Church Planting in Romania
Known for its stone churches, monasteries, and castles, Romania is the crossroads of central, eastern, and southeastern Europe. During decades of communist rule, churches were closely monitored, and atheism was encouraged. Once the regime collapsed it became evident the population had continued to be privately devoted to their faith. Under communism, two in three people were secret government informers, even within the church, and trust remains extremely low. Ethnic Romanians embrace orthodox Christianity as an element of national belongings. Minorities in the population tend to be Protestants or Catholics.
The vision for the ministry in Iasi, the second largest city in Romania, and surrounding villages is to develop a group of Romanians to evangelize and disciple their countrymen. Currently, the ministry works alongside several churches, providing Bibles, materials, and food.
The team consists of one couple, the husband of which is Romanian, with three kids. They are seeking an older couple with experience in ministry and discipleship who can mentor, encourage and help them through the process of building existing churches, but are open to other help as well.
The city offers modern amenities, but many villages have no running water and outhouses. Romanian is a difficult language taking six to eight years to fully master. it is important to be flexible and aware of cultural differences and perspectives even within the team.
Since discipleship is the main goal, a commitment of 2+ years is needed in order to minister through building relationships.