Church Planting in the Czech: Part 3
Our trip around the world to Czechia to explore possibilities for a church-planting partnership was a lot like going around the world to arrive in Norman, Oklahoma. The church in Šumperk, Kostel Jinak, seemed very familiar to me. Their grace, warmth, and love for Jesus, all reminded me so much of the people of Providence Road. As Jay said in his blog post a few weeks ago, reflecting on what a local church member had mentioned, the Czech people are like coconuts: they have a hard outer shell but once you crack that hard outer shell, they are soft and gentle on the inside. Cracking that shell did not take much. Intentional questions and a bit of initiative was easy work to begin wonderful conversations, revealing how beautiful and warm the Czech church is and how great their affection for Jesus. The results of these conversations are probably why the Czech people seem so familiar. They love Jesus, are raising families, and desire to see the Gospel go forth. However, despite how familiar they seem, the spiritual reality of Czechia and the context that the church lives in is vastly different than ours.
Czechia is in a dark spiritual age, of sorts. Walking around the various cities of the eastern part of Czechia, especially Olomouc, recalls the history of the area. This area is historically called Moravia. Olomouc is the traditional capital of Moravia and is the target city for the church-planting team we intend to partner with. Olomouc is rich with culture and once supported a church the Lord used to spread the Gospel all around the world. Hundreds of years ago, the faithful Moravian Brethren sent out missionaries all over the world in the first true protestant missionary movement. Through their work, the Lord planted the Gospel in a variety of contexts, even with Moravians selling themselves into slavery to reach slaves in the Caribbean. What a beautiful and Gospel-oriented history!
The Czech people also have a beautiful future ahead of them. They have a future where the Gospel moves again in force and the people again find redemption, hope, and love in Jesus Christ. The Czech people will be part of the multitude in front of the throne and before the Lamb (Revelation 7:9). However, in the current age, Czechia is a dark spiritual place, with less than 1% of the population of Czechia considered evangelical Christian and almost 70% of the population considered non-religious. These numbers are stark, making Czechia one of the most non-religious countries on Earth. To compound this, it seems that Czechia is hidden from most modern discussions of missions or Gospel need, at least in my experience.
My life as a believer in Jesus has been marked by looking for and finding those that generally are not talked about: hidden away, ignored, or forgotten. Advocacy for the marginalized has carried through as a theme in my legal career. Stealing a term from a recent, wonderful movie, I have always been concerned for those “hidden figures.” There is an element of the Czech people that makes them “hidden figures” when it comes to church planting efforts. They exist out of the 10/40 window, they are culturally European, they look very similar to us, and they are not openly hostile to the Gospel. They were hidden from me until Jay asked that I begin praying through a trip to Czechia back in September 2021. The Lord opened my eyes to the opportunities for the Gospel to go forth in Czechia and the Lord further used our short vision trip to truly bring vision to this hidden people.
The Lord has revealed the increasingly necessary church-planting efforts in Czechia to see the Gospel go forth. The tools are simple. Church leaders at Kostel Jinak told me that 90% of their body comes from people that gave their lives to Jesus and joined the church, not from people moving or transferring churches. Let me say that another way: 90% of their church are first-generation Christians. Most of those people came to know Jesus through English camps or just personal relationships and sharing the Gospel.
Who better than the church of Providence Road to partner with such a familiar family that has a rich history of faithfulness to the Gospel? We know English and can assist with camps; we also can assist with building relationships to pave the way for Gospel conversations. Providence Road seems well-positioned to partner with such a like-minded and familiar church, even though they are thousands of miles away. I ask that you join me in praying for the Lord to bring clarity and assurances of partnership with the Czech church to spread the Gospel in Olomouc and the rest of Czechia.
