What
Happened?
In 1945,
82% of East Germans attended or were affiliated with the church.
Today, only 2 or 3% of East Germans go to church and less than
1% are Christians. What could cause such a drop in church attendance
over just 45 years? Answer: the wall.
Communism
stifled Christianity. Although East Germans never shed blood for
their faith, they were persecuted in very real ways. Christians
were not allowed to go to university for fear they would use their
education to influence society for Christ. To be a Christian meant
you could lose your job, forfeit the benefits of your society
and experience public ridicule. It also meant the secret police
was probably spying on you.
After the
fall of Communism, an East German youth evangelist recounts opening
his STASI (secret police) files and discovering records of all
his correspondence and purchases. The most frightening discovery
was that his best friend and neighbor with whom he even celebrated
Christmas had been his informant for many years!
And
Now?
Today, Germany
is reunited and living in freedom but there are still obstacles
we will face in ministry due to the effects of Communism in the
East. The following are some of the direct results of the spiritual
vacuum left behind by Communism.
A hardened atheism
Germans who
have grown up under Communism have little or no framework to understand
Christianity. To them, trusting in anything "spiritual"
is absurd. When we first visited the team, a religion teacher
in a public East Berlin school asked for prayer because she was
experiencing opposition from a number of parents. Most East Berliners
find religious instruction ridiculous and a waste of time for
their children.
A
hunger for material possessions
As soon as
the wall came down, East Germans started playing catch-up with
the West. For years they lived without many of the commodities
we enjoy. Can you imagine waiting 10 years to buy a car? Today,
the quest for material possessions has become one of the main
distractions competing against spiritual "things."
A
rise in the occult
Rooted in
its Nazi past, the occult is once again popular in East Germany.
It provides an alternative spirituality for many undiscerning
youth. Satan's presence is visible, powerful and well established
in Berlin.
A
prevalent suspicion and disillusionment
East Germans
are generally quite suspicious toward new ideas and systems, especially
if they sound too good to be true. So would you if you had been
lied to about the glory of Communism. As a result, even though
the wall fell in 1989, it still exists culturally. East Berliners
do not like the feeling of being invaded and swallowed up by the
ideals of Western capitalism. They desire a new identity of their
own.
What
Have we been doing?
The Mission
to the World (MTW) team in East Berlin invited us in 1999 to be
a part of their church-planting ministry. After an initial Impact
term (from January 2001 until June 2002), we continued to feel
called to Berlin. During our first term, David attended language
school and reached a very conversational level in German. We participated
in cell church meetings led by other missionaries and in various
other supportive roles in our team's ministries.
What
are we currently doing?
Our team
is at an exciting new crossroads in ministry and we desire to
be a part of what God is doing through church-planting in a new
area of town called Pankow. We returned to the field in February
of 2003 and David immediately stepped in as co-leader (the other
being a German man) of one of the cell groups in Pankow. There
are now two cell groups in Pankow totalling over 20 people. We
are working together with Vision Team to develop a vision for
reaching Pankowers, multiplying our cell groups, and forming a
new daughter church of the Lukas
Gemeinde in Pankow.
Additionally,
David is involved in the theological education of church leaders
through a new Reformed Seminary called the Martin
Bucer Seminar. The seminary itself is not new, but the campus
in Berlin will be the only reformed seminary in the entire former
East Germany. David's role will be twofold as Assistant "Studienleiter":
first, to bear the majority of the adminstrative work. Second,
to mentor some of the younger students and teach the beginning
Greek course.
Eowyn continues
to have one of the most strategic outreaches on the Pankow team
to young women. In 2002, together with another young German lady,
Eowyn began a ministry called "Mama Talk." What started
out as a simple discussion forum for young moms on the topic of
childrearing developed into a seven week course which will be
offered yearly. It has been one of the primary ways we have been
able to befriend many Pankowers.
What
We Believe God Can Do
We firmly
believe that God is able to transform Berlin and break hardened
atheists through the Gospel. Only He can satisfy the hunger of
every longing heart. He has already laid his claim on Berlin:
"All authority and power has been given to Me in heaven and
on earth" (Matt. 28:18). The victory of the cross has thwarted
Satan's plans. God can tear down walls of suspicion and give a
new identity to his children. He is able to plant a vibrant East
German church that can effectively reach out to its own culture.
With this assurance, we believe that now is a key time to reach
Berlin for Christ. A Reformation can spread through the land of
Germany once again.
What
can you do to help?
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