BWANEWS INBRIEF

of the European Baptist Federation (EBF) participated in the mission conference, “Baptist-Muslim Encounters,” held June 7-10, 2011 in Elstal, Germany. They shared their experiences of encounters with Muslims, joined together in worship and prayer for each other and discussed their understandings of mission and dialogue. Studies about interreligious encounters in the Bible enriched the program. Within the EBF family are found

churches. The Palestinian state supports Arab Christians in a positive way. But Christian leaders in these regions suffer on account of numerous Israelite checkpoints they have go through when they want to engage as pastors in the different churches of the region. The situation in the Balkan area is very

By Michael Kißkalt Thirty-five Baptists from most regions

special. Baptists and Protestant Christians in general have to stand up for their religious freedom, in Bosnia, in view of the growing influence of Muslims, and in Serbia, in the face of Orthodox churches. The conversion of Muslims to the Christian faith presents a challenge to all

various experiences of encounters with Muslims. In many Muslim societies, Baptist Christians form minorities within the Christian minorities. They suffer from the emigration of many church members who immigrate to Western countries. The remaining churches do not hide but engage in their societies as positively as possible. In most Muslim countries, Christians can live out their faith with a measure of religious freedom. State authorities give support and protection to Christian churches when they are attacked by extremist Muslims who fight for a society governed by Shar’ia

participants of the conference. In some Muslim countries conversion is legally forbidden; in most societies, families and friends may ostracize converts. Tony Peck, general secretary of the EBF, presented an Agreement of Ethical Guidelines between Christians and Muslims in Great Britain including respecting the conversion of their members to other faiths. One climax of the conference was

the visit to the German Parliament. Frank Heinrich, member of the German Parliament Commission for Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, received the entire conference group for reports

Romania The Baptists of Romania By Daniel Trusiewicz The population of Romania is 21.5

million people, of which 90 percent are Romanians and the remaining 10 percent are ethnic minorities, including Hungarians and Gypsies. The dominant religion is Orthodox, comprising 90 percent, and Protestantism with five percent. Romanian Baptists used to be harshly

persecuted by past communist regimes. It is only since the beginning of the last decade of the 20th

century that Baptists

have experienced unprecedented freedom. According to recent estimates, evangelical believers in Romania comprise five percent of the population. At least seven million Romanians have no access to an evangelical church and some ethnic groups, such as Gypsies and Turks, are still not reached. The Baptist denomination is a mass

movement in Romania with several mega churches affiliated with the Baptist Union of Romania. The largest, with more than 3,000 members, is located in Oradea, with several other large congregations comprising more than 1,000 members. Besides excellent preaching, they also

feature wonderful choirs, music ensembles and large buildings. New projects have emerged, such as

“Ruth,” for educating Gypsy children, and “Esther,” an adoption program for children from Asia. The president of the Baptist union,

Otniel Bunaciu, describes Romanian Bap- tists as “Bible-believing people who have the goal of bringing the Gospel to a needy world.” The union strives to mobilize every member in mission work. An initiative called “Mission Torch

Europe” plants new churches by Romanians who emigrated to the United Kingdom, Iberia, Scandinavia, and other countries. Approximately 200 missionaries have been sent from Romania to do mission work abroad. The Baptist Union of Romania is

the third largest Baptist body in Europe, with 1,722 churches and about 100,000 members. The Convention of the Hungarian Baptist Churches in Romania comprises 247 churches and nearly 9,000 members. Hundreds of new church plants have

been started since independence in 1990. Daniel Maris, president of the Bucharest Baptist Association, explains that indigenous church planters receive regular guidance and encourage- ment from experienced pastors. He says, “We meet a few times a year with the church planters in their places of ministry

Worship services at a new church plant in Pantelimon, Romania

Photos courtesy of the European Baptist Federation

and discussions. Heinrich, a former pastor of the Salvation Army, listened with interest to the reports and requests of the group and engaged with the issues in his responses. He quickly understood that the human rights question is essential for many Baptists all over the world. The conference in Elstal was a

successful dress rehearsal for the EBF Council meeting in September 2012, when German Baptists welcome the EBF to Elstal.

Michael Kißkalt is lecturer in

missiology at the German Baptist Theological Seminary in Elstal.

to understand better the context of their work and provide them the support they may need. In addition, courses on mission and church planting are offered thanks to good cooperation with the Baptist Theo- logical Seminary.” Maris states that the prevailing model of

church planting is the “Traditional Church Extension Model” (also called “cloning”). A new church is planted by an existing church located nearby, the new plant being a satellite to the mother church. The mother church supervises the leaders of the satellite congregation, until the new church plant becomes autonomous (independent) from the mother church, though they still maintain a relationship. Daniel Trusiewicz is the Mission

Coordinator for the European Baptist Federation

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