We just completed our 3rd Catalyst Community in Skopje, Macedonia. We had teams from Macedonia and Montenegro participating, and two of our good friends from Albania joined us to help lead the conference. According to www.OperationWorld.org statistics:
- Macedonia is 0.2% Evangelical Christian
- Montenegro is 0.0% Evangelical Christian
- Albania is 0.5% Evangelical Christian
Since we met last year this group of teams started 10 new churches (8 in Macedonia and 2 in Montenegro)! There are about 100 churches in all of Macedonia, and we had leaders from 17 of them represented at our conference. In Montenegro there are about 7 Evangelical Christian churches, and we had 3 of them represented with us. These 10 new churches represent a significant % growth in the overall number of churches in both of these countries!
I love being able to invest my life in growing the church in parts of the world where there is so little of it. When you partner with us by supporting Taking New Ground you are a part of that ministry impact! In fact, we couldn’t do it without you.
Catalyst Community #3: Network & Movement Formation
Catalyst Community #1 focuses on activating faith and training our teams with simple tools for apprenticing new leaders in their churches. Catalyst Community #2 focuses on activating faith and developing a missional culture in your church. Catalyst Community #3 drives attendees toward network formation and movement structure.
Why do we focus on networks? Simply put, we can accomplish more for the Kingdom of God together than we can alone. Too often, churches focus more on their own kingdom than they do on The Kingdom of God. The result, they fail to see God move in a material way. By focusing on how we can work together to grow God’s Kingdom we help cultivate an environment that facilitates rapid church multiplication.
By unifying around relationship and mission we develop networks (groups of churches) that work together across denominational lines to plant new churches. This unity in the Church is what Jesus prayed for in the Garden of Gethsemane (see John 17). When churches in a city or region are willing to work together it serves as an apologetic that points people to Jesus.
Macedonia: A Growing Sense of National Unity
You could really sense the excitement among our Macedonian leaders as they began to realize that they were part of a growing movement of God in their nation. They echoed this sentiment in their closing comments at our conference. They also began using language that showed they knew it was their responsibility to take ownership for this movement going forward.
It was exciting to see the structure of this movement taking shape before our eyes! That’s the goal. We come alongside leaders that God is already at work in and through, and we equip them to lead a multiplication movement in their nation. From this point on Sasha, Simi, Jimmy, and Angel will be moving things forward. It doesn’t mean that we won’t be back next year to help facilitate a network leader training or a movement gathering, but they will be the team to own it.
Montenegro: 0.0% Evangelical Christian
Can you imagine living in a country with 0.0% Evangelical Christianity? Now, imagine trying to plant or grow a church in that environment. I met Vukasin and Sara a year ago at Catalyst Community #2. They were leading a sports ministry that helped them build relationships and connect with young people, and dreaming about planting a church. I’m thrilled to announce that dream is now a reality! They have started the church and they are now dreaming about what comes next! Pray for our friends in Macedonia, Montenegro, and Albania. Pray that many would come to faith in Christ through their efforts in these hard to reach parts of the world.
In Case You Missed It
- 2nd Generation Churches in the Albanian Movement!
- 40 New Churches in the Dominican Republic
- Multiplying Ourselves in the Philippines
- The Persecuted Church
- …and more at TakingNewGround.org/blog
We Need Your Help
2019 is off to a busy and fruitful start! We have a full year of great ministry opportunities ahead of us, but we need your help to fund the rest of this year. Please pray about how God might use YOU, alongside US, so that together WE can continue to catalyze movements of reproducing churches in hard to reach parts of the world!
