Long-Term Volunteers
Are you interested in service? Global Service Workers serve for one year or more.
As a Long-Term Volunteer, Global Ministries matches your skills and gifts with a request from one of our international partners. If there is a good match, Long-Term Volunteers go through a screening process and participate in the Mission Co-Worker conference before they begin serving. As these are volunteer positions, Global Ministries only provides a small stipend which allows for a very simple lifestyle. Discerning this placement is a process, which can take up to 6 months. If you are interested in serving as a Long-Term Volunteer, contact Rev, James Semmelroth Darnell, International Recruitment and Training Coordinator at jsdarnell@dom.disciples.org. Our online application is available here.
Process to be considered as a Long-Term Volunteer:
- Apply here.
- If your application is eligible for consideration, the International Recruitment and Training Coordinator will schedule an interview with the candidate to begin discernment if there is a match between the needs of international partners and the candidate’s gifts and skills.
- If approved by the International Recruitment and Training Coordinator, a follow up interview will be held with the candidate, International Recruitment and Training Coordinator, and Global Relations Minister(s) for the region(s) in which the candidate is considering service.
- If approved by the International Recruitment and Training Coordinator and Global Relations Minister, an interview will be held with the candidate, International Recruitment and Training Coordinator, and Global Relations Minister(s) for the region(s) in which the candidate is considering service, and representatives of the international partner organization.
- If the partner organization is ready to invite the candidate to serve, the Mission Personnel Committee of Global Ministries will invite the candidate for an in-person interview with staff. A psychological and medical evaluation by medical professionals will take place at this time as well.
- If the Mission Personnel Committee approves the candidate, their candidacy will be shared with the Disciples Overseas Ministries, United Church of Christ, and Common Global Ministries boards of directors.
- The candidate will be present at either the Fall or Spring meeting of the Common Global Ministries Board, which will vote on the candidate.
- If affirmed by the board, the candidate will be commissioned as a mission co-worker.
- The candidate will participate in the Mission Conference for mission co-workers.
- The mission co-worker will be sent out to their place of service and begin their ministry. Please note that this process can take 6 months to 1 year to complete, depending on availability of positions and partners’ readiness to receive mission co-workers.
Interested in reading about long-term volunteer experiences:
- Read about Lindley Kinerk and Andy Jepson and their service in Sri Lanka
- Read about Brigitte Eale and her service in Kenya
- Read about Eleazar Fernandez and his service in the Philippines