Hey Friends,

In this update we thought we would simply bring you up to speed with developments in Europe. We share some important foundations we are building on, breakthroughs we can celebrate from 2023, and next steps we need to take and push forward with.

We hope you find this helpful and inspiring!

Every blessing,

Maurice and Rachel

INTRODUCTION

Local Language, Local Ministry...

Tracing the emergence of the Christian church in the New Testament from the beautiful simplicity of the first church in Jerusalem we read about in Acts 2, through the devastating intimidation, corruption and persecution that follow soon after, and eventually to the stunning expectation of a mature and united Church that Paul presents in Ephesians 4, we can sometimes wonder how the Christian church survived at all. And yet she did, surviving and indeed flourishing to this day.

Somehow, as the church scattered and grew and the challenges multiplied, Jesus continued to build his church from persecuted, beleaguered and bewildered believers, into secure church communities all over their known world. How did he do this? Through his first order apostles he gave instruction as to how the church was to be ordered: churches securely established with elders and deacons carrying their authority in a subversively godly way and not in the way of the world. Furthermore, in Ephesians 4 we read about the gifts of the ascended Christ to his church, men and women of ministry that serve the church and help bring her to maturity; teachers, pastors, evangelists, prophets and apostles.

Jesus continues to build his church today and we are deeply committed to playing our full part in bringing about this Ephesians 4 maturity and unity in the nations. In Europe at this time we are pursuing two strategies to achieve this: the first is to build a local-language model of our values DNA, a church that demonstrates the values to which we are committed build, then to multiply this model through church planting, and so create the environment for local-language five-fold ministry to emerge. The second is to partner and collaborate with like-minded local-language ministries, sharing what we have learned with each-other. In this update you can read more about progress with these strategies over the past year, and plans for the coming year.

Over the next few months I will be unpacking this theme further on the blog, alongside sharing with you our adventures and stories from across Europe . Go to onmissionineurope.info/blog to find out more.

Let us celebrate!

Updates

Apostolic Team takes shape in the Netherlands

With our strategy of ‘model, multiply, release ministry’ in the nations of Europe, where we are most advanced is clearly the Netherlands, where we see established a multiple presence of churches building towards our shared values, a deepening in trusting relationship, and pursuing shared vision.

It was a genuine delight to recognise a freshly-constituted team of local-language trans-local ministry; men and women whose ministry influence extends beyond their own local church. Together, they will assume increasing responsibility for strengthening and multiplying locally-led churches in the Netherlands. To mark this new season we will be launching a series of key events for our Dutch-language leaders to be re-envisioned and re-energised for Kingdom advance in Netherlands.

New Connections via the European Leaders Forum

The European Leadership Forum is an initiative to coach and connect evangelical leaders across continental Europe, with extensive connection and influence in many nations, an annual conference each year drawing 800 or so senior leadership delegates, and as many as 250 other year-round initiatives to train and strengthen leaders in the nations. By the providence of God, we are developing ever-deepening partnership and collaboration with ELF, which is opening many doors of relationship and opportunity for us throughout Europe. This is maturing as a very significant opportunity for us to partner and collaborate with like-minded ministries across Europe, and to bring blessing and strength to many already engaged in Kingdom mission across that continent.

New Life in Europe

20 years of pioneering in Europe have taught us that secular Europe is very tough soil for the gospel, so we celebrate every meaningful pioneering initiative and the courage and resilience that this requires.

We do all we can to support and strengthen ongoing pioneering endeavour through its highs and lows, and 2023 has seen the launch of the Nijmegen church plant in the Netherlands and a Swedish-language pioneering group from within Grace Church International in Stockholm, Sweden, as well as positioning key ministry to see gospel pioneering in Flensburg and Chemnitz in Germany, with the hope that these will eventually give rise to planted churches in the future.

Summer Camps in Three Nations

In order to raise up local-language five-fold translocal ministry, it is really important to create contexts and environments where such gifting can be tested and recognised. One key example of this is a local-language event to which all our churches in a nation can gather, and local-language men and women can take responsibility.

We saw successful events in three nations, including the developing family summer camp in the Netherlands, and the launch of similar early-stage events in Germany and Sweden. We are planning for each of these events to continue to grow in scale and in mature expression and become a seedbed for flourishing local-language mission and ministry.

Pioneering in Flensburg

Relocating your entire household for the sake of Kingdom mission takes huge courage and endeavour, so let’s celebrate the Matejcaks! Mike and Julie first came to Hafenkirche Frankfurt from the USA to become part of the strong foundation upon which that successful RM church has been established. And now they are following the obedient call to relocate with their four children to Flensburg, a beautiful town in the very north of Germany, with a view to establish their lives as a gospel family there, recruit a team for pioneering mission, and with a long-term vision to see a new church established. They moved there over the summer and are currently settling into their new life there, with a new neighbourhood, new schools for the children, new working arrangements, and everything else this entails. Please pray for smooth transition, local favour, and for many hearts to be caught up with their vision for the town.

The Journey Continues

Next Steps

Raising Leaders

In recent years people have learned to live with an abundance of caution, and with good reason; a global pandemic, Brexit disruption, a major war on continental Europe, repeated financial crises, chaos in government, and more besides, have made it a deep challenge to make life-changing decisions. This is particularly the case for the emerging generation, who are faced with many obstacles if they are wanting to sacrificially and obediently follow the call of God for their lives. Yet, in order to see the outworking of godly vision to strengthen and plant many churches, and reach the nations of Europe, we need to raise many, many men and women of ministry and leadership. We need many to step forward, not only to serve and strengthen where they are, but for many to go to towns and cities and lands beyond.

How can we best serve this process? By training people well, by stirring people with regular prophetic encouragement, and by creating many pathways for people to emerge and develop, including Intentional Discipleship, Called to Go, an internship programme, the Pioneer Europe conference, ELF, Church Planting training and more besides. Learn more about these initiatives.

New Ground, New Nations

As we raise up local-language ministries in nations such as the Netherlands and Germany and Sweden, who will increasingly take responsibility for the strengthening and multiplication of churches in their own contexts, we are also looking for fresh doors of opportunity to raise up teams in other nations of Europe. This will be through sending our own people on gospel mission, and also through developing strong partnership with like-minded ministries already at work in nations but where we can get alongside to serve and bless what is already happening. In the coming months there will be opportunities to explore connections in Croatia, Finland, Slovakia and Ukraine, as well as ongoing developments in France and Spain and Belgium. We are praying for God to open doors of fruitful labour in these nations.

Multiplication of Ministry

One of the unanticipated outcomes of the Covid season was how everyone learned to use video conferencing such as Zoom. This has given us a great platform to sustain and nurture long-distance relationships, and we are seeing the benefits of this with the new apostolic teams, various regular video huddles with leaders and ministries across Europe, and the European Leadership Forum year-round mentoring programme with 17 delegates from 7 nations in this year’s cohort. Video can never replace in-person gatherings, but they are of huge help in maintaining momentum and connection as we seek to multiply men and women of ministry in many nations. We also see the benefits of this with the Lighthouse Community, connecting a diverse and dispersed community of ministries across the poorer economies of East Europe, and also Business Link, connecting men and women who are seeking to honour God and extend the Kingdom through their business endeavours.

Join the mission

Go

Has God spoken to you in any way about being part of God’s community in another nation or locality?. It may just have been the name of a nation that has captured your heart or you feel stirred to plant a church.

We run the Called to Go programme to help people explore and begin to outwork this calling.

Learn more and register at relationalmission.org/calledtogo

If we are to see 20 churches in each nation of Europe by 2050 then we need many to step forward and get involved. Here is how you can:

Pray

Standing with us in prayer is like standing shoulder to shoulder next to us on the ground in a nation.

Please pray for the next steps mentioned and join our Whatsapp Channel to learn more.

Give

Over the next 5 years we are looking to raise in excess of £1 million to specifically invest in the mission in Europe. Will you stand with us and help?

Directly support the wider mission to Europe

Support via the Call Campaign

Share

If you know someone who you feel will be interested in this update then please pass it on, the more people we can keep informed the more momentum we can build.

Questions?

Simply email pioneer@relationalmission.com

Look out for the next update coming your way in September 2024

Thank you for your support