Missional in Berlin
Think ‘Berlin’ and impressions come quickly to mind: colourful, experimental, edgy, history, alternative. Berlin rarely disappoints. Following reunification, Berlin has been reinventing itself and the restoration of civic, political, architectural and historical landmarks is evidence of a pulsing city-wide vibe. Its ethnic diversity adds to the mixture.
It’s probably not surprising, therefore, that Berlin is at the centre of efforts in Germany to rediscover the missional nature of the congregation.
According to Together in Berlin, more than eighty missional initiatives have started in the last 10 years. Four of these exciting projects are highlighted below and the websites of these and others given at the end of the article. When you next visit Berlin, you might like to add one or two of them to your tour itinerary.
Tell us a little about what you are doing
FEG Pankow We are a ‘young church for the heart of Pankow’, our East-Berlin district and neighbourhood. We started the church seven years ago, with an emphasis on interacting and working together with atheists and community leaders, discipleship and leadership development.
Matthews Table Ours is a relational ministry of evangelism centered on hospitality, which has been developing since 2007
Vineyard Köpenick My wife and I (Matthias) lead a Vineyard church-plant in Eastern Berlin (Köpenick) together with a two more couples. In total, our group counts 16 adults and 11 children at the moment. We moved to Köpenick back in 2008 and got to know the local people here. After our sabbatical in early 2012, we received a confirmation to plant a church in Köpenick and now we are most grateful to have a team to work together during the next years, to share life and to change our local community.
Jakob Gemeinde I (Paul Clarkson) have been here 20 years. We started a church on the edge of eastern Berlin, then moved to inner city east Berlin. The first church was started by an O.M. Team, the 2nd (where I am now) by two families and myself.
What does missional church look like in your context?
FEG Pankow We emphasize relationships and “gospel conversations” as a lifestyle, for informal missional impact. Our motto for events is: Not ministry for people but ministry with people, so in most cases we co-organise events with secular organisations or individuals. We rent a store which serves as a community office and the pastor is a pastor primarily for the community rather than the church.
Matthew’s Table We choose to use the word 'intentional' because of the many variations of meaning currently being given to 'missional.' For us it means living our lives with the intended purpose of affecting others for the kingdom of God, which requires being on-call for others 24-7.
Vineyard Köpenick For me personally, being missional is related to two areas:
a) We want to let people come close to us and have insight in our lives. When this happens, they start to wonder why we do things the way we do, e.g. how we raise our children, live our marriage, manage our finances, talk about other people or forgive and ask for forgiveness.
b) We try to imitate a lifestyle where the Kingdom of God can be present any moment. This means, we want to assist God in touching people with His presence whenever there are possibilities for it - by giving the waiter a generous tip in order to value his work, by offering prayer to the handicapped man on the street, by encouraging the depressed colleague. The possibilities are many.
Jakob Gemeinde Building relationships with non-believers outside of "church context" i.e NOT trying to get them to come to meetings (they won't come anyway!); doing good in the community, meeting them where they are. Some stuff we do: Using Christmas to explain what Christmas is about, film evenings for men with a good theme and lots of beer and time until the early hours. Running a cafe, running a children’s club, doing as much as we can with non–believers.
Biggest challenges?
FEG Pankow We don´t try to create a dichotomy between traditional and missional, but rather work with what we have and move towards missional. The traditional attitudes, practices and expectations of Christians sometimes seem to be a challenge, but for us that is simply part of the process.
Matthew’s Table Penetrating the post-Christian understanding (or lack thereof) that most Europeans currently embrace.
Vineyard Köpenick a) Not to get discouraged by negative or disturbing situations and circumstances.
b) Not to get too comfortable in one's own comfort zone (the church)
c) Not to lose focus on Jesus either by ascribing too much importance and attention to oneself or by losing faith that Jesus can do miracles.
Jakob Gemeinde Getting out of the box of "christendom thinking" - i.e. that they "should come to us". Running church on a low level so as to free people up to build relationships outside the church.
Being church in an atheistic environment where belief and church are seen as something very negative.
Any encouragements over the last year?
FEG Pankow Lots. Former atheists leading their atheists friends to Christ. The good reputation our church has reached for being involved in our community. Events where we can work hand in hand with non-Christians and are expected to share our message through word and deed. Practical examples are a “Living Advent Calendar” and a platform “Holyday in Pankow”.
Matthew’s Table As our relationships have continued to develop, we have attempted to earn the privilege of sharing faith without being accused of ulterior motives or being cast into the prevailing stereotypes of Evangelical Christians.
Vineyard Köpenick A few weeks ago, the wife and the children of our neighbour left him and went into hiding. The police could not help him either. When I talked to him, he was completely desperate. After I listened to him for quite some time, I offered to pray for him. He answered "I respect it, but I don't believe in it." Two days later, he called me in the middle of the night "Matthias, your prayers have helped and were answered." By now, his wife and children live at home again and they want to start a marriage and family counselling.
Jakob Gemeinde Thirteen children becoming Christians, some of from very non - believing homes
Web links to some missional churches in Berlin:
www.berlinprojekt.com
www.familienzentrum-berlin.de
http://www.christus-treff-berlin.de
www.vineyard-berlin.de/wo-wir-sind/koepenick/
Joanne Appleton