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Jun
10
A significant part of the development strategy is to partner outside churches with the German church plants. We have done this effectively in the other parts of East Germany (Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz, and Magdeburg). With the momentum building in Berlin, there is a need for more help, and I am focusing some of the new visitors here.
To that end, the months of April and May were full of activity from the U.S. partners:
Two Rivers Church (Knoxville TN): Continued walking alongside the FeG Chemnitz church, influencing them in prayer, strengthening their leaders and members. On this trip we began the process to develop a partnership between 2RC and the Berlin International Church (BIC) which will focus on several prayer initiatives for the region.
Team from Two Rivers Church serving in Chemnitz
Cornerstone EFC (St Louis): Jerry Orf and John Ritland visited the FeG partnership in Magdeburg. We had the chance to interact over their existing partnership and talk about future direction. The visit to Berlin also showed them another ministry context in our region.
Fellowship Church (Knoxville TN): Kevin & Vicky Huggins (staff), Lee & Joyce Bell (elder) visited Berlin as part of an evaluation and advisory trip related to the ReachGlobal ministry in eastern Germany. In addition to seeing many aspects of the ministry, several suggestions were made to strengthen the work here.
EFCA Central District Pastors: A group of pastors from various ministries in the Missouri/Iowa area visited as part of a three-city tour. This is part of the process of identifying global connections for their churches and possible strategic partnership locations.
FeG/BrookLink: Dietrich Schindler, the leader of the FeG Inland Mission (church planting), and Lee Hayward, BrookLink, visited as part of the initial exploration of a new project focused on beginning an English-speaking church in Berlin.
Pray for:
* Further partnership connection with the church planting projects in Berlin
* Further application of resources to this planting projects.
Jun
7
One of the most significant resources of ReachGlobal is its global network of like-minded people. The movement of the church is towards global connectivity and mutually helping one another. The Kingdom of Christ is clearly a global movement. As the ease of global connectivity increases, ReachGlobal serves as a catalyst for building strategic partnerships in both the U.S. and throughout the world.
We have seen the use of U.S./German partnerships prove very helpful in establishing healthy churches and starting new churches. These connections provide mutual encouragement, resources, creation of new approaches, and leadership development. Often these partnerships prove to build momentum with the indigenous church, e.g. a short-term team. Yet, they also serve as a point of encouragement and accountability, e.g.”We know you are walking with us in good times and difficult times.”
Additionally these partnerships have proven to be an important part of the church planting process. Church plants begin with few resources. Connections to a network broader than themselves are essential to establishing a foundation. Financial resources are clearly a part of this, but other areas are equally important, like outreach (short-term teams), mentoring (new concepts), training (internships), and staffing (short-term assignments).
Strategic partnerships are developing at three different levels:
Church-to-church: This was our initial focus, which offered an ongoing relationship where churches can offer help to one another based on the current context of the need and season of church development.
Individual-to-church/individual: As people are exposed our context of ministry, questions arise as to how they might personally help with their individual gifting, resources, and experience. These connections are stimulated as they can mutually build the church.
Movement-to-movement: An area of further development is connecting broader groups together. A starting example of this is city-region to city-region, e.g. St Louis to Eastern Germany. Yet this has more development potential as we further identify partnerships with organizations, businesses, church networks, and geographic locations.
The global city of Berlin affords an opportunity to expand these partnerships from not only the United States, but to other global connections, especially to global locations where the church is growing rapidly. The Berlin City Team is focusing on developing global resources that can further the church planting movement and the strengthening of the church in the city.
Jun
7
In May, Dietrich Schindler, leader of the FeG Inland Mission(church planting), and Lee Hayward, director of BrookLink, visited Berlin for discussions regarding a new church planting project. Timo Heimlich and Mike Edwards hosted this visit with the purpose of laying a foundation for an English-speaking church plant in Berlin.
The FeG leadership has identified starting English-speaking churches as an important part of the strategy to reach influential people in the large cities of Germany. Berlin serves as the initial trial project for this strategy. This is the first church planting project of this kind with the German national denomination.
A large part of the visit was to connect with the international church leaders in Berlin and the existing FeG pastors. The conversations were part of the discovery process to learn the needs in the city, as well, as to identify the initial values and key factors of the project.
International Pastors meeting
Several themes and values surfaced as a starting point for the project:
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Clear communication and interdependence with existing international churches and leaders.
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Start by first targeting higher educated, influential people (the part of society that operates easily in English).
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Value of the church must be the expository teaching of the Word.
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Value of the church must be missional living by its constituents (incarnation into business and social sectors of community).
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Importance of beginning with two leaders: German national leader and English-speaking country leader (co-leadership team to understand the unique challenges of this project).
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The need for resources is important in order to allow an initial period of networking and formation.
Prayer:
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Pray initially to find the German leader of this project. The resources for this are fewer in Germany.
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Pray to find a complementing English native-speaking church planter, once the German leader is known.
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Pray for financial resources to launch this project well.
Direct questions to berlin@efca.org
Jun
2
Prayer for Berlin - June 2009
Filed Under Berlin | Leave a Comment
This is another installment of interesting insight into Berlin and prayer related to these current events. Please join us in praying for Berlin.
Mar
15
“Multiplying healthy churches among all people” is the mission of the EFCA/ReachGlobal. In eastern Germany one of the primary focus areas is church planting – multiplying the church by establishing new communities of faith.
The life of the Apostle Paul and the actions of the early church demonstrate that starting new churches was the primary and normal expression of missiology in the New Testament. This can be accomplished in many ways. Two methods used in our local context are pioneer planting and mother-daughter church planting. ReachGlobal partners with the FeG (German Free Church) to stimulate, equip, and coach church planters in eastern Germany.
An important element of church planting is leadership development. The FeG has many venues to train church planters and leaders. Coaching leaders is another key ingredient. ReachGlobal and the FeG serve local leaders to coach, mentor, and network them with other global leaders.
Given the landscape of post-Christian Europe, there is no singular method that meets the breadth of challenges. ReachGlobal serves to catalyze new ideas for developing communities of faith. Our global network provides resources and ideation, and ReachGlobal staff work alongside indigenous leaders to stimulate new methods and ideas.
Church planting is a primary way that ReachGlobal engages in advancing the Kingdom in Berlin and eastern Germany.
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