Europe

A. Introduction

Europe has a 2000-year-old Christian tradition mainly represented by Catholicism and Protestantism. The membership of the main churches however continuously decreased it the last few decades due to the secularisation of society. The specific situation in each country of Europe however is different, as some countries are much more secular than others.

B. Development of the True Jesus Church

The True Jesus Church began to take root in the 1960s when a German was baptized in Europe. Until the 1970s, three Taiwanese youths who had undergone complete religious education studied in Europe and fearlessly planted the seed.

By end 1981, in Stuttgart University in Germany, the first European Spiritual Cultivation seminar was held. At that time five believers attended. There were three Truth seekers and seven believers/preachers from the UK. Together they formed the “Europe Evangelical Committee (ECC).” In 1982, the 2nd Spiritual Cultivation seminar was held in Paris, and the Paris House of Prayer was established. Later, in 1985, another house of prayer was established in Heidelberg. Both were under the jurisdiction of IA.

In 1990, believers from Taiwan continued to immigrate to Austria. In 1992, another house of prayer was established at Salzburg. In the same year, a church was established in Paris. Brethren bought a single house, and after renovation, the chapel was dedicated in 1994. An apartment was purchased each for services in Heidelberg, mid-south Germany in 1993 and Hamburg, northern region in 2000. In addition, in the middle of Germany, at Rheinland Prayer House near Dusseldorf and Vienna, Austria Sabbath services were held regularly. Besides the above locations, members also reside in other parts of Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Within the last 10 years, brethren from China have been immigrating to

Spain, Italy, Greece, and Hungary and started with regular Sabbath Service. The

European Coordination Center supports this pioneering area through a care- and

volunteer team.

In the past decades, the places of worship under ECC underwent a major transformation. The number of believers increased everywhere. Many places have progressed from family services conducted in members’ houses to proper worship services in their own church buildings. We have now church buildings in Hamburg, Madrid, Mannheim, and Mönchengladbach. We are currently purchasing chapels in Empoli and Paris.

Church Status（including the pioneering areas）

Believers: about 470 

Church: 2  (Manheim, East Paris)

House of Prayer: 7 (Hamburg, Empoli, Prato, Madrid, Rheinland, Salzburg, Georgia)

Service Meeting Point: 5 (Athens, Barcelona, Budapest, Vienna, Albacete)

Preacher: 1

Deacon: 3

C. Outlook

Preaching

In the past few years, brethren at several locations have purchased and renovated church buildings or apartments for worship. Much time and energy has been spent on these matters as there were often problems that only God could solve. With most of these tasks now completed, there is a need to refocus on preaching the gospel to the world, particularly to the local people in Europe. Only then can the gospel be spread further in this part of the world. The church needs to have members who are able to preach the word of God on the pulpit to edify the church as well as share the good news with strangers to bring them to Christ. Currently, the entire Continental Europe region only has a single full-time preacher for the German-speaking region, who is often deployed to other parts of the world to support the work of God.

Although the United Kingdom General Assembly does send UK preachers to assist, it is vital for Continental Europe to train more members, especially its youths, to sermonize and evangelize. By God’s grace, there will be members who will offer themselves to be full-time ministers in the future.

Strengthening

Another important task is to help the members in the Southern European countries, such as Italy and Spain, to establish the local church. Many of the members there have to work 24/7 for a meager income. Hence they have little time and energy left to serve God. However, these places are like young sprouts. If we provide as much support as possible and help them to grow, they will one day become great and strong churches, able to glorify God. With God’s guidance, the ECC will be able to overcome these challenges and preach the gospel to all corners of Europe. Intercessory prayers from worldwide TJC brethren are greatly needed. We look forward to welcoming you here in Europe one day.

D. Entry/Visa/Immigration

The regular “Schengen” visa allows for multiple entries to 26 countries in Europe.