Baptists in Switzerland seek to forge a new future

What do you do when a denomination starts to die? That was the question the Swiss Baptist Denomination wrestled with when God brought our paths together in the spring of 2003. Baptist churches in Switzerland had been slowly dying over the course of the last 60 years. There were always exceptions, but they were never the rule, and sadly things had reached a crisis point. But through that crisis, God brought new focus and clarity to the Baptists in Switzerland.

Now things are changing.

Fast–forward three years to Baden, Switzerland. There, more than 100 people from all walks of life now gather as Gleam Living Church, brought together by their love of hip–hop. On any given Sunday night one will experience rap, song, dance and a message. The result? Muslims, Buddhists and agnostics alike are choosing to follow Jesus.

Gleam Joel at first had only a vision of reaching a hip–hop culture with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Baden. He was in search of someone who believed in him and the vision and was crazy enough to mentor him through the process of planting a church. That’s how he and I met. Today, Gleam Living Church is one of several new churches less than three years old that are thriving.

Now travel with me to Zug, Switzerland. Crammed into a small room in this northern Swiss town are way too many young families and other individuals who are meeting as the International Church of Zug. On the rare occasion that they find in a larger meeting space, nearly 150 people gather.

The International Church of Zug began as a dream in the minds of Corey and Tanya Best, a young family from Colorado who came to Switzerland with no job and no support. After finding work in sales, they prayed that God would enable them to plant an English–speaking church. In just three years a thriving community of believers numbering more than 100 are trying to make a difference in Zug.

There are snapshots of Zurich, Basel, Vorarlberg and other places in Switzerland where church planters have arrived from Brazil, New Zealand, the United States and even from within Switzerland to start new faith communities that are finding traction. Through those local communities, one can find ministries to prostitutes, students, businessmen and innovators.

These fellowships of believers have discovered the power of transformational living and are learning to be highly infectious. It is neither without danger nor risk, but many are willing to risk failure for the sake of transformation, rather than stay safe for the sake of comfort.

Three years ago, my family, in cooperation with the Swiss Baptist Denomination, hosted our first conference to encourage church planters/pastors and celebrate what God is doing. We were told to expect 80 people. More than 400 came to our first ever “Seed Conference” to celebrate God’s work through Baptists in Switzerland.

The next year, even more people attended, attracted by the notion of attempting something noble together for the sake of Jesus Christ. Existing Baptist churches started to find new life. In the six weeks following last year’s Seed Conference, Swiss Baptist churches baptized more than 40 new believers.

Three years ago, Stefan G., the pastor of a small Baptist church in Thalwil, told me that if things didn’t change, he didn’t know how much longer he would continue pastoring. But now, that congregation is thriving and innovating, reaching out to their community with the love of God. One person drives almost an hour just to attend. “I’ve been looking for this my whole life,” the Swiss man says. Stefan wouldn’t trade that kind of testimony for the world.

There are so many stories of what God is doing in Switzerland. A city–wide outreach in St. Gallen attracts several hundred teenagers each year. A small church in Wettingen discovers a new mission field in the next village. A church in Bern finds a new voice with dual–language emphasis, and its members are using their creativity to serve. A Catholic priest seeks advice on how to leave Catholicism to become a Baptist church planter.

The list could go on and on. At this point, 70 percent of the existing Baptist churches are growing, and there is more demand for church planting than resources.

But this growth spurt is a fragile one. What is true today is not necessarily true tomorrow. Every great attempt can be derailed at any moment in its early stages. Each new plant could use support from other Christians, even if it’s it just to pray. Each existing church could use encouragement from other churches and church leaders, even if it’s just an e-mail.

In all these situations, one thing remains constant: remarkable men and women are fearlessly challenging unknown horizons by answering God’s call. Working with such amazing people in existing and new churches is the best part of my role as a strategic consultant in Switzerland. It is they who face the daily challenges that come with fostering first–generation Christians.

What does one do when a denomination starts to die? The answer, of course, is to rediscover why it was birthed in the first place. Baptists in Switzerland aren’t trying to reclaim the past, but forge a new future.

Ultimately, Baptists aren’t an organization or religious structure. Baptists are believers who are joined together with the common vision to attempt the impossible. They truly believe nothing is impossible with God.

And that belief has mirrored our experiences so far.

Derek and Melissa Webster and their three sons live in Zurich, where Derek has worked as a strategic consultant since 2004. The Websters have been with the IMB since 2000, also having served as church planters in Austria.

Posted by Derek Webster on Mar 7, 2009

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