Kerls to Assume New Leadership Role in Europe for Evangelicals
"John Kerl had dreamed for 30 years of ministering in Europe, but he and his wife, Letha, twice said “no” when the Department of World Mission of the Evangelical Covenant Church asked them to go. “We were actually commissioned in 1988 to spend one term in Mexico and then go to Europe once it opened,” John says. Despite being offered opportunities across the Atlantic Ocean, the couple remained where they were because “we were fully committed to the ongoing work of the Covenant in Mexico.” Two years ago they began to sense their time in Mexico was ending, and God was calling them to Europe. Recently, they answered the third World Mission request to change continents.
The Kerls have been selected as the new regional coordinators for mission ministries in Europe. As coordinators, they will care for and supervise missionary personnel, help with strategic planning, and continue to develop partnerships with national churches.“Our biggest transition will be moving from a culture very open to the gospel into one that in recent years has been quite closed,” John says. Europeans have become increasingly secular, and most consider Christianity to be irrelevant, he adds. New opportunities for evangelism are presenting themselves, however, including the large influx to Europe – especially Spain – of people from Latin America. “We are especially interested in the Esparcidos Project (The Scattered People Project), which focuses on Latin Americans who have settled in Europe,” John says. His ability to speak French also will help in other areas of Europe.
No comments:
Post a Comment