Dispatches from the European Church Planting Front Lines
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Because of its heritage and culture, Western Europe is seldom thought of as a gospel frontier. But the Reformation has long since receded from the collective consciousness and the gospel is far removed from the public sphere. The result is a continent deeply antagonistic to biblical Christianity.
"Europe doesn’t do God," wrote one member of the European Parliament. In 2008, the British Humanist Association backed a campaign to label buses with the message: "There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." According to the Joshua Project, a Christian research group, "There are changes occurring in Europe that would indicate there is more need for Christian evangelism and discipleship in Europe compared to other continents." With a population of 400 million, there are at least 380 million people who are "without hope and without God in the world." Western Europe is a spiritual wasteland, the most secular continent in the world. This is why Acts 29 is now extending its vision Eastward. In terms of mission, it’s time for the American pioneer cry, "Go west, young man," to be inverted: "Go east!" So what is it actually like to get on with the business of planting gospel-centred, reproducing churches in Western Europe? Month by month, we want to paint a picture for you of what’s actually happening over here: the context, the challenges and, praise God, the conversions!Gospel Fruit in Hinckley
Acts 29 church planter and Pastor Stuart Dean shares three stories of transformation from the church he is planting in Hinckley, Leicester, in central England, about a 40-minutes drive east of Birmingham. Praise God for his grace to a teenager, a middle-aged man, and a young wife.Ryan’s Story: "I was a humanist, thinking that humans could sort out any problems in the world. But when I met the church I thought they were the nicest people in the world. They gave me grace and taught me truth. Now I follow Jesus and he has made so many differences in my life. He’s changed me in ways people usually only wish for." Karl’s Story: "The Christians I met, contrary to what is said about them being miserable religious zealots, all seemed cheerful and fulfilled. Even people with big problems were more interested in mine than their own, and they wanted to give all the time. "People I knew outside the church were the miserable ones. They didn’t have any purpose in life, they just lived from day to day. So I thought, There’s got to be something in this Christianity. The more I listened to sermons and read the Bible, the more Christianity struck me as truth, and finally I knew in my heart that it was true. Now I follow Jesus. I know I’m forgiven my sins and I know God loves me unconditionally. To know that is an amazing feeling." Emma’s Story: "I would have said I believed in God, and Jesus as the Son of God, but I knew nothing about them. They had no impact on my life. A few months ago I started looking at Mark’s Gospel at the invitation of a Christian I’d met at the school gates. When we looked at the Resurrection, I burst into tears that anyone could do that for me. I’ve been trusting Jesus just a few weeks and he’s changed me massively already: I’m not so selfish and angry. It’s been just a few weeks since my husband heard about Jesus and now he’s really interested in him and he’s blown away by the Christians he’s meeting. He’s not following Jesus yet, but he’s meeting up with some Christians to talk through questions. He now believes Jesus was who he said he was."
Gospel Living in Leeds
Gary Aston is an Acts 29 church planter candidate serving in Leeds, in Northern England. He shares some thoughts on street-level gospel ministry in his context.Driving from one end of the city to the other is a strange, conflicting experience. There’s a sense in which it leaves me profoundly disturbed. Such an overwhelming tide of lostness, such an immense need. I’ve quoted the statistics so many times: only one evangelical church per 30,000 people, some of the lowest church attendance figures in the country … but seeing the faces of reminds me that this is about real, immortal souls. This forces me to a place of conviction that to reach such a vast and lost city takes a vast and gracious God. The gospel is powerful: Jesus is alive and he alone is our hope. I am reminded that his power is made perfect in my weakness. He is building his church against which the gates of hell will not prevail.Acts 29 Western Europe exists to glorify God by making much of his Son through telling others of him and showing him through the lives of broken people being restored by the Spirit. This is done through his church—his mission strategy in the world—which is why we work towards and pray forthe littering of Western Europe with communities of light. Together we are building a gospel-centered network of missional churches—a vibrant, cohesive, daring and innovative network for the fame of Jesus. This is what Acts 29 Western Europe is seeking to be as it contributes to, and helps shape a wider, dynamic gospel movement.
Pray for the Church Planters
You can be in prayer for these nine church planters and their churches in Europe, and that they'd be joined by many more in years to come:- Pastor Justin Valiquette, Salerno City Church, Salerno, Italy
- Pastor Ben Mogos, Agape Christian Church, Bucharest, Romania
- Pastor Jake Knotts, Christian Bible Church, Chernigov, Ukraine
- Pastor John Hindley, BroadGrace Church, Hoveton, UK
- Pastor Peter Walkingshaw, Carlisle Baptist Church, Carlisle, UK
- Pastor Kirk Crager, The Bridgeway Church, Manchester, UK
- Pastor Steve Timmis, The Crowded House, Sheffield, UK
- Pastor Stuart Dean, Trinity Community Church, Hinckley, UK
- Pastor Gary Aston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
- Pastor Steve Robinson, Ramilies Road Church, Liverpool, UK
- Pastor Damian Mitchell, Missio Dei, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK
- Pastor Dai Hankey, Hill City Church, Torfaen, Wales, UK