Pressing Ahead, Despite War, Intolerance And Persecution
A Report of the Trans-European Division, presented July 2, 2005
Bertil Wiklander, President
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division
has a strong sense of enthusiasm and urgency for God's mission to lost people.
This is coupled with careful reflection on the secrets of growth. Growth in
numbers is subject to spiritual growth in unity. Our work this quinquennium
was therefore founded on a comprehensive plan named Growing Together, which
guided our priorities and activities. God has blessed it. (The plan and a PowerPoint
report are found at www.ted-adventist.org.)
The vast territory of the Trans-European Division has an extreme
cultural and national diversity and a complex structure of scattered small churches
divided into 13 unions and three attached fields. In membership numbers it is
the smallest world division, with an enormous target population: 6,000 people
for every Seventh-day Adventist. Particularly challenging targets are the unchurched
secular Europeans, and Jewish and Muslim peoples. Most receptive of the gospel
are immigrants in Europe and the Middle East, and specific people groups in
Sudan and Pakistan. However, by changing our own attitudes, through church planting
and friendship evangelism in small groups, we now see that the gospel may reach
everywhere, even to secular Europeans and people in Islamic countries.
Increased Growth and Some Challenges
As of December 31, 2004, the number of churches and companies in the division
had grown to 1,777 (from 1,537 five years ago). In the past five years the membership
increased by 12 percent, and the total number of members at the end of 2004
was 98,575.
The largest number of baptisms were in the Middle East Union
(6,110), British Union (3,460), Pakistan Union (2,616), and South-East European
Union (1,552). Because of emigration caused by war and political tensions, some
areas do not show a corresponding growth in total membership. However, the highest
percentage of membership growth has occurred in the Israel Field (79 percent)
and the Greek Mission (78 percent).
While there is also growth in the Hungarian Union, Netherlands
Union, Polish Union, and Icelandic Conference (attached field), the statistics
suggest challenges in six unions. In the Adriatic and Baltic unions, baptismal
numbers have increased by 10 percent and 15 percent respectively, but the number
of lost members is also high. The Nordic unions, covering Denmark, Finland,
Norway, and Sweden, have dropping membership numbers, but the church planting
movement and the involvement of young people in evangelism give cause for optimism.
The British Union
The British Union is the largest in the division, with more than 24,000 members.
The rich diversity of the union and the spread of nurturing and outreach activities
have resulted in a net membership growth of 20 percent (3,460 baptized new members).
More than 300 new church plants and groups have been established.
The union launched in 2001 its boldest evangelistic initiative,
LIFEdevelopment.info, to engage basically secular minds. Two TV programs in
the series have been produced and uplinked in 2003-2005, providing needed relevant
resources for mission.
The Middle East Union
Some 40 percent of people living in the Trans-European Division live in the
Middle East Union, which consists of 14 countries. More than 90 percent of the
population follow the teachings of Islam. While in the world there is one Adventist
per 468 people, and in the Trans-European Division there is one per 6,000, in
the Middle East it's one for every 16,000.
And yet this is where our division has had the largest number
of baptisms (6,110) and a 38 percent growth in membership, giving a total of
14,166 members at the end of 2004. This growth occurred mainly in south Sudan
among Christian and animist peoples, and in the Persian Gulf sections, where
many immigrants live and work.
Here are some other highlights:
The Adriatic Union (Albania, Croatia, Slovenia) had
3,988 members, and 392 baptisms were held during the period. The largest-ever
youth evangelistic campaign (with pastor Juneroy Nugent, from the U.K. at the
time, as guest speaker) was held in February 2002, with up to 300 young people
in attendance. Forty-two young people surrendered their hearts to Jesus, and
Nugent returned three months later to baptize another 17 individuals.
The Baltic Union (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) conducted
nearly 1,000 baptisms. But the church was also challenged by emigration, a more
affluent "Western" lifestyle, and an aging membership. The union conducted
a program of intense training of its laypeople under the umbrella of Go One
Million. The successful church plant Korinta was recently established in Riga,
Latvia, where many lost young people are now being led to Jesus.
o Evangelism is the main topic on the agenda in the
Danish Union, where the church now has 2,667 members. Many Bible study groups
were established, and 155 people baptized.
The Finnish Union operates a viable church planting
program involving many young people. Eleven new churches have been planted or
are about to become planted, and 453 baptisms have led the church to a membership
total of 5,264.
o For a long time the Greek Mission (attached
field) had a declining membership. Eight years ago, however, a different evangelistic
emphasis was made. Since then there has been a 375 percent growth in members
and a 600 percent growth in tithe. In the past quinquennium the mission increased
from 254 to 454 members.
The Hungarian Union is reaching unentered people groups
through a dynamic church planting strategy. New media products have been translated
into Hungarian because the necessary technical equipment has been made available.
Baptisms and confessions of faith have resulted in a net growth of 164 members.
The Icelandic Conference (attached field) is the only
Nordic country that shows an increase of members, which is a trend shift. The
conference now has 563 members. There is a growing involvement of youth and
laypeople who actively share their faith with friends.
The Israel Field (attached field) had significant growth.
Members increased from 488 to 874 (79 percent). The churches and companies have
grown from 14 to 29. In the past five years 526 people were baptized.
Despite various challenges the Netherlands Union
is growing, with 382 baptisms bringing the total membership to 4,507. In the
month of October 2004 about 60 baptisms took place--a remarkable event for western
Europe. The church planting movement is gaining momentum.
The Norwegian Union is struggling with declining membership
in a post-Christian and secular society. While 90 percent of the population
formally belong to a Christian organization, only 5 percent are active church
members. Despite 242 baptisms, the membership has dropped to 4,697. But there
are positive signs: an annual increase in tithe, a church school system that
remains strong and viable, and young people who are increasingly becoming involved
in church planting. The church has also established a Norwegian television ministry,
which daily transmits one hour of religious programming.
The Pakistan Union covers the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,
inhabited by 166 million people, 90 percent of whom are Muslim believers. God
has blessed the work in the past five years, despite the political unrest caused
by the 9/11 event, which led to the evacuation of all expatriate workers. However,
national leadership was strengthened by this setback, and God has blessed their
efforts, with 2,616 baptisms leading the church in Pakistan to a membership
of 9,168 (a growth of 38 percent). The church operates four institutions: Pakistan
Adventist Seminary, Karachi Adventist Hospital, Qasid Publishing House, and
the Peshawar Dental Clinic.
The Polish Union also experienced growth, with 881
baptisms bringing the membership to 5,691. Benefiting from the Sow 1 Billion
program, the union was able to print 3 million leaflets, and 2 million of those
were quickly distributed. More than 630 volunteers are involved in the Go One
Million program.
The South-East European Union (Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro) has grown significantly through 1,552 baptisms
in the past five years, giving a total of 8,335 members at the end of 2004.
This is the fruit of a combination of public meetings and church planting. About
20 new churches were planted across the whole union territory in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Serbia and Montenegro.
The Swedish Union has emphasized church planting, church
renewal, and the involvement of young people in these spiritual movements. After
144 baptisms, the total membership is now down to 2,767. The international church
plant in Stockholm and the church renewal in Skellefteå are examples of
outreach to "new Swedes," who are becoming integrated into church
fellowship in significant numbers. Some young people initiated an annual spiritual
renewal conference during Ascension Weekend, and participant numbers went from
90 the first year to 240 in 2004. Club 39 in Linköping is an after-school
club in the basement of the church that reaches out successfully to teens in
the neighborhood.
Ministries and Departments*
A host of seminars, advisories, councils, and symposiums were held across the
division. Here are a few other highlights:
ADRA and Ingathering keep our division among
the three most prominent contributors to the world church. ADRA/Trans-Europe
operated 1,900 projects and processed $121,300,000 through 25 country offices.
Adventist World Radio (AWR) is supporting language
production for Pakistan in Urdu, Pashtun, and Punjabi. Arabic programs are continuing
to be aired daily into the Middle East. For South Sudan, AWR is assisting the
production of Moru, Bari, local English, and Juba Arabic.
The Children's Ministries Department reports that 11,613
children attended 860 Vacation Bible Schools in the past five years, and 586
children were baptized as a result of various kinds of outreach. The GraceLink
material is now translated and used in 12 unions.
The Communication Department has not only issued news
and information through its weekly newsletter ANR and the Trans-European Division
Web site, but has established the Music Ministry and the Adventist Music Association
(AMA), and has cooperated with the British Union in the LIFEdevelopment.info
program, producing a multimedia package for secular evangelism.
Through the Family Ministries Department the annual
leader-certification program (CFLE) is growing in strength as more countries
send their directors for training. More than 900 Global Mission projects
have been worked on, including some 70 church buildings.
Because health institutions find it difficult to operate in
Europe, the focus of the Health Department has been to train the health
directors and to provide seminars in local churches to foster greater health
awareness and support projects of health evangelism.
The Ministerial Association has engaged in the training
and support of pastors--for example, through the pastor's council in 2001, in
which 900 pastors participated. An Adventist-Muslim symposium was also arranged
in Cyprus in 2003, which attracted international participation from within our
church.
The Personal Ministries Department (including Sabbath
School) has organized seminars to train laypeople for evangelism. The quinquennium
saw 500 small groups established across the division.
Besides holding many training seminars, the Publishing Department
has developed a promising book project in which a book set will target health,
children, and the Adventist message. The Women's Ministries Department
made significant impact on soul winning. As a fruit of 277 evangelistic meetings,
345 new members were added to the church and 364 former members brought back.
Nearly 10,000 women participated in 320 retreats, 1,278 of whom were nonmembers.
The Youth Department reports an increased involvement of youth in church
planting and evangelism, with 108 youth sent as missionaries to various parts
of the world.
The Education Department also played its role in the division. Through
the evangelistic work of our educational institutions 533 students were baptized.
The total student enrollment increased from 13,905 to 17,649. From our senior
college, Newbold, 254 graduates emerged. Newbold College is connected to a set
of union institutions providing pastoral training in the Adriatic, Hungarian,
Polish, and South-East European unions. In 2002 the first 10 graduates received
their Griggs University B.A. degree in theology through an ongoing pastoral
extension program in Riga, Latvia.
Middle East College became the first institution in our division
to achieve university status (2001), and Newbold College was able to forge a
partnership with the University of Wales, Lampeter, in order to offer, for the
first time, European-based Ph.D. research degrees in theology (2004).
Conclusion
The Trans-European Division family express thanks to God for His unfailing grace
and constant blessing, in the face of war, intolerance, and persecution. We
thank the world church for its generous support and assistance in countless
ways. And we thank numerous members and friends for their prayers and for outstanding
fellowship and unity. We commit ourselves to continue serving our Lord Jesus
Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, serving Him faithfully until He
comes.
________
*Detailed reports of the division departments are displayed
on our Web site at www.tedadventist.org.
