O h r i d / S k o p j e – Despite state-guaranteed religious liberty, Macedonia’s small Baptist minority suffers daily from discrimination. Nevertheless, they also possess significant opportunities for mission. Skopje Baptist pastor Marko Grozdanov reported this at sessions of the EBF-Executive convening in Ohrid, in the southwest of the country, from 13 to 15 March. The 30-year-old pastor in Macedonia’s capital stated that in Skopje the Orthodox church had been given a centrally-located piece of land on which a large church was constructed. Yet Skopje Baptists have been waiting for four years for permission to enlarge its church centre. This centre was acquired 20 years ago, and is now too small for the church’s needs. Grozdanov hopes to obtain all the required documents within the coming weeks. Discrimination also comes from fellow local citizens. When the congregation used placards to advertise a meeting in its centre some days ago, the pastor’s wife, Tina, was brutally threatened by an enraged, female passer-by. The Grozdanov family resides in the church centre.

Skopje Baptist congregation was formed after World War II as a house church. It is now worshiping publicly in a downtown residence rebuilt into a church centre. The Sunday services begin at 18.00 hrs in the winter and 19.00 hrs in the summer. Services are attended by as many as 80 people but the worship hall only seats 65. There are on average 10 baptisms per year. Access for everyone has only been secured by installing video transmission in an upstairs room. Grozdanov attributes the unusual meeting times to “Macedonian culture”: “If we want to reach others, then we need to adjust ourselves to local customs. Only converted Christians – and no friends – would attend a service on Sunday morning.”

Besides Skopje, a second Baptist congregation is located at Radovis in the southeast of the country. There are also foreign missionaries active who do not associate themselves with either of these congregations. Yet Grozdanov estimates there are no more than 300 Baptists among the country’s two million inhabitants. He is placing his hopes in a new religious law scheduled to be implemented shortly. The law should force all Baptist congregations to cooperate more closely. Without cooperation between Baptist congregations, state recognition will not be forthcoming.

Grozdanov reports that his congregation makes great efforts to win others to Jesus Christ. A course on the foundations of the Christian faith awakened great interest. Most people in this former part of Yugoslavia grew up as atheists, “they know nothing whatsoever about faith”. The course, which is adapted from the Alpha-course programme, has been sought out by more than 300 people. Christians hoping to deepen their own faith are among them. The congregation also moderates a forum on faith on the Internet - avidly used by young people and students. One forum-user has already accepted Christ. The congregation also runs a bookshop near the University of Skopje. The two employees sell Christian books and office materials and are also ready to answer questions on the Christian faith. The congregation is active in printing literature: roughly 10 titles on theological questions appear annually. There is no other Evangelical publishing house located in Macedonia.

In the region of Aerodom in the north of Skopje, the congregation recently started a project to plant a new church. They have been able to obtain a public library as contact point. Ten seekers meet there weekly in order to study the Bible together. More than 10.000 invitations have been passed out to the district’s 100.000 residents.

Skopje Baptist Church’s youth group is involved in protecting the environment. Fifty trees were planted beside an oil refinery as part of a one-day ecological effort.

Pastor Grosdanov is convinced that evangelical congregations will need to greatly increase efforts in order to reach the country’s people for Christ. Optimistic surveys estimate that there are 10.000 evangelicals in the country, yet more realistic sources report roughly 3.000. “We find ourselves truly in a pioneer setting.”