December 19, 2019 - This post is longer than usual - we think it is worth the read.
During the Year-End process, I want to give a brief history and overview of the history of what God has done. When Diane & I were sent here there was nothing established for the Free Methodist Church. Mike Long along with Renewal Christian Centre Church (in the UK) had held a power conference and some follow up visits to Bulgaria.
Upon our arrival, it became clear that the connections Renewal had would be the ones that we followed upon. That lead to many years of training and serving the existing Church in Bulgaria. We also did this through youth conferences and events as well as speaking most weekends in established churches of all denominations.
Part of our strategy was to be a catalyst for what God wanted to happen. We were and are more interested in Kingdom work than we are in building just our brand of the kingdom. We wanted to build “Healthy Biblical Communities” (churches) because out of them, disciples are made and communities transformed.
Along the way, God added folks to the team, the Galloways, the Wells (for a time), the Sweets and soon Joy Crumpton.
Early on we were only functioning under the Anagenesis Foundation which Mike Long started and transferred over to us.
As the team grew and needs observed we began to figure out ways to address what we saw. In conjunction with Renewal Christian Centre, a church planting project was begun. We were not trying to plant FM churches but rather train leaders from other churches to go back and plant churches.
We also observed that human trafficking issues needed to be addressed and so we began exploring what could be done. It began with education in our youth events and grew from there.
We also knew that the economic realities in the region were (and are) not good. Every church we went to asked us for funds. I would say my initials are ADM, not ATM! Over time God began to challenge us to do something about this too!
In 2015 the Light & Life Church was established because some of our church plants were not being covered legally in the country.
In 2015, we also launched New Start LLC – a company to handle the Livelihood and Micro Loan projects that we were beginning.
We also purchase land for an agricultural project with a gift from Renewal. The idea of giving folks work and a share in the produce was our plan. In addition, it would help with the humanitarian work we are involved with. Our first crop was brought in this past fall (2019). The produce was used for what we intended it to be used for.
With all that was happening, we began to realize that a holistic approach to people’s lives had to be looked at and addressed where and when we could. Starting a church without ministering to the real needs of the people was not Biblical. The early church cared for each other and responded to the needs they saw. They created “Healthy Biblical Communities.”
With this in mind, we set out a goal to have one economic program in each of our churches. Not run by the church but with input from the church. We do not want to make the church pastor a “Kingpin” of all that goes on but rather the spiritual leader and counselor. We begin a group by asking the pastor to bring together people who might want to do what we are going to do and we take it from there. People drop out and new folks are brought in usually by someone in the current group.
From the very beginning, we hosted teams. Inviting them to come and assist in what God was doing. We now average 2+ groups a month coming to help year-round (some summer months are more and some winter months less). These groups come from all over the world but mainly Europe and North America. A good many are beyond the FM movement. It is out of these groups coming to serve that we are building a great deal of support.
The International Fellowship of St John was also established in 2015 for projects like the girl’s home and our ongoing church plant projects. We were advised that having a non-church foundation for getting grants was the way to go. Our church plant cohorts are run out of this foundation and not the church as these are not church-sponsored projects. Not all of the church plants start out as FM churches and most of the funds we receive for this come from groups beyond the FM movement. As time goes on we invite them to become part of our movement if they want (of which most do).
Additionally, in partnership with Disciple the Nations, we have a Bible School that has had three weekly meeting points over the years. We are currently working on creative ways to get this to more folks with the use of video and tech tools.
We now have church plant projects in North Macedonia and Serbia who are affiliating with us as we are still in the process of establishing their legal covering in these countries even though their eschatological oversite is with us. Given time this too will come into line as we sort the legal differences (currently these 2 counties are not part of the EU but both are applying to be and when that happens things will be able to move much faster).
The thrust of the FM Missions Movement currently is to get the nationals doing the work as quickly as we can. And we wholeheartedly agree. In fact, that has been a keen part of our third term – Out exit strategy (not that we want to leave but how do we turn over what we are doing to those who are local that will keep it going)!
Currently, we have a national leader for the Provisional Annual Conference, the Bible School is run by a national, all of our legal entities have Bulgarian as well as the missionaries on the board and when we meet they (the nationals) have input and often asked to choose where we go next when there is more needs than funds to meet them. We are bringing them along in the process of how to lead within their culture and we are so excited about what we see developing as we know that our time as missionaries here is limited and at some point, we will be gone.
Within the Light & Life Churches, we met the requirements to become a Provisional Annual Conference in 2018 and in 2019 we officially were designated as one. We are on schedule to become an annual conference in February of 2020.
There is an amazing team of missionaries and nationals that work together to see the Kingdom of God advancing. Hard choices are made but they are made in open transparent discussion with all parties involved. This is how it has been done and I hope will continue to happen.
I hope this helps everyone to understand what has brought us to where we are and the track we are on to move forward.
This week pray for all that you just read about - Praise God for the changed lives and pray for wisdom and Team Balkans moves forward!
Bonus - Yearend giving links.
If you are looking at your yearend giving we have a number of areas of need. Below are links for online giving.
Our (Mellinger) Support
Marketplace Manna’s Development fund for Livelihood Group expansion
Bulgarian Country Support for the new Church Leadership
