It is apparent that Western Europe is still a mission field in 2015. Nations that would have once boasted full churches and many believers have drifted far from the truth of the gospel.
Aware of this need, the church planting committee of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales (EPCEW) was in much discussion, during late 2011 and into 2012, concerning the needs and opportunities in Europe.
In God’s providence, there were several German Christians known by one of EPCEW’s ministers and after several on-the-ground meetings in Germany, it became clear that a potential church planting nucleus was developing in Berlin. So, in September 2012, the EPCEW began a monthly church planting Bible study in south-west Berlin. The small group of German believers showed great initiative as they published the Westminster Standards (which had already been translated) for the confessional basis of the church, along with a German hymn book.
They established a ‘Presbyterianische Kirche’ Berlin website (www.epkd.de) and a Facebook page. After several years of having EPCEW ministers fly over to Berlin to lead studies and strengthen the core group of believers, a young German minister named Johannes Müller was called last year to plant a German-speaking church in Berlin.
Berlin Presbyterian Church was officially made a mission church of the EPCEW on 17 May, and Mr Müller hopes to complete his ordination exams later this summer, after which he will be installed as minister.
This fledgling work would value your prayers for stability, spiritual and numerical growth, and wisdom and discernment for its leadership.
If you or someone you know is living in or visiting Berlin, be sure to visit. You can find the details on the website or contact the leadership. May this church be one of many planted in Germany in the years to come!
The author is from Wichita, Kansas, and has been serving as an intern with Sheffield Presbyterian Church, UK
