All across Europe the population is rapidly changing. So is religious behavior. Gone are the days when the church was just the church!
It was once safe to assume that a sizeable portion of the population attended church, but in these days, crowds stay away and we observe the planting of missional churches, emerging churches, simple churches, mission-shaped churches, virtual churches, network churches, fresh expressions of church, healthy churches, multiplying churches, mobilising churches, transformational churches, youth churches, night churches, motorway churches, and many others, not to mention the host of all the non-English language variants. In our desire that the Gospel make a difference in today’s society, we need to understand why so many people are out of touch with any Christian community. Will the Church embody hope and rise to the occasion in such a way that it will be given a new hearing in the current de-Christianization that Europe now experiences? This exciting symposium is intended for both Europeans and non-Europeans who are engaged in church planting and church development in continental Europe, or who have the desire to become involved in such ministries - missionaries, church developers, leaders of church denominations and mission agencies, as well as students. We welcome practitioners and visionaries alike who want to bring hope and transformation to the peoples of Europe by developing existing and new churches, as well as committed Christians in secular occupations who want to serve the development of the Church. The symposium will be held in English and, depending on the need, translation is a possibility. |