Frankfurt is a fascinating city.
It’s one of the world’s most globally connected cities. In terms of culture, education, commerce, and transportation, the world intersects with Frankfurt daily.
With its incredible influence and interaction with so many countries, not only within Europe but also beyond, Frankfurt is a natural home to many global, continental, and national headquarters, including our international headquarters.
A beautiful mirror of this interconnectedness can be seen in the people of Frankfurt. More than 50% of Frankfurt’s population are from a non-ethnic-German background; that percentage that goes up past 75% when referring to children under the age of 6! Perhaps even more surprising, however, is that over 25% of those living in Frankfurt hold foreign citizenship! It isn’t simply a city with an international past, but with strong, persistent international connections in its present and future.
This creates a uniquely strategic setting for not only business and industry, but also ministry. Frankfurt is among a short list of cities that we have identified as a Focus City – an intentional effort to partner with the local church and other organizations that allows us to build community and strategic ministries that will help to reach Europe by multiplying disciples and growing Christ’s church. Frankfurt is a great example of a city through which we can see our vision come to pass – God expanding His kingdom through all peoples of Europe to the world!
What may come as a surprise to some is that the German church is far from what it once was. Roughly 2% of Germans profess a personal faith in Jesus Christ; it’s into this deep-seated secular society that waves of refugees have continued to land in Germany since 2014.
Canada has much to learn from Germany, lessons that can help equip the Canadian church in a secular society. Our paths to secularization are incomparably different, on an entirely different timeline with different causes and even different effects, and efforts to anticipate the crossroads of a shared secularity are really unnecessary exercises.
However, what we must value in Canada is the opportunity to come alongside our brothers and sisters in Germany, to learn from their story, and then to adapt it with our God-given creativity to the unique story here in Canada.
Through our commitment to partnerships, we’re excited to see where God is leading the Canadian church in partnering with the church in Germany. We have seen remarkable fruit in our church planting partnerships, and in our work with local outreach for those living under the shadow of prostitution and drug addiction. We’re also establishing training programs, leveraging the strategic location of Frankfurt to help deliver high quality training that can make an impact in local churches throughout Europe.
This vision starts with responding to God’s simple call. A call to listen, a call to obey, and a call to love. From here, possibilities begin to blossom. There are lots of ways that this can look, and who knows what creative forms this can take. We carry with us into innovation the imprint of the eternal God and, as a result, balance cultural traditions with adaptive methodologies, a reality brought to bear in our global response to restricted life under a pandemic.
Please, join me in praying for the church in Frankfurt, and prayerfully consider how you can be a part of the incredible ministry taking place in this global city!
