We refer to it as the greatest story never told: the story of how God is using international churches around the world to reach expats, immigrants, and in-country nationals. Molly and I had a front-row seat at the annual Pastors’ Retreat in Germany September 13-18.
The vision of our LBC Global Missions Team is to “partner with the global church to bring the gospel to the nations.” As part of this vision we partner with the International Christian Community (ICC). For several years I have served as chairman of the board for the organization, while working alongside leaders in Europe to craft and implement the strategic plan for the ministry. Molly joins me in this effort as we seek to encourage front-line pastors and their wives.
Here are six highlights from the ICC Pastors’ Retreat, held this year in Teisendorf, Germany, near the Austrian border.
Covid is not stopping the spread of the gospel. One of the field reports was from the church in Leipzig, Germany, where two people were recently baptized. One was from the former east Germany, and the other was from a Muslim background in Egypt. Pastors across Europe continue their work despite COVID restrictions.
New church planting is on the radar. Steve Liston is a former foreign service officer and international businessman who is preparing to assist with a new church plant in Madrid, Spain. Steve is currently an elder at the historic Fourth Presbyterian Church near Washington, DC, one of the supporting churches for ICC. He will likely be assisted by Vlad, a Romanian who has been serving with our affiliate in Lyon, France to prepare for a future role as pastor.
Pastors with ICC are adapting their discipleship plans for a unique context. International churches in Europe are brimming with potential because the nations of the world are moving to the cities of Europe. That said, international business people only stick around for 2-3 years. In light of this challenge, I was asked to lead a workshop on building healthy disciples in the church. I was able to contextualize the new LBC “Grow” booklet for the European context, with case studies from churches in Bordeaux, France and Landstuhl, Germany.
Pastors and wives were encouraged by solid biblical teaching and rich fellowship. This is especially important because of the sense of isolation in their ministry struggles. Our guest speaker was Toby DuBose, a PCA pastor serving in Germany. He did a fabulous job teaching the book of Jonah. This is part of why Molly and I receive encouragement from the annual ICC Pastors’ Retreat!
Challenges abound. The church in Marseilles, France lost half of their attendance during COVID. They are just now rebuilding. There are churches in Prague and Monaco with empty pulpits. Some churches face conflict and division, and this leaves the pastors needing support and a listening ear. Marriages are tested. Turnover takes a toll, as happened this past year at our affiliate in Budapest.
There is hope for the future. After the retreat the leaders of ICC met in Munich to update our future plans. We talked about developing new leaders, forming an internship program for younger pastors to learn the ropes, and our plans to partner with other organizations. Despite the challenges, we are trusting God for new, gospel-centered churches to be established in the cities of Europe.
Molly and I appreciate the support of Lake Baldwin Church and our Global Missions Team as we serve in this part of God’s harvest.
You can learn more about ICC at: icceurasia.com
Mike Tilley
Senior Pastor
