The Church of the Nazarene is developing plans to send a pioneer ministry team to open Nazarene work in northern Greece in the summer of 2016.
Missionaries Joshua and Shannon Herndon, who have spent the past five years serving in Spain, will relocate to a suburb of Thessaloniki to lead the work, and are currently developing the strategy, raising funds to support the ministry, and identifying potential volunteer members to join the team.
Leaders in the Eurasia Region believe that in light of the financial crisis in Greece, now there is historic opportunity to minister to the socio-economic, as well as the spiritual needs, of the Greek people.
The Herndons, in their proposal to the Eurasia Region director, wrote that numerous other Christian organizations and denominations who have worked in Greece for many years describe a vast spiritual poverty in the country.
“The Greeks, in general, have tried to expel the Greek Orthodox church from their lives, resulting in an overall disregard for Christianity,” Joshua stated in the proposal. “It was stated to us (by multiple leaders of multiple organizations) that only 2 percent of the population attends church regularly, and there are only about 25,000 born-again believers in the entire country.”
At the same time, the population is suffering economically. There is a 25 percent rate of general unemployment, according to www.tradingeconomics.com; more than half of all working age youth are unemployed. This provides a wide open door for compassionate ministries and social work.
In Greece, proselytizing is illegal. This means that ministry to the people will need to be creative, and focus on serving felt needs, building relationships, and providing an environment for people to explore faith in non-evangelistic settings.
That’s why the strategy that is developing will be multi-pronged, including English language classes, sports ministries, compassionate ministries, involvement in the local international school, and community theological education through European Nazarene College, where people can explore matters of theology and faith on their own initiative in a classroom setting.
They also plan to partner with other evangelical denominations and organizations to build strength in numbers. And they know they must attempt to build mutually respectful relationships with local leaders of the Greek Orthodox Church.
Because missionaries in Greece have come and gone, the Herndons believe that a missionary team must plan to be there a minimum of three to five years to build trust and a deeper investment in the people and culture.
Many evangelical churches in Greece have tended to attract immigrants and members of the international community, according to the couple’s research. Thus, they expect their ministries will be no different. Yet, without an intent to target any specific group, they hope to reach indigenous Greek people, as well.
“This will not be an overnight endeavor,” Joshua wrote. “However, because we are approaching ministry through a varied plan, we expect to find a method of sharing the Gospel that is culturally relevant.”
Bruce McKellips, the field strategy coordinator for the Western Mediterranean Field, said, “When I learned that Cinda and I were coming to the Western Mediterranean Field, I was surprised to discover that the Church of the Nazarene did not have active ministry in Greece, and I felt a burden for the people there. Recent events in Greece have provided both new opportunities and multiple challenges. In the last year and a half, I have encountered several individuals who have indicated that they have family, or other contacts in Greece, or have felt that God was preparing for the Church of the Nazarene to re-open the work there.
“We ask that you would be praying for wisdom in addressing the many logistic challenges that the Herndons, the Western Mediterranean Field, and the Eurasia Region face. Pray that many people would partner with them in prayer, as well as financially to facilitate this move.”
The Church of the Nazarene initially made plans to enter the country in 2002, but was unable to fulfill those plans. So this will be the first time the denomination is sending missionaries into the country.
