After 15 years of pastoral and mobilization ministry in the United States, Matt and Nicole have served the past 15 years in cross-cultural mission, investing seven years in Senegal, West Africa, and now, eight years in Budapest, Hungary. The family arrived in Central Europe in the middle of the Syrian refugee crisis of 2015, which dramatically shifted their mission primarily to establishing strategic partnerships and training for ministry among migrant peoples of Europe.
In the past 10 years alone, we have experienced three major waves of refugees arriving in Europe. The first wave followed the Arab Spring and Syrian war in 2011-2012 which peaked in 2015. The second wave occurred in the years leading up to the US and Allied troops pulling out of Afghanistan, which resulted in mass evacuations in 2021. The most recent refugee wave began with the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, creating one of the largest and fastest displacements in modern history. These regional and ongoing conflicts are touching every country in Europe. The realities of refugees and migration are not just a European phenomenon; they touch every continent of the Americas, Asia, and Africa – millions from countries like Venezuela, Ukraine, and Syria, along with a steady flow of families and individuals cross borders every day. Viewing so-called "gateway cities" in light of migration is a key aspect of mission strategy from planting churches to developing leaders. We should never assume that we are serving within a homogeneous or stable context; rather, an increasingly diverse and complex world. Virtually every local church is grappling with the command to "love their neighbors and welcome strangers". We have a burden for developing mission leaders and equipping the local church to fulfill the mission challenges at their doorstep.
For the past two years, I (Matt) have been focusing on a new mission initiative called Quest Academy International which is mobilizing and training mission workers from the global south to share the gospel, plant churches, and show the love of Christ. A majority of the 120 students come from a Muslim background and speak Arabic or Farsi, but live and serve in Europe, Turkey, or the Middle East. Quest Academy International is a unique two-year training program specifically designed for people from the Middle East and Europe to learn together. During the pandemic, we offered courses online. The discipleship and training community became a family for many of these new believers who were struggling with language and cultural barriers in European churches, stranded in their asylum process, or secluded because of lockdown. Now, as travel restrictions have loosened, we are beginning to meet face-to-face in several hub cities in Europe. Why are we so encouraged?
Just read some of the profiles of mission workers we are equipping and empowering through Quest Academy: Raad arrived in Finland with his family in 2015 as a refugee from Iraq. His life changed dramatically when he followed Christ five years ago, but there were no culturally appropriate discipleship or training courses to prepare him. He joined Quest Academy and in June invited a group of Arabic speakers and trainers from Quest to his community near Helsinki. As Covid restrictions lifted, several Finnish churches opened huge tents for inviting the community, including native and foreign-born, to culturally appropriate worship services. In five days, the Quest Academy team shared the gospel in three cities and discipled approximately 80 new believers who had been attending Finnish churches but were seeking fellowship and deeper spiritual growth. Mehrdad is a father of two children who fled to Germany from Iran after being arrested for leading outreach and discipleship at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Tehran. Released from prison in 2017, Mehrdad and his family now live in Munich but continue to have a clear calling to serve and equip the Persian speakers. In May 2021, he completed his MA in Christian Studies from seminary and in 2022 was invited to lead the Farsi ministry for Quest Academy. There are now 60 students enrolled from Iran and Afghanistan living across Europe and Turkey. This is a really dynamic time to be a missionary in Europe! The opportunities are endless and the spiritual openness, especially among foreign-born immigrant and refugee populations, is incredible. Harnessing the potential of these global south workers to equip a new generation of migrant missionaries who can reach and disciple their own people is a very strategic investment in our role as facilitators and equippers! We believe that Quest Academy is part of United World Mission’s vision of seeing a flourishing church led by well-formed leaders bringing good news to a hurting world.
- Pray for the Quest Academy Advisory Board and their need to establish a sustainable and growing ministry-equipping model.
- Pray for our partnership with two degree-granting seminaries. Overseas Council has been an important component of this process, and we're excited to see how working with partnering seminaries opens new opportunities for learning.
- Pray for the Arabic and Farsi courses that began earlier this month, and for outreach and training events happening across Europe.
- Pray for our first graduation ceremony, which is planned for Summer 2023. Approximately 30 students who have completed the two-year training process will be honored and commissioned. Several are in process of applying to various mission agencies and local churches, but they need coaching, support, and connections to be added to the staff and to develop sustainable ministry as tent-makers or full-time mission workers.
