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n 1874, the Seventh-day Adventist Church sent its first missionary overseas to the old continent. The challenges were greater than the possibilities for the church at that time. Even bigger were the expectations of John Nevins Andrews, the ablest man the church could send. Accompanied by his two teenagers, he stepped into the unknown. His destination, Switzerland, a beautiful country in the European core.
The church Andrews found in Switzerland was a small but strong community of faithful brethren. They had heard the Adventist message through Michael Czechowski, a Polish former Catholic priest who converted to Protestantism and then to Adventism. Albert Vuilleumier, the group elder, made the initial link to the official church in Battle Creek. Thus, this Swiss community demonstrated that the church thrives when the locals who hear the message and are passionate about the church become leaders.
Andrews played a key role in laying the foundation of the European church. Today, I stand on his shoulders. One hundred and fifty years after he set foot in Switzerland, my family and I are starting our mission service in his field of labor. Not because the church is nonexistent as it was in Andrews’ day. It’s well established in two conferences within the Swiss Union. But because Swiss society, like the rest of Europe, now has little to no interest in religion or church. My family’s commission is part of the Mission Refocus initiative of the General Conference to help counter the secular mindset that has left people empty and disillusioned with organized religion.
How can we succeed when the world is in despair yet unwilling to listen to what the church presents? How can we overcome the many challenges we face in Europe in the 21st century?
I strongly believe it’s helpful to look at what worked well in the past to discover what can be contextualized, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to speak to society in its current language. As a wise woman once said, “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history”—Ellen White, Life Sketches p. 196.
A Swiss Church
Our work will be developed mainly in Geneva in conjunction with seven Adventist churches and two thousand members in the conference. Missionaries play an important role in expanding the church. This was true in the past as it is today for many mission fields. But the real missionaries are the locals. The goal is that missionaries will equip the members not only as disciples but also as leaders. Vuilleumier, Dietchy, Erzberger, Roth, Geymet, and many others were the names of the young church in Europe. Soon, we’ll have many new names: people who will become missionaries in their homeland.
Centers of Influence
Most mission methods that worked well in America failed to generate religious interest in Europe. However, Andrews replicated America’s use of a church periodical because Europeans liked periodicals, and he involved the Swiss church in creating a new one: Les Signes des Temps (The Signs of the Times).
What are Europeans into today? What are the channels through which we can connect with their secular society?
In recent years, the Office of Adventist Mission at the General Conference, following Ellen White’s bidding, has helped fund numerous urban centers of influence worldwide. These centers follow Christ’s method of ministry: mingling with people, showing them sympathy, meeting their needs, winning their confidence, and then inviting them to follow Jesus. We can study our communities to find out their interests and then connect with them through these centers. The centers are to be the church beyond the church.
This is our mission in Switzerland: to connect with a society that seems to have forgotten the meaning of the reformation and is oblivious to the passion for God that once moved them to build churches and preach the gospel. Through a center of influence, we can help put Jesus at the center of their lives and lift the three angels’ messages to the core of the European continent.
Opportunities
Andrews faced many challenges such as finances, health, and opposition. However, he had the discernment to take advantage of the opportunities God opened for the advancement of the church in countries such as Germany, France, Italy, and even Egypt!
I pray God gives us discernment to see opportunities where there are challenges, to align ourselves with the rhythms of the church in Switzerland, and to expand the gospel in Europe. Please, we need your prayers too.