Why Should U.S. Churches Care about Europe?   

By Mike Edwards, Area Leader,ReachGlobal-Europe

As I visit churches in the U.S., I find myself asking the question, “Why should Christians in America care about the spiritual plight of Europe?” After all, Christianity is declining in many parts of the U.S. creating more local mission outreach needs. Also the economic downturn has caused churches to be more focused in their mission efforts globally.

So, why is Europe important?

I am encouraged by Dr. G.A.Pritchard’s thoughts on the urgency of reaching Europe:

1. Europe is the intellectual center of the world. For the last 500 years, the world’s leading intellectual movements came out of Europe: Renaissance, Reformation, Counter-Reformation, Enlightenment, Scientific Revolution, Industrial Revolution, Romanticism, Existentialism, Marxism, Nazism, and Post-modernism. Historically, Europe is a wellspring of intellectualism that has shaped global worldviews.

2. Europe is the leading educator of the rest of the world. Twice as many international students are being educated in Europe than the U.S. Post 9/11 restrictions are shifting this number higher. Europe has a high influence on tomorrow’s intellects and leaders.

3. The fastest growing religion in the world comes from Europe. Growth in atheism and agnosticism has set the stage for the religion of ‘Unbelief’ to be the strongest influence in the western world in the last century. The spread of atheism typifies European influence. In early 1900’s, atheism had 225,000 adherents worldwide with 90% living in Europe. Today that number is over 150 million, yet only 18% live in Europe. In that same time period agnostics have grown from 3 million to 750 million. Europe’s intellectual movement has flooded the world with the influence of Unbelief. (Source: WorldChristianEncyclopedia)

4. Europe is the place where the global battle for the Gospel is being fought. The U.S. is facing a challenge to orthodox belief. The greatest challenger in not Islam, Hinduism, etc., but rather the influence of Unbelief (atheism & agnosticism). Europe is proving once again to be the source of a global tide. To counter this push in Europe and the U.S., the antidotes to Europe’s intellectual unbelief must be found in Europe and dispersed around the world. Ground-zero is here inEurope. With Europe’s strong global influence, the investment towards ReachGlobal-Europe’s staff by U.S. churches goes well beyond the borders of Europe. Europe is still a good investment.

The full article is titled: Why Invest inEurope, by Dr. G.A.Pritchard, www.euroleadership.org

The Sending Church Gathering is meant to connect those churches who are already sending or who would like to learn what it means to send for the purpose of learning, encouraging and sharing resources. It is a time to learn what it means to send, how a sending church is wired, what one does, and what the goal of sending should be. The hope is that gathered practitioners would share with, encourage, and challenge one another in their missionary endeavors. Instead of individual churches reinventing the wheel in each step of sending, why not learn from and strengthen one another along the way?

This gathering is meant to be a little different than others. Whereas there will be times of teaching from a stage, there will also be equal time spent in small groups of practitioners around tables discussing the topics at hand. Both Monday night and Tuesday will have plenary speakers followed by “round table” discussions of the topics introduced by the speakers. The idea is that an overarching view will be presented by the speaker, while the nuts-and-bolts of the application of the ideas will happen among practitioners around the tables. By the end of our time together, our hope is that you will have practical handles on Sending Church, lasting connection with other practitioners with whom you can conspire/cooperate, and even a few practical resources to help you along the journey of sending.

I want to encourage you to register for this event if you are interested in learning how your church can be more intentional as you send your people out to the nations. I will be joined by Caleb Crider and Rodney Calfee of the Upstream Collective, as well as Ed Stetzer and Pat Hood. We look forward to learning alongside you.

• We come in as teachers.
• We come in as health care workers.
• We come as scientists.
• We come in as business leaders.
• And to be honest, sometimes we come across as “know-it-alls.”

What if, instead, we came in as learners?

I had this idea a few years back when a church asked me if they could come over and put on a soccer camp for youth. I lived in Spain at the time – enough said! But instead of ending the conversation there, I decided I would toss out an idea (which in the end they chose not to do). I suggested that instead of coming over to ‘put on’ a soccer camp, why not come over and be part of an existing soccer camp? This way you would be learning with them. The key is to come into a place and get to know people and be able to share the gospel in a relevant and relational way.

While this church decided not to pursue this route, other churches have moved towards the model of being learners. One church, signed up to attend a barista school in Italy. Coffee not your thing? That’s okay. Your creativity is the limit. The point is, as you engage another culture on a short term missions trip, adopt the attitude of a learner. Make observations, ask questions, and see where God could be leading you to participate, rather than just teach, show or develop.

What are some things you have done to be a learner in another culture?

They want to be intentional as they travel and do business abroad. They do not simply want to go on a trip to do their business and see a few sites. I know one businessperson who is what I would call and “Intentional Traveller.” Take a look at some of the things he does to be purposeful and intentional with his trips:

• He stays at the same bed and breakfast each time in Paris. He plans ahead to be sure the owners of the hotel can spend one evening with him.
• He frequents the same restaurants and goes to the same news stand each morning to get his paper.
• He goes to the same coffee shops.
• He makes sure to spend time with people from his national company. He goes out to eat with his co-workers. He gets to know them as well as possible.
• He is trying to learn the language in order to communicate better in that country.
• He is meeting other Christians and Christian workers to develop his network there.
• He tries to make the most of his opportunities and if the Lord opens the doors for deeper conversations then he is ready.

Though this guy will probably not live overseas he knows that a real part of his life is to travel abroad. He is committed to making it intentional.

Do you travel internationally? Do you travel frequently? Can you think of some practical things you can do on your next trip to be more intentional?

• Study Abroad Students-Many college students will spend a summer, semester or even a year abroad. What are some things we as churches are doing to equip these students to spend their time abroad with intentionality and with kingdom purpose? If your church has a strategic partnership to a specific people group or place have you considered finding out if the university in your city has any official relationship with an university there? Can you encourage your college students to study there?

• College Internships-A lot of college seniors must  complete some kind of internship. If you are  a student, have you explored internships abroad? These internships can give great connections for future full time employment in the country.

• Graduate Students-As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, getting a graduate degree at an American partner university abroad is a really easy way to connect with other global professionals in your line of work. Besides the Gospel opportunities you would have in classes, it is a great networking opportunity.

College is more than just a time to earn a degree to land a job. It’s a time when a student makes pivotal choices that can impact their future. If you are involved in a college student’s life, I’d encourage you to help that person think wisely about his/her choice of major, language study and internship opportunities. God could be calling that student to live abroad some day with his current career pursuit. You will also want to check out www.skybridgecommunity.com

In short term teams, I like to celebrate every day. I like to go around the room and ask, “Where did you see God working today? What victories did you see? What connecting points did you have happen? What spiritual encounters did you have?” Inevitably, one person starts sharing, and then another one and all of a sudden, while indivuaully they  may think “wow, not much has happened today,” they start looking at the group and say, “wow, God is really at work.”

The same can be true with long term missionary teams. Discouagemt can set in. They feel like they aren’t seeing many results. We are a results oriented socitey. But when we start looking at it as a team, and starting thinking as a team, we see that God is at work. 1+1+1 starts adding up.

How do you encourage groups of short term missions teams and long term teams?

Lately I have tried out a few new hobbies. One of them is roasting my own coffee.

My wife gave me a coffee roaster for our anniversary along with a tour of a local roaster where I was able to purchase several types of green beans.
It was a tremendously fun gift. I did not want to leave the roasting place.

I started my coffee roasting journey in February and roasted my first batch. I could only take one sip. I continued on with the roasting and finally got it to where I could actually drink a cup but I was very afraid of letting someone else try it. Especially if I like the person. smile. This past weekend I think I found my blend and the correct roasting times. It is stout. If you like a strong cup of coffee I can provide it. If you are looking for a light roast you may want to politely decline any coffee I offer you.

This roasting process has given me a huge appreciation for people doing business as coffee roasters.
It is an art and a science.

I have ran across a couple of coffee companies that I want to pass along information to you. I have had coffee from both of these places in the last two months.
They provide great coffee and have kingdom minded purposes in their businesses.
You should try them out. They ship almost anywhere.

Cup of Hope – www.cupofhopecoffee.org

Thrive Farmers – http://www.thrivefarmers.com/

If you or your business or church is looking for great coffee then you should give these guys a call.

Wow. My favorite part of this situation though is that this couple and this missions pastor now have a great reason to connect on what God is doing in this couple’s lives and what God is going to do through that church’s involvement in Asia. Sometimes the tasks God calls us to do seem daunting. Then we realize that God is already putting people and things into place that will make the task “doable” for us.

Is your church actively involving your people in the marketplace to be a part of what God wants your church to do in the nations? Do you know which members of your church want to move overseas through a job transfer? Are you equipping them to be intentional once they move?

• They learned the language. He made a conscious decision to learn Spanish though other past expats had continued to work with their Spanish colleagues in English.  Sure, it would have been easier for him to do his job in English, but when he made an effort to do his job in Spanish, it spoke volumes to his fellow workers.
• They made relationships with Spaniards through his work. It is often easy to see work as work, and any extra time as time to “do ministry.” This man decided to get to know the people he worked with. He had lunch with them. He went out for food and drinks after the work day was done. He did not have much time for anything else as this job was very time consuming so instead of checking out, he made the most of the time he spent with the unbelievers at his job.
• They were hospitable. Often we think of hospitality as something we do in our own home. But hospitality can be anything we do for others that serves them, makes them feel important and loved. The wife in this couple frequently made baked goods and other food items that she sent with her husband to work. His co-workers so enjoyed this act of kindness that they made an actual plaque for her that said “Employee of the Year.” Besides having people in their home, this couple reached out and made an effort to show the Spaniards that they cared.

We may never know what kind of lasting impact these 2 made on Madrid. I do know that people working in the marketplace overseas are making a difference. If you are someone who is interested in taking your vocation overseas, to live intentionally, I’d encourage you to check out the Skybridge Community. We would love to help you think through what steps you can take to live on mission, overseas.

My prayer is that God will use this book to train many people to see their cities and neighborhoods through the eyes of the missionaries God has sent them to be.

Today, Ed Stetzer is featuring an interview with us on his blog. I hope you will take a minute and read an interview he has with us.

You can purchase your copy of Tradecraft here:

We have heard from a growing list of churches who are using this book in a variety of ways:

• Training for church based teams going overseas to live
• Short term mission teams as they prepare for their trip
• Church planters and their teams here in the states in the pre-launch phase
• Business people interested in learning these skills for impact in the marketplace.
• Small groups in churches who are using it as a study.