There is hunting season, football season, baseball season, the holiday season, and now I have discovered “conference season.”
Each week for a month I am in a different State participating in District conferences and mission events. It started in Keystone, Colorado with the Gateway District of Foursquare Churches. Then down to the Los Angeles area for Missions Week at LIFE Pacific College. This week has been with the North Pacific District Conference in Portland, Oregon. (Yes, Portlandia is real.) Next week it’s Spokane, Washington with the Northwest District of Foursquare Churches.
A common theme is dominant in all these gatherings. I believe the Holy Spirit is speaking A Fresh Word for a New Season:
“The Mission of God is the Central Theme of the Bible: Therefore it should be the Central Focus of the Church.”
Pastors, leaders, and churches are being refreshed with a renewed call to fulfill the Mission of God.
The nations are His focus and the church is His agent. So, let us ask God for the nations. Let us dream dreams greater than making it through another Sunday. Let us take bold actions of great faith.
We can do this because the Word of God is still alive and powerful, the Holy Spirit is still present and working, the church is still victorious, and Jesus is still Lord!
Hudson Taylor once said, “Ask Great Things of God! Attempt Great Things for God!” Let this be our motto for this season. Because the Mission of God is too grand for small living, shallow thinking, and timid action.
Europe: Just say the word and it invokes a mixed array of images:
Some think of luxurious vacations in the Swiss Alps, unencumbered days under the Tuscan sun, supple and sublime Boudreaux with the perfect balance of tannins and oak, and young backpackers trekking between hostels.
Others think of the continent that gave us two world wars and introduced death on an industrial scale, unheard of before in human history.
Still others think of an old continent with aging nations meandering along, untethered from former empires of greatness and world domination.
Whatever people think of when they think of Europe, rarely do they think of it like I do: I think of Europe as a mission field.
Once the citadel of Christianity, it has become a graveyard of cathedral tombs echoing days of life long past.
Europe has become “The New Dark Continent.”
The 10 most Gospel resistant people groups in the world are all located in Europe.
This is my field.
From the vast Russian steppe in the East to the rugged Portuguese coastline in the West; From the Mediterranean sun that baths Athens to the cold harsh rain and winds that clothe Scotland, this is my field, though I am a stranger here. Yet, I am not alone.
I work with some of the finest missionaries and nationals I have ever met. They are among my dearest friends and ministry partners. I feel a kindred heart with them unlike anything I have ever experienced in my own homeland.
We share a deep love and calling for Europe. And we share some common challenges in reaching this continent we love so much.
All missionaries face language, culture, and political challenges. Beyond these universal challenges each nation or people group present unique challenges for the missionary. Working in Europe, I have observed at least 5 Challenges in Reaching the New Dark Continent:
Europe is “Post” Everything.
Europe is Post-Political, Post-Modern, and Post-Christian. It is beyond the scope of this article to unpack what each of these mean. Indulge me a little and let us leave it at Europe has lost all faith in political systems and ideologies; Europe has lost all faith in rationalisms ability to explain the world; And Europe has lost all faith in religion to be of any relevance.
Certainty is gone. Truth is questionable. Knowledge is limited. Meaning is up for grabs.
In spite of being “Post Christian,” many Europeans still find cultural and ethnic identity in their national religion.
To be Irish, Polish, or Italian is to be Catholic. You may be an atheist, but you are still Catholic.
To be Russian, Serbian, or Greek is to be Orthodox.
To be Albanian or Bosnian is generally to be Muslim.
If you give up your religion you give up your ethnic and national identity.
Reaching them with the Gospel entails reaching them within their culture, against all cultural prejudice, because God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,” (Acts 17:26–27, ESV)
In Europe, we must overcome the abusive relationship Europeans have experienced with religion. Their reference point to Jesus and His Church is seen as an abusive relationship – We must Re-Present Jesus to them.
European history is scared with religious wars. Families and nations have been torn apart because of religion. After hundreds of years Europe has had enough. Religion is not only irrelevant: it is the problem.
When we tell them about Jesus they think we are trying to bring them back into that abusive relationship. We have to overcome their experience with religion in order to introduce them to Jesus Christ: The Jesus they think about is not the Jesus we are talking about.
We must overcome prejudices about Europe.
Want to derail an American politician? Accuse him or her of being a soft European-styled liberal politician. That can be as damaging as a very questionable selfie.
Want to make eyes roll? Tell someone you are a missionary to Europe.
You can be a missionary Central America, South America, Asia, Africa, or the Middle East, and wow, you are a true missionary. But go to Europe and you are not a missionary, you are a “vacationary.”
I hear comments like, “Boy, I wish I could be a missionary in France, or Italy, or England, or…” add any European nation you want. As if these men and women are on permanent vacation.
Let me give you a glimpse of what people serving in Europe deal with: Go to Africa, Asia, Central or South America, get a crowd, take a picture and you are a hero. Supporters love the big crowds.
In Europe, we don’t get the crowds. We celebrate the ones and the twos. Everyone else gets to celebrate the hundreds and thousands. We are plowing hard, fallow ground here. We get to celebrate the ones and the twos knowing that someday Europe will be a fertile field again. We are plowing and planting for that day.
Sure, we have Wi-Fi, mobile phones, and good food. But we did not go on the mission field for those things. We could have stayed in America if we wanted that. We went because Jesus called us. We went to reach souls. We are broken over the hardness of this continent we love so deeply. We serve it in hope that someday others will get to enjoy the fruit of our labors just as those in Africa are now standing on the buried shoulders of those who came before them.
Europe is hard and expensive.
Back when Africa was the Dark Continent, missionaries were sent out with living supplies and a casket. After an average of two years they died on the field and were shipped back home. We rightfully hail them as heroes. They have earned the martyr’s crown. We esteem them as, “those for whom the world was not worthy.” They gave the last, greatest sacrifice.
Now, in Europe, our missionaries do not face death for the most part: they face years of plowing fallow ground and being assessed by supporters back home who wish they would get their act together like the folks in Brazil, Mexico, and the South Pacific.
Yet, we labor with the call that 750 million deserve to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ just as all the other peoples of the world.
I cringe when I hear someone say, “We can support three missionaries in the juggle for the cost of one missionary in Europe.” I cringe because I wonder what it will be like on the Day of Judgment when we give an account and we look at the millions of Europeans who have never heard the Gospel and we have to tell them, “Sorry, we made a financial decision. You were just too expensive and not worth the cost. It’s not personal, it’s just business.”
Yes, being a missionary in Europe has its challenges, but I would not trade places with anyone anywhere for any reason.
I have this hope, “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.” (Isaiah 35:1–2, ESV)
This is my hope. My conscious is bound.
Here are Some Ways You Can Help Our Missionaries in Europe:
Cover us: Pray for the Missionaries and Leaders Serving Throughout the New Dark Continent. Support us in every way. We get discouraged and tired because the ground is hard and filled with rocks. Protect us from accusations of the enemy and the self-defeating doubts we all struggle with.
Connect with us to celebrate and encourage. Facebook, email, and Skype are great ways to keep us connected to the life source of the local church. Solomon said in Proverbs 25:25,
“Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.”
Partner with us financially. All of us who serve in Europe have more opportunities than we can keep up with. You can help us meet the overwhelming need.
Here is a list of our missionaries serving in Europe. Pray about connecting with them. Click HERE.
Here is one example of an opportunity to reach a city with less than 1% evangelical Christians:
Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel.
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This week, I interview Tammy Toft. Tammy and her husband Brett, are Foursquare missionaries to Tallin, Estonia. In this interview, Tammy and I talk about an amazing outreach happening in Estonia called The Butterfly Project. It is a program dedicated to those coming out of the sex industry, helping them to enter into the work force, finding the transformation and healing in Jesus, as well as bringing awareness of sex trafficking to schools.
If you want to get more invloved in The Butterfly Project, want to donate, or learn more, you can find them on Facebook or you can email Tammy directly: tltoft@mac.com.
As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or on Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, or in Stitcher so you don’t miss an episode!
The Gateway District of Foursquare Churches serves Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Missouri: States that conjure up for me images of the Marlboro Man, the “God Made a Farmer” Super Bowl commercial, a rival football team (the Denver Broncos), a sprinkling of “People’s Republics,” and, at least in Colorado, a strange smell that reminds me of “coffee shops” in Amsterdam.
I have enjoyed working with District Supervisor Sam Rockwell. His partnership has been critical in our development of Foursquare in Russia and Ukraine. And I have the deepest respect for Peter Henderson. His work as the District Missions Representative is exceptional, worthy of a J.D. Powers “Best in Class” award.
So, I was looking forward to being with them in Keystone, Colorado for their annual conference, September 15-17.
The conference theme was “Bloom.” Taken from Isaiah 35:1-2, “The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like a desert flower, it will burst into bloom.”
The setting was incredible. The sessions were exceptional. But there was something more: an essence that it took a few days of observation to wrap my head around.
There was something portending a greater destiny: Gateway was not just the name of the district; it was a prophetic calling they were positioning themselves to fulfill. They are positioning themselves to become a Gateway for the Advancement of the Mission of God. I watched. I prayed. I reflected. And I saw Seven Indicators of Greater Days Ahead. Here is what I observed:
A Culture of Honor.
Never in more than 25 years of ministry have I see people so honored. Here are two examples:
They way they honored the missionaries from their district (paid their way to get there, then honored them in each session).
They honored those who were receiving their 25 and 50 service awards. These faithful servants were brought onto the platform and the whole gathering celebrated their service.
It was the kind of honor only humility can produce.
An Atmosphere of Celebration.
God was celebrated. People were celebrated. Faithfulness was celebrated. You never got the feeling it was one of those performance-driven churchy things were only the mega-church was seen as important. The attitude was “Let’s celebrate following Jesus regardless of where He leads.”
A Nurturing Community.
The Gateway District is making serious investment into its pastors and leaders, seeking to nurture them to become the best version of themselves.
Passionate Pursuit the Mission of God
These men and women are intent on fulfilling the mission of God in their communities, state, district, nation, and world. They are “all in.” They have skin in the game.
Hunger for God and His Kingdom.
It was evident in the depth of worship, their hunger for the Word, and their openness to radical expressions of the love of God for ALL peoples. I hope the sessions are going to be made available. They were that good. But you better buckle up and open up before you start listening.
Serving Others Lavishly.
They were living out Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
Call it Authenticity, Transparency, Missional, Incarnational, or any of those trendy words teetering on the edge of impotency because of over-use. For me, I can best describe it as “The Beatitudes Personified.”
No prancing. No prating. No pretense: Just humble shepherds following their Chief Shepherd. Blessed indeed.
I am leaving the Gateway District Conference with a renewed heart to honor, to celebrate, to nurture, to pursue, to hunger, to serve, and to personify the beatitudes because I want the parched lands of my life to flourish.
Autumn is settling upon the Rockies but within the Gateway District of Foursquare Churches I see the blossoming of spring’s promise to bloom.
Debbie and I serve as the FMI Global Associate Director for MENACA and Europe. We focus on cultivating disciples, leaders, and church planting movements.
Debbie and I serve as the FMI Global Associate Director for MENACA and Europe. We focus on cultivating disciples, leaders, and church planting movements.
