Most of us have probably known or met someone who has lived
abroad. Whether they studied in Europe for a year, or there family
moved to Japan for a job, or relocated overseas because they serve in
the military, or any number of reasons that cause people to uproot
themselves across the world. No one can deny that living abroad is
not something that does not exist especially as our world become more
global. Some live overseas for a semester, others for a few years,
others longer and even some for life. Some our students some are
professionals, some are families and some are retired. They come from
all different walks of life, age, nationality and color. What I would
like for us to think for a moment is: for those who live abroad who
are Christians, what do they do for church? How do they receive the
preached word and the sacraments? What I want to suggest is that
there is need for church planting overseas, to provide Word and
sacrament to those who are strangers in a strange land and further
that the planting of such churches is a international ministry, I
hope what I write might encourage people and churches to involve
themselves in planting Bible believing Reformed Churches in
international cities around the world.
Let me begin by telling a bit of my own story, several years ago
my wife and I moved to South Korea to teach English. It was during
this time I became involved with a English speaking international
church. It was here that I began to see the important place that such
churches have. Internationals move thousands of miles away from there
family and friends, into a strange land, those who are Christian then
have issues because often there language skills are not good enough
to attend national churches. In Korea we would meet people who would
be completely isolated from any Christian teaching or fellowship
because there was literal no viable church options in there area.
International Churches become very close knit because they act as a
surrogate family when your continents away from your own.
However these churches are not always the easiest to come by,
some areas have more then others. The heavy majority of these
churches are very broadly evangelical, and have dwindled down there
beliefs to as little as possible in order to appeal to every person
who walks through the door. The city we lived in Korea had 8 million
people a huge international English speaking population and only two
English speaking churches, the broadly evangelical church and the
very charismatic revival style church. Finding Reformed churches
oversee is very hard if sometimes impossible to come do. Allot of
charismatic, prosperity gospel churches have also set up shop in
these areas. In many cities around the world international have the
choice between the highly interdenominational churches the prosperity
gospel churches, some times even maybe a mix of both. As well as
liberal denomination such as the ELCA, United Methodists and others
have also started international churches overseas.
Now international churches have an incredible opportunity for
ministry to global. These churches often have numerous nationalities
represented. At a church in Germany you might have a American soldier
sitting next to a Japanese businessmen and the other side students
from India and Brazil, we can help shepherd the nations, to care for
people from all around the world. It also gives the opportunity to
preach the Gospel to the nations. I once met a man in Korea, he was a
Pakistani cricket player who had been drafted to a South Korean team.
He did not know Korean well and was one of the only non-Koreans on
his team. He was far from home and become very lonely, He was fluent
in English and after awhile desired interaction with other
internationals, going through the culture shock he experienced. So he
did something he would never have done in Pakistan and he went to a
International church. While there he head the gospel and trusted in
Christ. There are people living overseas who find themselves in
churches when you would never have never thought about going to
church in there homeland.
Often you will find allot of nationals attending international
churches, sometimes they just like the church. Others because they
spent time as a international themselves, you often find
cross-cultural families there, families in which one parent is a
national and the other is international. If through international
churches we can teach and disciple these groups, they are in some
ways more able to reach nationals then foreigners sometime are. IF we
can disciple and train national men for leadership, Our international
churches can plant national churches or provide a bilingual services,
and not only minister to internationals but the larger community. I
feel that international churches truly have untapped potential to
reach countries with the gospel.
Now I have tried to paint a picture of why I think International
Churches should be planted overseas. Often when I try to explain to
people my passion for this type of ministry I feel like people are
wondering if I have a brain injury. Planting expat churches is not
something that has really caught on especially in Reformed circles.
Now what is interesting is there is a historical precedent for
starting English church in foreign countries, the Church of Scotland
has an entire Presbytery of Europe and a Presbytery of Israel. The
presbyteries consist of English speaking international congregations.
The Church of Scotland Geneva began in the days of John Calvin as a
outreach to English speaking refugees from Britain, and then was
adopted by the Church of Scotland, and still a place of worship for
English speakers today. There is also a Church of Scotland
congregation in Rome which began in 1862. Also the Church of England
has a Diocese of Europe consisting in English speaking Churches, this
has existed since 1633. They have dozens of churches that span from
Iceland and Portugal all the way to Mongolia, Many of the
congregations having been planted a hundred or more years go. Now
both of these denominations are quite liberal, I have visited some of
there websites and there theology and beliefs are problematic. Yet
these are again some of the options that Internationals from around
the world have for Church. If Liberal Christians are making this kind
of impact should not conservative Reformed Churches also be filling
the need.
There are people living in Germany without a sound church right
now , Dusseldorf has 11 Million people and is one of the most
international cities of Europe. Yet it has only a two churches a
liberal church and a watered down interdenominational church. 50% of
Geneva carries a foreign passport and yet it so only has three
churches two liberal churches and an evangelical church. There is
need for Biblical churches in these areas and many others across the
world. We don’t think twice about a Spanish church setting up shop
down the street in California, because we can see that Spanish
speakers are here. We must realize that we have people out there,
people that are starving for pastoral care, and those who are in a
opportune place to hear the gospel. These people are in Germany and
Italy, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Argentine and more. Church
planting in our own cities and nations is great, and I thank anyone
who does it, however I think it hinders us when we see our church
planting boundaries ending with our national borders, maybe we would
be better off if we pushed them to our linguistic borders.
This type of ministry is hard to peg, I have approached missions
committees to talk about this topic who have said this does not cover
missions, go to the session. I've talked with sessions who have
said, you need to go to the mission committee, one thing that I’m
certain is that as the world becomes more and more global and people
live more and more outside of there passport countries the need will
only become greater. As Reformed Christians its time we start now,
because people in your congregation who live abroad are forced into
liberal, Charismatic or watered down churches or are left with no
church at all.