Preparation for Service For Aviation

PREPARATION FOR SERVICE MAF Mission Statement Sharing the love of Jesus Christ through aviation and technology so that isolated people may be physically and spiritually transformed.

TRAINING RECOMMENDATIONS GENERAL: Identifying your natural gifts and abilities is a good first step in preparation for ministry. In addition to prayer, seeking wise counsel and direction is essential in determining where your talents can be used most effectively for God’s glory. Being involved in the mission ministry of your church, as well as taking short-term mission trips, are valuable ways of sensing God’s call into missions.

FORMAL BIBLE TRAINING OR EQUIVALENCY (12 college-level credit hours): The purpose of the Bible requirement for serving with MAF is to develop a deep understanding of the Scriptures. Course content should lay a foundation for a lifetime of significant Bible study. In order to meet the MAF biblical requirements, Bible Scripture courses should be college level from an accredited Bible school/college.

Acceptable courses should provide an in-depth study of Scripture, using the Bible as the primary text.

Recommended courses include Old and New Testament survey courses or those studying specific books of the Bible such as Acts, Romans, Psalms, etc.

Equivalency will be considered for candidates who may find it difficult to “go back to school” for formal Bible training. A Bible Committee will evaluate post-high-school life experience. It will also look at ministry and church involvement. This could include attending or teaching Bible studies, seminars, discipleship training classes, etc., which could result in equivalency credits for the requirement.

COLLEGE: Attending a Bible school/college is preferred but not required. All candidates are encouraged to have a minimal amount of formal college liberal arts training which may include the required Bible courses. Other recommended courses include: Mission Studies, Cultural Anthropology, Comparative Religions, Social Psychology, Ethnic Studies, etc. Personal interests may lead to a different but equally meaningful selection.

AVIATION MAINTENANCE TRAINING (A&P): Most FAA-approved schools require between one and two years for completion. Not all A&P training programs are created equal, and the quality of training does vary. Schools without a healthy financial footing may lack modern equipment and may not be able to afford the best teaching staff. Actual hands-on experience with “live” aircraft is invaluable and will be offered by the better schools. The maintenance requirements for MAF require that you choose a program that offers quality, disciplined training and experience in general aviation maintenance. MAF encourages pursuing maintenance training, as it allows greater flexibility when assigning staff to overseas programs. We can provide a list of recommended maintenance training schools.

FLIGHT TRAINING: It is important that flight training through the commercial license and instrument rating be obtained at a professional-level aviation technical school. A structured curriculum requiring high standards and professionalism is essential. Schools offering missionary aviation training programs will usually emphasize proficiency in dead reckoning, pilotage, terrain/mountain flying, analyzing en route weather, and more which may be covered but not stressed at other schools.

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Maintaining high standards, professionalism, and discipline is very important while building the minimum flight-hour requirements. Advanced training for an instructor rating and instructing experience will improve proficiency. Additional flight experience in “high-performance Cessna aircraft” (Cessna 185, 206, or 210, etc.) is highly recommended before application to membership.

AVIONICS/ELECTRONICS TRAINING: Avionics/Electronics training should be sought after through a quality college or technical training program offering a degree or certificate in Electronics Technology. An A&P certificate is also highly recommended for avionics technicians [see "AVIATION MAINTENANCE TRAINING (A&P)” on the first page]. It is important to choose a program that will provide high-quality professional training and experience. Electronics is a field of rapid change, and continual updating is required to maintain proficiency. Hands-on high frequency experience is also highly recommended.

CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS: Several Christian colleges and Bible schools offer missionary aviation training programs. The quality of these programs may vary depending on the financial backing of the school and the quality and experience level of the teaching staff and instructors. Attending a quality Christian college/school may offer some advantages which include obtaining all of the required training (Bible and technical) from one school, working with instructors and other students who have an interest in missions, and exposure to missionary organizations utilizing aviation/electronics technology in their ministry.

EXPERIENCE: Quality training may provide the needed skills, but expertise and proficiency can only come through experience. Flight hours logged provide a limited measure of flight experience. Flight training background as well as total flight hours and time in certain aircraft are factors considered before the application and “technical evaluation” are approved. In like fashion, the quality of maintenance training and experience is assessed prior to application and technical evaluation approval.

Y:\Recruiting\Forms & Letters\PREPARATION FOR SERVICE Updated 2/11/11

1/9/2013