Moldova – Church Planting Team Member

About the role

Moldova is a small former Soviet republic known for its poverty, mass emigration to the West, and many children left to be raised by grandparents. Most Moldovans are Eastern Orthodox Christians, but only nominally; they may celebrate Easter and Christmas but rarely read the Bible, hear the gospel, or understand why Jesus died on the cross. With only 1.2% Protestant Christians, Moldova needs more churches to reach everyone with the gospel. Chisinau, the capital, has a population of 677,000 and only around 60 Protestant churches. The World Team Moldova church‑planting team is praying and working toward establishing a house church that can multiply and plant additional house churches. The basic tenets of the effort are to know and love your neighbors, share the gospel, and invite them to study the Bible. Team members use their skills, personalities, and passions to make disciples of Jesus. Living in close proximity to one another, they find ways to bless their neighbors and build relationships. Personal friendships and spiritual conversations, along with larger outreaches, provide opportunities to invite neighbors to study the Bible and begin a discipleship relationship. Current outreaches include a vibrant youth soccer ministry, a youth Bible study, holiday gatherings, summer camps, and English activities. New team members can support these efforts or develop new outreaches to other groups in the neighborhood.

Responsibilities

• Know and love neighbors, share the gospel, and invite them to study the Bible.
• Use personal skills, passions, and personality to make disciples of Jesus.
• Live in close proximity to fellow teammates and look for ways to bless neighbors and build relationships.
• Develop personal friendships and spiritual conversations; participate in larger outreaches to invite neighbors to Bible study and begin discipleship.
• Support existing outreaches (youth soccer ministry, youth Bible study, holiday gatherings, summer camps, English activities) or create new outreaches for other neighborhood groups.
• Be open to learning the Romanian language and understanding Moldova’s cultural and religious context.
• Be friendly, willing to step out of your comfort zone, and take initiative to meet new people and invite them into a relationship.
• Practice hospitality by inviting others into your home, as Moldovans highly value this.
• Demonstrate innovation and flexibility in finding the best ways to bless the community.
• Be comfortable around unbelievers and willing to build authentic friendships with neighbors.
• Create your own daily and seasonal schedules and rhythms to fulfill tasks and develop discipleship relationships.
• Know the gospel well enough to share it and contextualize it for Moldovan culture.
• Know the Bible well enough to introduce someone to it and disciple them toward maturity in Christ.
• Know how to lead one‑to‑one discipleship meetings and small‑group Bible studies.
• Exhibit strong communication and a teamwork‑oriented mindset.

Requirements

• Willingness to learn the Romanian language.
• Ability to commit to at least two years on the field.
• Willingness to live in the same neighborhood as other teammates.
• Ability to take initiative to build new friendships in the neighborhood.
• Hospitality: readiness to invite others into your home.
• Innovation and flexibility to adapt ministry approaches.
• Comfort around unbelievers and desire to build authentic friendships.
• Ability to create personal schedules and rhythms that align with ministry tasks and discipleship goals.

Qualifications

• Background in church ministry leadership, pastoring, and/or church planting.
• Proven history of making disciples.
• Knowledge of the Bible strong enough to lead a small group.
• Experience volunteering or working in church or parachurch ministries.

Skills

• Effective communication.
• Strong teamwork mentality.
• Ability to lead one‑to‑one discipleship meetings.
• Ability to lead small‑group Bible studies.
• Skill in contextualizing the gospel for Moldovan culture.

Schedule

Each day on the field looks different; team members are expected to create their own schedules and rhythms to fulfill responsibilities, pursue personal growth, and develop discipleship relationships.