HELP
WANTED
*<A
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BORDER=0></A> Come
join the staff of XOFC. -------------
Note: IF you can translate material into
Chinese
or
Spanish, and you are
willing to help, please contact us at
Come
write articles or join the staff of XOFC. You
don't have to know exactly what you want. You just have to want to learn and be
better.
Persons
hired should have great flexibility. Though we do value experience, we value a
teachable spirit far more. This work can be considered high-stress. You will
be expected to turn in investigative & writing assignments under firm
deadlines. You should expect to sign a contractual agreement which will also
include a non-disclosure statement. Please allow 3 to 4 days for our response
to you by email. You are welcome to answer all of the questions by real world snail-mail or by email. We are
looking for a few good people. We seek to find those who love the Lord, who
have a desire or a burden for information or discernment ministries and who
want to continue to improve their knowledge-base. Working with us will
definitely change how you understand the World. If you
want experience as a writer, columnist or reporter, then this is the right job
for you. Politics/Political
Science Reporter/Journalist International
Business Foreign
Languages
History
Sociology Ministry Work
online
Work
online
(& off) to help us gather data and research on many different areas of the
Eastern Orthodox Church, cults and global religious movements, current events,
the new age movement, theology, the evangelical world, and details of the
ongoings of
some of the more extreme wing of the Charismatic Movement and the current programing of
television networks and the
ministries which distribute programming through those networks.
You should also have a
basic understanding of the doctrines of the Christian Faith (though greater
understanding is welcome). You should have a desire to work at a fast pace. If
you are not capable of assimilating a great deal of information in a
short time period, you should let us know this as this could affect your
performance. Note
to college students: If College Credit is significant
for you, this position is ideal for a 6 month internship in the fields/areas
of interest we have listed
For
women's ministry, see further below All new
co-workers must complete required reading of entire books. This is a matter of
routine. We will heavily
encourage you to purchase your own copies of these books (they are not the
ones we sell). However, this is not an absolute requirement. If you are not
a reader, you will not do well in this type of work. We are not
requesting a formal application. But the information which you disclose about
yourself should include the following: Your name, a
real world address, an email address, why this position appeals to you, how you
believe you can have an impact or make a difference, and if God makes a
difference in your life (and if so how). You do not
have to be totally proficient at grammar, but you should certainly be open to
improvement (if there is a need). We do not care what your age is, so long as
you are at least 21 for legal reasons. If you are at least 18 and in college, we
may consider you. We often prefer the 26 to 59 age range because of maturity
issues, but we remain open to reasonable possibilities. We hope to use you to
the extent of your capabilities.
There are
other ways to help this ministry. If you cannot fulfil this specific position,
please contact us about other positions or share with us your vision of how you
could make a difference. We are open to the options that the Lord presents us
with. Spiritually, you should want to have a strong level of personal growth,
and you should have a strong level of Spiritual Discernment.
Though we
might wish it were different, we must share with you that this is a very direct
business. If your feelings are easily hurt, then this job is not for you. No one
ever accused newspaper reporters and editors of over-sensitivity.
Do not be
intimidated by this position.
Do not be afraid to contact us because you do not
have all of these requirements. If you want to grow in your faith and in your
learning, or if you want to help others on the Internet and around the world,
then this position is for you.
Please
contact us and we will be happy to respond back to you.
Women's Ministry
Those
interested in Women's ministry should expect to be familiar with the material
listed above. We are glad for those with a willing heart.
But we also want those who have time
to make a difference. In order to be a good writer, one must usually be a good
& strong reader. Any ministry which operates in real-time (and we do) and
seeks to minister to those on the net...will require a good deal of reading - in
order to stay current. We seek women who want to have an impact on the
world and on their culture. We respect good intentions, but we will respect what
is actually accomplished - far more.
The Staff at
XOFC.
- Part II -
Q & A - QUESTIONS ASKED ABOUT OUR VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
1. What if I have an interest in helping, but I am not sure if I am qualified ?
- We bring you along as you work with us. We continue to help and assist you, in the projects that we ask your help with. We do not abandon people.
2. That's good, but what If I am not qualified ?
The question is really not "are you qualified", but rather "do you want to be ?" . Almost no one starting out is qualified...there is just a lot of background information to learn...and that takes time. We help people train for ministry, by showing them how to work 1) in Ministry and 2) in the medium of Media & Information.
We assess what you know...but you are not graded on it. We are not interested in whether you pass or fail. We are interested in what you know and what you are willing to learn.
Ministry is both an issue of calling And training. Usually, if the Lord puts something on your heart to do for Him, He will bring you to the place(s) where you can be trained for what he has placed on your heart.
Sometimes the training takes 3 weeks, or sometimes it takes 5 years (though it does not take that long here...by any means]. Look at how old Moses was when God called him. Then look at how long his training was (40 years]. God was looking over the shoulder of Paul before he (Paul) even understood who God really was.
We only play a small part in the Kingdom that God wants us to play. However we can help others, that is what we want to do.
3. You mentioned "equipping people for ministry". What does this mean to you at XOFC ?
It means that we will do our best to ensure that you have the level of knowledge about Christianity...that a new Christian ...who is being grounded in the Bible and History should have.
If you have that background or knowledge already - and we can agree that this is the case, we move onto other things. If you do not, then we stop and make sure that your undertanding of Christianity and the Bible is in place. We do not do this to be judgemental. We do this in order to try to add levels of maturity and growth to your life (if they are not there), so that we can equip you further in positions of additional responsibility.
How would any of us be able to know the will of God for our lives, if we do not understand Him, nor His Word (the Bible), nor how to undertand the basic doctrines of the Bible. These are not small issues. They are issues that are at the heart of what True Christianity is about. Those who do not know God well...certainly will not be in a position to listen to Him...
We are not suggesting that any of this happens overnight...but we believe that those who are involved with our ministry understand that God is involved with each of us in a unique and special way. God's plan for each of our lives is unique, specific and personal.
One of the toughest parts of our work involves a lot of judgement calls such as:
How can we truly benefit, help or assist those who write to us, or who request information ? How can we evaluate the spiritual state of those we interact with, accurately ? What books or resources can we recommend to others ? How do we respond to certain groups with aberant teachings, or to How do we respond to request for help in dealing with local churches ?
Which articles should we post or publish ? which ones should we refuse to publish or wait on ? which articles or subjects have greater potential [such as for a series of articles] ? Are there other ministries that we need to consult, or that we should be dealing with or consulting on a particular topic ? What will be the impact of what we publish, both the moment it is posted or mailed, and what would the impact of that same article be...six months from now ? How do we know that sources are dependable or reliable ? How can we evaluate and decide between good sources and bad sources ? What makes a good book, or a good writer ? etc.
We want to be sure not only that each of us is grounded in the Bible and understands God, but also that we can understand and think about...how our decisions and what we write will affect those we are informing. We want to make people think, but we also want to truly be helpful. Our ministry is about informing...BECAUSE this is what it takes to help people.
When Christianity is all said and done, what it comes down to is a relationship between you and God, one on one. This is not mythical. It is not invented. It is not the product of our imagination. God really exists, and He really cares about each of us. We attempt to reflect that in our dealings with our staff.
4. What skills do you want those who work with you (volunteers) to be able to have ?
We want them to be able to think. There is no shortage of people who can memorize a few facts. But being able to explain them, and the reasoning process, or demonstrating why facts matter or how facts matter...is something which is important to us, and to anyone planning to be involved with information or the media, in any direct or indirect capacity.
We want to teach people how to free themselves from the constraints of the Messages that come through the standard forums of the Media (such as TV News, in-Your-Face culture, etc). We want our reporters & writers to be media savvy, but also to learn to be comfortable with themselves, and even comfortable with silence.
Learning how to think or be at peace...can be a real challenge these days...where we are all visually over-stimulated. We want our ministry to produce information products that will help and minister to the Soul and the Spirit of those we deal with, and not simply the latest Adrenalin Rush.
If you can absorb books or information fast, then we put that to good use. If you are slower, then we may help you catch up. But we want thinking to be evident in what you write. We are out to broaden your experiences, in a positive and edifying way. More than your work, we value you as well. We realize that its a package deal.
5. So in practical terms, what does all this mean to me, a volunteer ?
That if you want to be involved with us, that there would be a lot to do. We will assign a few books to you at first, and see what you get out of them, if you are thorough, what information you understood, if you found them interesting, if they were usefull to you.
Then, we will give you a longer list of books to read, and ask you to pay attention to certain topics, concepts, doctrines, etc...
6. What happens if I demonstrate that I can learn, and that I am interested in what I am reading, and if I can see some of the pragmatic value of what you have asked me to read ?
We will start you off with books dealing with religious topics written from a Christian viewpoint. We will move you to books dealing with information and the media afterwards, and more specialized information after that. During this time, we will probably ask you to turn in different writing assignments and start working with you on writing. There is a good amount of writing that we do which is in-house. There is always a need for additional writers. IF you speak a foreign language (with fluency or as a native speaker], we encourage you to contact us.
7. So basically, you are teaching me how to deal with Personal Christianity, then Christianity within the Culture, and then how to deal with the Media and be involved with the Media, by learning some of the skills required for this. Is that right ?
That's pretty much it !
8. Its obvious (as I am listening) that you are going to have plenty of books to assign to me, and also that you will want me to do writing, and that you may be helping me with how to be a more effective writer or communicator. But what happens if I am overwhelmed ?
That is something that you will get used to. The skills that you will have at the end are not the same skills that you will start out with. You will be eventually learning how to absorb greater amounts of information faster. That is not because we are so good...it is rather simply a by-product of learning to deal with more information, and learning how to sort and analyze it, and how to respond and impact the culture with your influence, with your perspective.
If you are overwhelmed, take a day off, or go and read something else. Then come back and keep working through whatever needs to be done. Reporters and journalists go through a great deal of information on a routine basis. We will help you learn to adjust to dealing with more information. It may not seem this way at first.
But as you learn to work through what we have discussed here, you will see your skills develop and improve.
9. How long does this process take ?
That depends on you. We have some people who can do most of this within 3 or 4 months. Others can take a year or two.
10. Isn't that long ?
No, not really. Remember how long it takes for people to learn new skills. Remember how long it takes to earn a college degree. Our methods accelerate your learning and empower you sooner and faster. What we do is basically use short-cut methods...even if they do not seem that way.
11. When can I expect to start writing ?
We will ask you to begin writing as soon as you are comfortable with it. We don't usually release much writing until we know that spiritual basics are taken care of, but your skills continue to develop during this time as we work with you.
12. Are you doing this to sell some of your own books to me ?
No, not really. If that was the focus for our volunteers, we would simply state that up front and make the books we offer mandatory, and further require that those books are purchased from us.
Most of the books (90% or more) that we ask you to obtain and/or read are not from us. There are 2 books - in the second part of the training - that we do ask you to read and have access to, and they are from us. For those who go through this training, we basically sell you 2 books for the combined price of $ 25.00 [We don't make any real profit on that - our costs are too high].
But most of the books are those that you can obtain at bookstores on your own. It may help you to buy your own, since you can then mark them up, take notes and answer questions better. But that is up to you.
13. I am not necessarily confident that I am up to doing what you seem to think that I can. What makes you think that your ideas and training can work for me ?
Experience. We know what works and what doesn't...because we have used these same methods to train and help those who came before you. You would be learning and reading. We are broadening your skills and your knowledge, but this something that dedicated people can do. After all, its reading, not calculus. We will work with you.
What is the next step if I am interested ?
Go back up to the section that we have at the beginning of this page, or click here, and then share with us some information about yourself, your background, and your hope or vision. And we will go from there, and respond to your email. We look forward to hearing from you.
IF I want to get started or if I want to start reading some of those books, which ones would you recommend ?
It is hard to give a generic recommendation to each and every single person, without knowing their religious experiences, their background or their education. (and when we find out, we often assign different books than the ones below) However, as a "generic" list of books, we do recommend the following books [which we would want those that work with us to be familiar with - in anycase - simply as a result of aspiring to their own individual growth in Christ]:
Faith
for Earth's Final Hour by Hal Lindsey
Are there books - that if I were coming from a Charismatic background that you would recommend ?
Charisma Vs Charismania by Chuck Smith
Remember: you do not have to buy these books new. You can also now often find them used, at Amazon.com
Are you anti-Charismatic ?
No, not at all. What we are against - is the growing list of false teachers who are masquerading as "Charismatic" when really all they are is Anti-Biblical. These books help provide the Biblical basis for discernment and the documentation, so that you can make up your own mind.
Are you under the Impression that we all have a lot of time to read ?
No, we are aware that many people don't have much time to read, or don't read much. That is fine, but then those people usually are not writers - are they. Good readers often make good writers. First you have to have some level of knowledge of the world and of Christianity, and learn how to integrate that into your writing. The amount of people who 1) SAY that they want to be a writer is high, and 2) the amount of people who want to think of themselves as a writer is also high. To actually be a writer, is a different matter. Non-fiction writing begins with creative thinking and often research. The work of being a writer, often takes more work, than just thinking about being a writer.
Are you in a hurry for us to read these books ?
Only for your own benefit. The world is changing very fast, and this trend will continue to accelerate. If you are truly well grounded and anchored in your faith in Christ, THEN you will have much more emotional and spiritual strength - for the rest of your journey. If you delay or deny yourself the knowledge that you need for your own spiritual growth and maturity, the rest of the road, and the way that events are currently taking shape...suggests a MUCH more Difficult time for those who are Not spiritually prepared, and/or who have delayed this...thinking that they would never need to become spiritually strong. On the day when the emergencies and the difficulties come, you will not have TIME to say to yourself:
"Oh, I see the disaster coming...so now I will prepare". By then, it will be much too late. So whether you are overwhelmed and overtaken by events, or whether you learn how to use them for true spiritual growth, and your own maturity and encouragement, That - is up to you.
EMAIL US AT XOFCBOOKS2@YAHOO.COM
