On 19th and 20th May 2022, 72 Christian leaders from 22 European countries were called together for 24 hours in Krakov, Poland by a platform called Christian Ukraine Collaboration that had emerged during the early weeks of the war as leaders of Evangelical mission agencies sought collaborative responses to the situation.
Read More
Since the Russian invasion armies crossed the Ukrainian border, over three and a half million Ukrainian refugees have crossed several European borders, seeking refuge from the destruction of their country. Across Europe people manifest their solidarity with the plight of the people from that beleaguered country whose name, significantly, means ‘Border land’.
Read More
This article explores the Gospels and Acts to make an argument that the mission of Jesus to make disciples of all nations in the world, is a call for his followers to cross all kinds of borders to bear witness to his name. Focusing on geographical borders, I argue that diaspora people – those who had crossed physical borders – played a significant role in the spread of Christianity right from its inception.
Read More
I grew up in Estonia, behind the Iron Curtain, the heavily militarised border between Western capitalist countries and the Communist Bloc led by the Soviet Union. For me a border to the world outside was set in stone or in iron. Crossing was impossible.
Read More
The start of the book of Genesis, and the story of the church from Acts onwards, are about humanity as a whole. In between, through the Old Testament and the Gospels, the focus is tightly on the nation of Israel. It is interesting that at the two transition points of Genesis 11 and Acts 2, we have stories about language: the tower of Babel and the day of Pentecost.
Read More
I am a jobbing sociologist, and the word Shibboleth has found a home in my discipline. It is used to describe the cultural markers which groups use to define who they are – separating “Us” from “Them”. It’s part and parcel of Othering; fostering group solidarity by exclusionary practices. There are many effective shibboleths. The word most often describes language codes but there are broader applications and a plethora of cultural practices which politicise difference.
Read More
Through Lausanne 2021, we were all drawn into a broad, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-national ‘communion of saints’ blanketing Europe and far beyond. The four days of online conversations, video reports, exchanges through chat boxes, interactive seminars and bible expositions have created a landmark event which will impact the evangelical landscape of Europe for decades to come”
Read More
In this article, we share our assessment on the ability of Lausanne Europe 20/21 to include the voice and perspectives of younger leaders. Afterwards we will share our perspective on the role of younger leaders in the mission of the Church.
Read More
We do not want to hear women’s perspectives because politicians and bureaucrats think it is a good idea. We think it’s a good idea because God made men and women equal and equally gifted.
Read More
Just under 1/3 of all participants at the Lausanne 20/21 gathering were from Central and Eastern Europe. As the percentage of born-again Christians across Eastern Europe is much smaller than in Western or Northern European countries, this shows that organising committee put effort to mobilize participants from Eastern Europe.
Read More
The organisers of the Lausanne Europe Conference 20/21 had an intentional focus on including diaspora voices from the early days of its organisation. Several key diaspora mission leaders were engaged in the process. In the end, the 20 per cent target proved to be too high, That we got 9 per cent diaspora engagement is definitely a great achievement.
Read More
What are the missiological implications emerging from the presence of hundreds of thousands of Christians from other parts of the world in many European cities?
Read More
We are delighted that Harvey Kwiyani is joining the Vista editorial team. Originally from Malawi, Harvey is CEO of Global Connections in the UK. His latest book is Multicultural Kingdom, Ethnic Diversity Mission and the Church. Read an interview with Harvey here…
Read More
In his final article as co-editor for Vista, Darrell Jackson looks back at his research in mapping migration across the Church in Europe over the last 18 years.
Read More
The language used to describe mission has changed over the last 200 years, but does it accurately reflect the situation in Europe?
Read More
There are fifteen issues and trends which are highlighted in Europe 2021: A Missiological Report but here are a couple to whet your appetite.
Read More
Europe 2021 - A Missiological Report by Jim Memory identifies the crucial issues and trends shaping the context for Christian mission in Europe today. alongside how Covid-19 has impacted these trends.
Download the report today
Read More
Reaching Europe with the Gospel requires us to face up to an uncomfortable truth: Europe is still being secularised. Understanding the processes of secularisation is a vital part of discerning how Europe might be re-evangelised. This issue of Vista explores how large scale surveys such as the European Values survey help us do just that,
Read More
Religious belief and practice are complex phenomenon. Alongside this, the process of secularisation in Europe has been a subject of study and debate among sociologists for many years. our review of the latest European Values survey data suggests that secularisation in Europe is continuing but that each country may well have its own trajectory.
Read More