(This is the first of three short posts about the what, why, who, and how of our ministry in Europe.)
Students show us the future. We see this in Wageningen, where Janneke runs a workspace for international students. I see this also at the Protestant Theological University in Utrecht. I see a few Dutch students around me. Some of them will be pastors in the Protestant Church in a couple of years. I also see African students, and I often talk with a Pakistani Christian (and fellow PhD researcher). We talk about how both Europe and Christianity are changing and what that means for the mission of the church.
The tables have turned, as they say. Christians are no longer a majority shaping culture and politics. Europe has changed from a monoculture to a diversity of subcultures. ‘Secular’ Europeans struggle with this as much as Christians. For example, we all need to learn how to deal with disagreement. (I wrote about this here.)
But Christianity has changed as well. The majority of Christians live in the ‘Global South’. Some of them now come to Europe to help us. Many European Christians struggle to make sense of these changes, and we need to answer different questions:
- How do we live faithfully as a minority?
- How do we develop a strong spiritual life that can withstand pressure?
- And what does ‘good news’ actually mean in a post-Christian culture?
These are questions every church planter wrestles with. We do this together at Knüllcamp, in Germany (see picture). This conference centre is a hub in a network of Anglican Churches across Europe. We help the team there with the relaunch of this centre so that it can serve the training of church planters. It will also host other groups of guests (including international students).
A common struggle of church planters is burnout and exhaustion. So, we are also preparing seminars based on the practical Rule of Life, which Janneke developed in Croatia. When we worked there, we saw the importance of ‘member care’, investing in the well-being of intercultural workers.
We are called to serve the workers of today, for the sake of the Church of the future. Will you join us in this mission? You can find a summary of our current goals here: https://www.emmauseurope.org/support-letter/. Thank you.