Nearly 32 million people in the United States speak languages other than English. More than 600,000 refugees and immigrants come to the United States every year and more than 450,000 international students study in United States colleges and universities each year.
With those numbers, the field of ministry is ripe for harvest.
Through English as a Second Language (ESL) ministry, local churches can begin to meet, minister to and build relationships with people from many backgrounds whom they would not normally encounter. They can begin to share Christ with people who have never heard the gospel and local church volunteers can have the opportunity to minister to people from many lands “right in their own backyard.”
Potential ESL teachers need to be committed followers of Christ with good people skills, however, they do not need to have extensive teaching experience or knowledge of another language.