ECGA2004 KingdomStatus Germany aw

European Church Growth Association (ECGA)  Manchester 2004European Case Study:Harvest Dynamics in Germany: 

European Church Growth Association (ECGA) Manchester 2004 European Case Study: Harvest Dynamics in Germany DAWN European Network andreas wolf ECGA2004_KingdomStatus_Germany_aw FEEDBACK is very much requested from every reader - spontaneously, openly, short, free to contribute, debate or criticize  PLEASE INFORM ME WHEN USING PARTS OF THE SLIDE SHOW PUBLICLY!!!

concession of limitations of the report: 

concession of limitations of the report personally limitating evangelical perspective no up-to-date research available, only personal interviews with around 10 (again: mainly evangelical) key persons in various areas of Christian life Thus the resulting presentation is to be understood as my subjective qualitative assessment of the present situation of the German church. Furthermore by the way of your invitation I feel encouraged to lay the emphasis on what is on my heart personally for the church in Germany

the church in Germany – in a nutshell: 

the church in Germany – in a nutshell quali-tative quanti-tative De- velop-ments P4 Existing Churches P1 Church Planting P2 Situation of Society P0 socio-logical New Models P3 Presentation Outline focus of presentation Harvest Dynamics P1 P0 Harvest Force Harvest Field a needy nation: crises and struggles for reforms, multicultural, post-Christian, post-modern a weak church: around 2% believers – established marginality struggling for attractivity and growth a low planting rate: declining - stagnating - transferring; growing diaspora churches new cultural expressions, new structures on small-scale and on large-scale increased prayer movement, recognition of prophets, prophecies of hope, call for the apostolic research needed

P0 HARVEST FIELD: situation of society: 

P0 HARVEST FIELD: situation of society crises, fears and struggles for reforms - a time of questions multicultural core player of EU - missions is at home post-Christian society - marginalization of church post-modern society - open doors for God

Germany: crises, fears and struggles for reforms: 

economic recession and unemployment unemployment is THE buzzword in the country uniform political helplessness and disillusionment deconstruction of social welfare systems, need for social reforms decline of population living standard too high „frustration East“after 14 years of unity West goes bancrupt because of the East and the East is not helped existing mental wall former GDR, the most atheistic region of Europe increasing immigration and multi-culturality 9% foreigners in Germany, Berlin hosts 192 nations increasing anti-Semitism, decreasing tolerance, xenophobic attacks EU legislation and EU East-expansion bridge between west and east Germany goes to war again and relations to Israel are cooling down Germany: crises, fears and struggles for reforms

Germany: post-Christian and post-modern: 

post-Christianity makes Germany one of the world‘s most desperate mission-fields old church structures are dying or under crisis “Church” - irrelevant to societal problems and questions of daily life. decreasing knowledge about Christianity anti-fundamentalism is on the forefront chances: less pseudo-Christian immunisation of the population missionaries to and intercessors for Germany from the 2/3 world increasing awareness among evangelicals for the necessity of societal relevance a recognized need for a „structural reformation“ open doors of post-modernity importance of values as stabilizing factor shares Christian values like personal development, authentic relationship, community experience, relational faithfulness interest in spirituality („God yes, Church no“) and supernatural experience Germany: post-Christian and post-modern

P1 HARVEST FORCE: existing churches: 

P1 HARVEST FORCE: existing churches religions and religiosity evangelicals and denominations church growth and church development society impact and ecomenics challenges to churches

background: bipolar nominal Christianity: 

background: bipolar nominal Christianity Catholic: around 32% Catholic surveys: 20% committment to church service attendance: 14%-18% Protestant: around 32% Protestant surveys. 10% committment to church service attendance: 2%-5% evangelical believers: around 2% religiosity of society: 70% believe in a God or a higher power 45% believe in a personal God 50% value high the classical Christian doctrines 43% describe themselves as religious 38% believe in direct Creation special East German condition from 19% to 15% of German population „in highest measure non-religious“ 75% without any confession 62% do not believe in „God“ at all church as „threatening“ and „alienated“ WCDB2000

Evangelicals - established marginality: 

Alliance of Evangelical Free Churches (VEF): ca. 400.000 attendants Baptists/ Brethren: Bund Evangelisch-Freikirchlicher Gemeinden Methodists: Evangelisch-methodistische Kirche Free Evangelicals: Bund Freier evangelischer Gemeinden Pentecostals: Bund Freikirchlicher Pfingstgemeinden Mennonites: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mennonitischer Gemeinden Adventists: Gemeinschaft der Siebenten-Tags-Adventisten Others like Moravians, Salvation Armee etc. Younger Church Planting Movements: ca. 150.000 attendants FEGW (Foursquare) Vineyard „New Churches“ (Faith Movement and Associated) Immigrant Churches: ca. 750.000 Mennonites and Baptists mainly Russian-Germans (ca. 300.000) African, Gipsy, Russian-Jewish, other (ca. 450.000 attendants) evangelicals (att.) - largely excluding Catholics 550.000 alliance = 0,5% 750.000 diaspora (attendants) =1% 500.000 protestant = 0,5% 30.000 charism. catholics =0,05% Evangelicals - established marginality 2,2% more restrictive more inclusive 1,4% to 2,0% up to 2,8%

what happens on the „church growth scene“?: 

church decline of most free-churches average size of evangelical congregations: 40-90+ few mega churches, some of them multiply relativity of church census figures employed tools do not change the situation strong alpha-movement: great tool used by various denominations willow-type seeker-oriented service events ncd: quality emphasis what happens on the „church growth scene“? ++ biological growth ++ transfer growth (migrants, immigrants, ex-members) + converts (mostly alpha) + daughter church -- transfer (movers, leavers) -- backsliders (own youth, converts) -- backdoorers (officially still counted) - frontdoorers net result after 10 years: +/- 0

trend: reconciliation and ecomenics: 

strong ecomenical movement among the various churches strong Alliances (ACK, VEF) Kasseler Declaration Ecomenical Church Congress motivations unity influence ways of implementation ecomenical events missionary alliances trend: reconciliation and ecomenics

challenges to the churches - summary: 

ageing congregations distance to society „confirmation gap“ „alpha gap“ postmodern expectations „front-doorers“ rampant conflicts „normality of burn-outs“ anxiety of change the country is at stake – either we allow God to re-invent church in Germany powerfully or we will loose the harvest greatest danger: acknowledge this situation and go on doing „church as usual“ for lack of reflection or courage challenges to the churches - summary

P2 HARVEST DYNAMICS: church planting: 

P2 HARVEST DYNAMICS: church planting current dynamics: LOW current result: we are surviving…

current dynamics of church planting: 

Catholic movement of re-evangelisation planting „communities“ ICPE (The International Catholic Program of Evangelism) Protestant state churches continue to decline „second Sunday service initiatives“ and alpha „church planting in state church“ is not dead! slow rate of church planting among evangelicals average rate of planting denominations: ca. 10 churches per year church planting strategies resurgence of interest in church planting top priority of some evangelical free-churches coaching processes for denominational church planting strategies church planting training coaching and training on the job as additional qualification incubators, assessment centers, regional hubs church planting research: incomplete or obsolete exceptional growth of “diaspora churches” high receptiveness among immigrants African diaspora churches plant around 50 per year current dynamics of church planting

current result of church planting: we are surviving…: 

declining, stagnating or… the small wins cannot outgain the losses …transferring believers high mobility of believers between churches and denominations mergers and „denominational fishing/ adoption“ percentage of transferred Christians in church plants: 75% result: fruitless denominational parallelism widespread spiritual frustration need for a “new reformation” change is needed but avoided denial of current fruitlessness „we are winning the fight, we will are inevitably loosing the battle“ current result of church planting: we are surviving…

P3 HARVEST DYNAMICS: new models of church: 

P3 HARVEST DYNAMICS: new models of church P3 new forms new cultural expressions of church: post-modern or multi-cultural new small scale form: networked house churches new large scale form: city church second large scale form: region reaching

new cultural expressions of church: 

multi-cultural churches try to make use of the dynamic among the more receptive immigrant population groups to attract Germans nearly as a „by-product” integration of various cultures and languages into one church chance: integration instead of clash of cultures delivering a model for cross-cultural unity in Christ reaching out to Germans without loosing sight to the ripe harvest fields post-modern churches facing the „14/25 window“ from „youth churches“ to inter-generational „emerging culture churches“ small experimential avant-garde community of practicioners international network events and connections chance: churches NEED to find ways to relate to the post-modern generations! stressing the inter-generational aspects new cultural expressions of church

new small scale form: networked „house churches“: 

„house church“: buzz-word of the year introduced by Simson in 2000: regionally networked un-denominational house churches as church model of the future two forms house-church „according to the book“ „house church values“ within existing structures 400 house churches estimated in Germany national and European support structure emerging chance: basic ingredient for an organic and uncontrollable grassroots faith MOVEMENT danger: frustrated Christians using „house church“ as a „club of the wounded“ in separatistic isolation new small scale form: networked „house churches“

new large scale forms: „city or region reaching“ : 

„city reaching“: impacting a city together „Together for Berlin“ started 2002 as a catalysator for joint service initial phase of developing strategy and partnerships working groups for different societal areas, internet portal, news „Prayer for Berlin“ initiative, „Prayer Bridge“ „region reaching“: impacting a whole region together regional think-tanks for joint strategies and missions emergence of relationally recognized regional eldership listen prophetically and act apostolically locally birthed prayer initiatives growing together pilot project: „Rhein Valley Covenant“ regional transformation process initiated in 2002 as an open missionary alliance at the German-Swiss border covenanting with God, with each other, with the mandated territorium for intercession and healing of the local past forming networks of the five fold ministry including training structures initiating an apostolical house church movement meeting and ministering together as the church of the region on the basis of regional eldership chance: „structural reformation“ overcoming denominationalism new large scale forms: „city or region reaching“

P4 HARVEST DYNAMICS: prophetic developments: 

P4 HARVEST DYNAMICS: prophetic developments increased prayer movement desire for „national transformation“ recognition of prophets prophetic messages of hope

increased prayer movement: 

there has never been a time of broader prayer with a political-societal focus in Germany „Wächterruf“ movement: 24/7 interdenominational city wide prayer 24/7: strong German participation Prayer altars and mountains Herrnhut house of prayer recently been opened prayer booklets and initiatives: 40 Days of Fasting and Prayer for our Land „120 Days of Prayer for your City“ results: growing ecomenical unity increasing awareness of societal needs hope for a new move of God needed: yet: the widespread hope for revival has no effect on evangelistic activity or church planting the momentum of prayer needs to be directed towards a church planting movement (prophetic PLUS apostolic going together)! increased prayer movement

spiritual developments and trends: 

desire for „national transformation“ intercessory „healing the past“ type activities growing participation at proclamatory mass events reconciliation of generations: turning the hearts to each other growing emphasis on „fatherhood“ instead of leadership hunger for the „supernatural normality“ rediscovering supernatural healing calls for exorcism as basic missionary activity widespread recognition of prophets among evangelicals prophecies of hope God is the origin of the present crises in society and in church HE will manifest His glory again - undeservedly Germany will serve the nations and Israel spiritual developments and trends

P4 HARVEST DYNAMICS: outlook to future developments: 

calls to action where do we go from here? personal perspective prayer focus P4 HARVEST DYNAMICS: outlook to future developments

calls to action: 

within the prophetic dimension call for unity and reconciliation call for the generations going together: mentoring and releasing/ empowering fatherhood instead of leadership call for the supernatural in prophecy, healing and exorcism call for national transformation call for repentance for doing church as usual within the apostolic dimension call for societal relevance and ability for everyday witness call for regional strategies and model projects of transformation call for a structural reformation towards a lay MOVEMENT call for a resurgence of the apostolic ministry (not „Peter Wagner appointed“, but locally recognized) calls to action

where do we go from here?: 

here we are: the situation is dramatic: marginalization coupled with frustration yet, God is announcing hope for a new era prophetic prayer and apostolic church planting need to go together! reformation yes! - but on which way? Evolution building on the existing structures and expect God to use them in new approaches, quality and impact renewal movements church planting momentum ecomenical and prayer movements Revolution abandoning the existing denominationl system to start from scratch re-invent church as an infectious movement regional transformation processes apostolic ministry within God mandated territorities „all will be saved - except the ship“ (Acts 27) where do we go from here?

personal perspective: 

personal perspective spiritual stirring - „something new is coming“ covenental movements for regional transformation inter-generational fatherhood, especially the release of my own fatherless generation X to serve the Yers time for building nests as regional hubs in revival for training in persecution for refuge please pray for Germany‘s relationship to its Eastern neighbours after May 1st another godly and value-based federal president after May 23rd for 100 reformators for region based structural reformation for the transformation initiative „Rhein Valley Covenant“ for the city of Berlin and its „Together for Berlin“ initiative pray for Germany - it is a country in great need and a spiritual cross-way

may His glory come to a sinful nation: 

may His glory come to a sinful nation may HIS light be seen again when the German sins are covered by Christ‘s blood