Equipping a New Generation
The Slovenian Evangelical Church is very small and young, but we can see that God is doing something special among young people. Many are ready to take on a leadership role and serve the body of Christ.
Given that we do not have a Bible school and no regular Christian conferences where young people can be trained and equipped for the ministry, we are grateful for the opportunities offered by IFES Europe. At the end of October, three students and I visited the IFES FEUER (Fellowship of Evangelists in the Universities of Europe) conference in Greece. The purpose of this conference is to train and equip evangelists to proclaim the truth, beauty and wonder of the Gospel to today’s generation of students. This was the first Christian conference for all three students, and they were extremely enthusiastic about the content and getting to know other students and movements.
Laura said: “I took a lot away from this conference - much more than I could have imagined. Listening to very useful seminars and debates in small groups gave me motivation and ideas on how to preach the gospel in my hometown. Sharing experiences and ways from other European countries opened my thoughts, insights and the importance of making people around me aware of the Good News”.
When we returned home, Marko prepared a student apologetics course. We had two new students in our group and they both heard the Gospel for the first time. Another student Anže, who also attended the conference, led one of his friends to Christ after the conference.
Conferences like this can have a powerful influence on students. Our commitment is to train and equip young people for the work of the ministry, and we have started to develop an apprenticeship program to equip a new generation of Christians for the lifelong service to Christ and His Church in Slovenia.
BY BOSTJAN CIFER