new staff applicant. Because our ministry considers couples to be a husband and wife team, the non-staff spouse agrees to be a “Spousal Affiliate.” A Spousal Affiliate meets Affiliate Staff acceptance requirements, although not required to carry on any FamilyLife ministry activities. Spousal Affiliates stay connected with FamilyLife by once a year meeting with their spouse’s supervisor or a local H.R. leader and once every three years attending their spouse’s staff conference or Cru’s biennial national conference.
- Single Staff: Single staff members can serve in a vital role in most every area of ministry at FamilyLife.
Salary and Benefits
FamilyLife is a faith-based missions organization. Becoming a full-time missionary staff member involves not only meeting the standards for staff, but also raising funds to cover the financial needs of your personal ministry.
All missionary staff members, including the president, are responsible for developing a team of ministry partners—individuals and churches—who work together to finance their ministry, providing for their monthly salary, ministry expenses, and benefits. Salary amounts are based on personal needs such as marital status, number of dependents, cost of living in Orlando, Florida, and other special needs as determined by FamilyLife. Just as the pastor of a local church is paid by the generous giving of his congregation, we are paid by the generous giving of our ministry partners. The only difference is that our partners are spread across the nation.
There are many advantages to this financial strategy. The most significant advantage is that our ministry partners commit themselves to praying for our ministry. Psalm 127:1 tells us, “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” A ministry that is not founded upon and supported by prayer is a ministry that is doomed to failure. Therefore, our ministry partners play a critical role in the success of our ministry, not only through their financial giving, but more importantly through their prayers.
FamilyLife/Cru provides in-depth training for new staff members. The training will provide you with an orientation to the ministry, an understanding of our mission and methods, and the tools you will need to communicate about your ministry to raise funds. Staff receive individual coaching, support, and accountability throughout the support team building process.