European Baptists support indigenous missions

European Baptists support indigenous missions

 

PRAGUE, Czech Republic — Three years after its founding, the European Baptist Federation’s (EBF) Indigenous Missionary Project (IMP) has noticeably expanded its efforts. At the EBF Council in Prague, Czech Republic, Sept. 22–25, the IMP coordinator, Daniel Trusiewicz, said, “It’s easier for native Christians to win their fellow countrymen for the gospel of Jesus Christ than for foreign missionaries.”

The program was launched in 2003 by four missionaries in Moldova. Forty missionaries working in an area stretching from Russia’s Arctic Circle to the Black Sea are now involved.

The long-term objective is to support 200 indigenous missionaries. These efforts occur in close cooperation with national Baptist unions and local congregations. Within five years, the church planter’s work should be developed enough to drop outside funding.

After the initial two-and-a-half years, funding is reduced by 25 percent every six months.