Staff Qualifications

This section contains most of the basic qualifications that we use to select missionary staff for Athletes in Action. Please note these criteria are not for the purpose of judging a person's standing with the Lord or his/her 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 Athletes in Action.

God's Leading

Applicants must be able to state clearly how and why they believe God is calling them to serve with Athletes in Action. They must be able to explain how they have been prepared and led by the Holy Spirit. Both husbands and wives need to express God's calling to serve with Athletes in Action.

Spiritual Maturity

 Applicants must be a Christian for a minimum of one year before applying to work with Athletes in Action. They must have a basic knowledge of Scripture 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. Applicants need to be mature enough in their walk with the Lord to build into the lives of others. Am applicant must demonstrate a concern for others and a willingness to learn how to introduce others to Christ.

Athletes in Action is 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 the person must act with sensitivity towards others. As a result, we ask those working with us to be willing to give up any social habits that might lessen their effectiveness and ability to represent Christ and the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ to others.

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.

Moral Conduct & Character

Moral Conduct
As a ministry we must evaluate the moral character of applicants in light of the biblical standards of sexual purity. Any violation 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. The applicant must have leadership qualities or show potential in this area.

Skills & Training

Applicants must have a minimum educational background of a high school diploma or equivalent training and experience and have been out of high school for at least one year prior to receiving acceptance as a staff member. However, applicants applying for an AIA Campus Ministry staff position must have a college degree. Potential placement with Athletes in Action is based upon: spiritual gifts, natural talents and abilities, life skills experience, the overall needs of the ministry, and your current resume.

Availability for Training
We want our new staff members to have the best possible training that will help 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 easier.

Marriage/Engagement

We consider a husband and wife to be a team; therefore, couples must be in agreement as to their leading to Athletes in Action, and both must apply and be accepted as staff members. Both husband and wife need to be committed to ministry involvement with Athletes in Action.

If an applicant is engaged and plans to marry prior to joining staff or within the first year of being on staff, the fiancé(e) must submit an application as well.

Divorce/ Single Parent

Divorce
Divorce may be a disqualifier depending on the circumstances. At Athletes in Action 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. Therefore, we ask that two years of consistent Christian living elapse between the time of divorce and the submission of a staff application.

Single Parent
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 available parent hours has changed. The demands of full-time ministry as a staff member would jeopardize adequate time, energy, or attention for the children. For this reason, Athletes in Action is unable to invite single parents to become staff members.

Debt

Athletes in Action's heart is to position our new staff for success in ministry partner development (MPD), ministry, and life. Experience has shown us that missionary staff who have unmanageable debt are hindered in their effectiveness to serve in ministry. We are also concerned with the appropriateness of Ministry Support Partners helping to pay off an applicant's past consumer debt. We do not expect everyone to be debt free but minimal debt is encouraged. As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a financial addendum that lists your current debt. A formula is then used to compare this amount to your potential salary. If your debt versus salary percentage is too high we may ask you to lower your debt and then reapply for staff.