WHERE TO GO?

We offer student ministry opportunities, working with both national and international students, in several cities within Spain:  Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Salamanca and Seville.  We work primarily in small teams alongside the national staff workers.  We are also pioneering student work in cities that are essentially untouched by the Gospel. 

BARCELONA

Situated on the northeast coast of Spain, Barcelona has a population of 2.6 million--including about 200,000 students.  Barcelona was the venue for the 1992 Olympic Games and the Universal Forum of Cultures (2004) that was held between May and September, lasting an entire 141 days.  A bilingual city, Spanish and Catalan are the two principal languages spoken.  The city, renowned for its unique architecture, art and museums, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Europe. There is a GBU (Grupos bíblicos universitarios) group of approximately 60 Christian Spanish and international students and spread over several Spanish and Catalan universities.

MADRID

About 5.8 million people live in the country's national capital, among them approximately 250,000 students.  The city that never sleeps, Madrid is a vibrant and diverse city.  Boasting both political and cultural importance, Madrid has managed to maintain its historical roots along with modern influence.  A city with its own metropolitan challenges, it serves as an important link between Europe and Latin America (due to its recently increasing numbers of Latino immigrants). Distances between campuses are large, Christian students are few. An estimated 25,000 international students attend courses in Madrid every year.

VALENCIA

Valencia, located on the eastern coast of Spain, is the third largest city in the country with a population of about 1.8 million people.  It also has the third largest international student population in the country. 

SALAMANCA

Salamanca was the first city in Spain to ever have a university (in fact, the University of Salamanca is the third oldest university in the world) and is renowned for its impressive architecture, stunning old town centre--the Plaza Mayor--as well as its student life vitality.  Though the city is small in size, it has been named a World Heritage Site. Salamanca is pioneering work. Few Christian Spanish students live there. Thousands of international students attend courses there every year.

SEVILLE

Seville is especially famous for its monumental and artistic heritage, of great beauty and historical importance. The University of Seville has approximately 74,000 students scattered around different campuses, being the second Spanish presential university by number of students. Just in 2006 there has started a GBU group with Spanish and international students. 

Why join the Spanish GBU as a worker?

There is a greater opportunity now to evangelize in Spain than ever before.  The repression of evangelical faith that started in the 16th century counter-Reformation ended with the death of Franco in the mid-seventies.  However, the Evangelical church remains small and faces a great challenge.

There are an estimated 312,000 Evangelical Christians in Spain, 0.79% of the population, but only a third of these are ethnic Spaniards. Most Spaniards readily say they are Catholic, "but not practicing". Individualism and secularism are the guiding beliefs in modern Spain. Cults and New Age groups are attracting some followers as well. In every region, there are towns with populations upwards of 5,000 with no evangelical witness. But even more shockingly, staggering statistics indicate many larger cities of over 12,000 without a single evangelical witness at all.

What special requirements are there for joining as a worker?

It is not necessary to have a degree from a theological college or experience in student work. The main qualifications are to have a heart for seeing people come to the Lord and to be willing to learn.

Language:  Previous Spanish language ability is required. Workers able to communicate in Spanish can be involved in ministry to national students, where the needs are very great because there are so few national staff workers. They work alongside national staff in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Salamanca and Seville.  All potential workers are encouraged to consider a two-year commitment or even longer.  The second year could be very fruitful for the ministry and the worker.  However, one-year language students are warmly welcomed too.

Visas:  Visas are required for non-European Union citizens.  Past workers have travelled under student or missionary visas.  The GBU can help in the visa process.

What is the current state of the work?

It is estimated that in 1966 there were less than 12 evangelical university students in all Spain. That year Samuel Escobar, Latin American IFES pioneer, studied in Madrid and started a Bible study among students. The following year several came from England and the USA to carry on work in Madrid and Barcelona. "Los Grupos Biblicos Universitarios" (GBU) had to work under the watchful eyes of Franco's suspicious secret police.

By 1976 the GBU had groups of more than 15 students in seven cities and contacts in 12 more. Total membership was about 150 students. In 1985 the first IFES Team was established in Madrid. Today, around 500 Spanish students and every year a certain number of international students are involved in the GBU.

What is the main work of the workers?

Workers focus either on national or international student work, depending on Spanish fluency and current needs of their local GBU. It is easy to befriend international students in class and through language-exchange programs (for example, a native Spanish speaker with a native English speaker pair up in order to improve their language abilities). The GBU small groups at the universities lead evangelistic meetings, weekly evangelistic Bible studies, camps,  as well as host various social activities. Depending on the city students groups rather meet in flats than on campus. Friendship is the focus of the ministry to Christian and non-Christian alike.

What about accommodation, living costs, courses, jobs?

In Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia, rent is about 250-350 Euros a month (approx. 325-425 USD or 165-230 GBP).  Salamanca and Seville are slightly cheaper places to live in.  The GBU national staff will help workers find accommodation with other students, or a Spanish family.  Total cost of living and ministry (camps, sending prayer letters, etc.) is estimated to be about 800 Euros/month (approx. 1,035 USD or 525 GBP).  In addition, there is the cost of travel to and from the home country.

Work opportunities include teaching English, German or French; also, caring for children is another possibility.  It is possible to earn 8-15 Euros per hour teaching languages.

Most workers study further Spanish in the university or a private academy.  Costs range from 75-250 Euros a month, depending on how many hours of class the student has per week [as language schools are fairly flexible in terms of their weekly schedules].