This is What a Movement Looks Like

Some people see Muslim migration to Europe as a problem. For others it’s an opportunity to make disciples and plant churches. When persecution scattered the believers in Acts 8:1-4 they took the gospel with them to Antioch and multiplied disciples and churches.

As refugees and immigrants move into Europe, opportunities to reach Muslims are opening up.

Here’s a report from a worker somewhere in Greece:

We drove 554 km to another city to gather new and newer Muslim background believers and help them form into a church.  We took them to scripture and defined who makes up the church, what does the church do activity-wise, where and when does the church meet, and what is the purpose of the church.  We taught them how to choose elders in a local body of Christ via character and integrity, and then the church lays hands on them after fasting and prayer.  

It was a great three days of training delving into the Word of God.  The final day we modeled what a church does as we taught them about the Lord’s Supper, and they took the Lord’s Supper together for the first time as a church. We will be traveling back and forth to strengthen that church.  

Soon many of them will be moving to new places, so we looked in the Bible at how churches planted churches in the New Testament. We challenged them that when they leave for another place in Europe, they are a dandelion church that will birth new churches by gospeling among Arabs, discipling them and gathering new churches; we expect them to make disciples who plant churches who plant churches.

We did this type of church formation training twice in the past months with the scattered believers; as Titus was sent to set in order the work that Paul had started, we have the opportunity to help gather these new believers into church and help train their leaders regularly.  We have started a long-term discipleship and leadership training that go hand-in-hand.  Disciples study 30 stories from creation to Christ, and the leaders study the same 30 stories but are taught how to use an inductive Bible study method so they can train their new believers in their churches.

Don’t get lost in the missional fog. This is the core missionary task—gospel, disciples and new churches from where you are, to the ends of the earth, until Jesus returns.

Find someone who has fresh stories like these. Get them to train you. Go make disciples.