Chin pastors in Norway, growing Iranian churches in Germany and ministering to a refugee camp in Austria were among the experiences of cross-cultural mission shared by Baptists earlier this month.

Celebrating diversity and creating unity in multi-ethnic churches was the focus for the European Baptist Federation mission conference, which saw mission leaders and pastors gather at the Baptist church in Vienna.

Michael Kisskalt, mission chair of the EBF, encouraged delegates to take their culture ‘seriously, but not too seriously!’ in his introductory paper. Cultural settings reflect both the good creation of God and the sinfulness of human beings, he said. Therefore ‘recognise and develop’ our cultures, but remember that in our Christian congregations, ‘we can live unity in diversity, as our identity in Christ is higher than our cultural one.’

Peter Penner, former professor of Missiology and New Testament at IBTS and present director of TCM International, reflected on the importance of hospitality as to how we might build cultures of inclusivism in our Baptist communities. ‘Hospitality forms a beginning of such a process but it must go on from there to embrace the sharing power and responsibility in a way that truly reflects the diversity of the community,’ he said.

Ian Bunce, of the Faith Society team of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, encouraged delegates to celebrate diversity and not only to tolerate it. ‘To take the other seriously means to relativize one’s own position. How far can we go?’

Different Unions spoke of multi-ethnic congregations in their countries. Baptists in the Netherlands and Denmark are beginning to develop structures for the inclusion of the international churches in their Union; the Norwegians have already established two full time jobs for integration. They are filled by a Norwegian and a Chin pastor, and it is working well because they are able to bring together their different perspectives. The conference also enabled Chin and Karen pastors of different EBF Unions to get know each other and to develop further cooperation in the future.

German Baptists try to handle the impact of the 200 international churches in and around the Union by investing in special theological training for the leaders of these churches. Their intercultural ministry also includes a growing movement of Iranian immigrants, which they help by organising the network of leaders of these new born or developing congregations. Jacquie Kaltwasser, leader of an Iranian congregation in Düsseldorf, highlighted how the biblical message of love, grace and mercy is especially important and challenging for people grown up in Muslim (legalistic) cultures.

Most churches in Austria are quite international. The church of Wien/Krummgasse hosts three congregations with different languages, but has established structures that allow these congregations also converge: They organise common buffets, festivals and services, often in the special renovated cellar rooms in Krummgasse or in buildings of the University near-by. Walter Klimt, General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Austria, said, ‘To live together is the secret of a real missional Church facing the many cultures.’

A particular catalyst for intercultural mission in Austria is the growing Romanian Baptist congregations, who are willing to be active members of the Union.

Another challenge is the huge refugee camp next to Vienna where 2000 refugees are packed together. The Christian Oasis Café at the door of this camp tries to help the refugees and to bring them the Gospel.

In the Balkans, the mix of cultures still is quite explosive, especially in the north of Serbia, where congregations of various cultures speak different languages.

The Baptist Unions in Serbia have found ways to reconcile the different cultural streams through language. A church might have a certain cultural tendency and language, but if a person from another cultural setting comes along, they change to the common Serbian language or organise translation for their services. Elsewhere the Bulgarian and Romanian Baptists consider the gypsy population in their country as special challenge for their mission.

A special guest of the Mission Conference was Owen Mkandawire, guest professor of Malawi at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Elstal/Berlin, was impressed by the atmosphere and the many encouraging ideas at the meeting. He said, ‘EBF has really demonstrated to practice unity by welcoming and integrating people from other countries. This shows that though the name is European, in actual sense, the Federation is all inclusive.’

The event was organised in partnership by the EBF Mission Division and Division of Theology and Education, and as such combined ‘theological insights with practical stories of mission’, explained Toivo Pilli, chair of the latter. ‘I am inspired and encouraged by this conference,’ he said, ‘the way Biblical knowledge, theological insights and practical stories of mission encountered each other in discussions and interaction. Multi-ethnic context of mission is actually nothing new – we learn about similar challenges both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. This conference was a joint effort of Theology and Education Division and the Mission Division of the EBF – and the synergy that emerged was worth of the effort.’

Photos: Tomislav Dobutivoc (Bosnia and Herzegovina)