Ministry Update
April 2021
Dear Ministry Partners,
Many greetings to you all. I have been eager to share some news with you for a little while. I believe that God is doing something really great for Austria.
Many greetings to you all. I have been eager to share some news with you for a little while. I believe that God is doing something really great for Austria.
End of an Era
I have some big news. Lina and I, in consultation with our elders at Christus Gemeinde Wien, have decided to change the focus of my ministry. March was the last month that I will serve together with CP.
Lina and I are thankful for the many years of fruitful ministry with Crescent Project, and we are going to miss seeing many of our old friends. However, it is time to heed the Lord's call for a new direction, (more on that later) and hang up this hat that I have dearly loved. We trust that we are leaving our relationships with Crescent Project on good terms, and we pray that the Lord would continue to bless the labors of our brothers and sisters who faithfully labor in this ministry.
At this point, I have to say thank you to my supporters and friends who prayed for this work. Through blood, sweat, tears, and the providence of God, we've equipped hundreds of Christians to share the gospel with Muslims. May the Lord bless you all for the sacrifices of time, prayer, and money to make this ministry possible.
Lina and I are thankful for the many years of fruitful ministry with Crescent Project, and we are going to miss seeing many of our old friends. However, it is time to heed the Lord's call for a new direction, (more on that later) and hang up this hat that I have dearly loved. We trust that we are leaving our relationships with Crescent Project on good terms, and we pray that the Lord would continue to bless the labors of our brothers and sisters who faithfully labor in this ministry.
At this point, I have to say thank you to my supporters and friends who prayed for this work. Through blood, sweat, tears, and the providence of God, we've equipped hundreds of Christians to share the gospel with Muslims. May the Lord bless you all for the sacrifices of time, prayer, and money to make this ministry possible.
Finishing a Task
I also wanted to let you guys know how these past few months of ministry have gone and how I finished up my time with CP.
Connecting with Muslim Friends
Even during the pandemic, I've stayed in contact with a Muslim friend named Ahmed. I've mentioned him in previous letters and he and his family remain in the greater Salzburg area. They don't have any connection to a church out there, but I've been able to connect with him periodically as he reads through the Bible and encourage him to take part in my church's livestream.
Teaching
Some friends in the Vienna area began a network for people who serve with refugees and January permitted me the opportunity to connect with these evangelists and ministers of the gospel. I led a session for this group on how Christians can share the gospel online through a ministry called Embassy. Many were encouraged that this would afford the opportunity to continue some of their evangelistic efforts even during a time of lockdown.
Preparing Online Seminars
CP is busy preparing a seminar for German-speaking Christian on Folk Islam. The past 2 months included several talks with colleagues about how to structure a brief online event that might serve the German-speaking church. If you speak German, keep an eye out for April 20th.
Connecting with Muslim Friends
Even during the pandemic, I've stayed in contact with a Muslim friend named Ahmed. I've mentioned him in previous letters and he and his family remain in the greater Salzburg area. They don't have any connection to a church out there, but I've been able to connect with him periodically as he reads through the Bible and encourage him to take part in my church's livestream.
Teaching
Some friends in the Vienna area began a network for people who serve with refugees and January permitted me the opportunity to connect with these evangelists and ministers of the gospel. I led a session for this group on how Christians can share the gospel online through a ministry called Embassy. Many were encouraged that this would afford the opportunity to continue some of their evangelistic efforts even during a time of lockdown.
Preparing Online Seminars
CP is busy preparing a seminar for German-speaking Christian on Folk Islam. The past 2 months included several talks with colleagues about how to structure a brief online event that might serve the German-speaking church. If you speak German, keep an eye out for April 20th.
Committing to a New Task
I have asked one of my elders, Bobby Harnist, to give an introduction to anyone and everyone about my new work. Here's what he wrote:
My name is Bobby Harnist and I am serving as one of the pastors at Christus Gemeinde Wien (Christ Church Vienna). We are a young church plant in the capital city of Austria, a country in desperate need of healthy Word-centered, Christ-centered, Gospel-centered churches. We began with 8 members signing a church covenant together on September 8th, 2019. In January of 2020, our church received Matthew and Lina into our membership. From the start, Matthew and his family have been a blessing to our young church.
When Matthew came to us he was already in the process of pursuing a Masters of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was also serving in a worldwide parachurch ministry. Just a few months after Matthew joined our membership, I began evaluating him as a potential leader in the church. We have given him several responsibilities in the church already, including various preaching opportunities, and I have been personally mentoring him since the spring of 2020. What has encouraged me the most is his ability to be humble, teachable, and transparent. It is because of these qualifications, as well as a clear potential for doing local church ministry, that my co-pastor, Kai Soltau, and I invited him to participate in a pastoral internship with us.
The purpose of the pastoral internship will be to further evaluate and equip Matthew for the work of pastoral ministry trusting that the church will call him to be a pastor one day. The pastoral internship should provide Matthew opportunities for further mentorship, increased capacity to participate in various ministries, and a more flexible schedule for preparing for vocational local-church ministry.
Matthew already has several advantages that I did not have when I started my ministry in Austria. First, Matthew has lived in Vienna since 2012, and already knows the language (German) and culture. Second, Matthew and his family are already settled in Vienna. There are no expensive settling funds needed. Third, Matthew has already engaged in various kinds of ministries and preaching in Austria and is under the authority of a local church and her pastors.
As I wrote above, Christus Gemeinde Wien is a young congregation which does not have the resources for such a vital position. I myself am a missionary sent from Grace Community Bible Church in Lakeville, MN and fully supported by partners. Therefore, we are seeking the Lord to provide financial partners for Matthew and his ministry as a pastoral intern.
Would you please consider becoming a partner with us and Matthew in reaching Austria with the good news? Austria is in dire need of biblically qualified and properly trained ministers of the gospel. Please join us in obeying Christ’s command to make disciples of all nations.
Grace to you,
Robert T. Harnist
Pastor, Christus Gemeinde Wien
When Matthew came to us he was already in the process of pursuing a Masters of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was also serving in a worldwide parachurch ministry. Just a few months after Matthew joined our membership, I began evaluating him as a potential leader in the church. We have given him several responsibilities in the church already, including various preaching opportunities, and I have been personally mentoring him since the spring of 2020. What has encouraged me the most is his ability to be humble, teachable, and transparent. It is because of these qualifications, as well as a clear potential for doing local church ministry, that my co-pastor, Kai Soltau, and I invited him to participate in a pastoral internship with us.
The purpose of the pastoral internship will be to further evaluate and equip Matthew for the work of pastoral ministry trusting that the church will call him to be a pastor one day. The pastoral internship should provide Matthew opportunities for further mentorship, increased capacity to participate in various ministries, and a more flexible schedule for preparing for vocational local-church ministry.
Matthew already has several advantages that I did not have when I started my ministry in Austria. First, Matthew has lived in Vienna since 2012, and already knows the language (German) and culture. Second, Matthew and his family are already settled in Vienna. There are no expensive settling funds needed. Third, Matthew has already engaged in various kinds of ministries and preaching in Austria and is under the authority of a local church and her pastors.
As I wrote above, Christus Gemeinde Wien is a young congregation which does not have the resources for such a vital position. I myself am a missionary sent from Grace Community Bible Church in Lakeville, MN and fully supported by partners. Therefore, we are seeking the Lord to provide financial partners for Matthew and his ministry as a pastoral intern.
Would you please consider becoming a partner with us and Matthew in reaching Austria with the good news? Austria is in dire need of biblically qualified and properly trained ministers of the gospel. Please join us in obeying Christ’s command to make disciples of all nations.
Grace to you,
Robert T. Harnist
Pastor, Christus Gemeinde Wien
Bobby Harnist
Pastor
Christus Gemeinde Wien
Christus Gemeinde Wien
I (Matthew) echo all of what Bobby wrote and I pray that you might consider supporting the work of building healthy churches in Austria. Please click on the donate button below to be directed to a site that is handling my donations from now on. You will also need my account number which is ML3774.
May the grace of our Lord be with all of you. I pray that you are all growing in the faith once for all delivered to the saints and that the Lord is directing you how to live in light of His coming Kingdom.
Your brother in Christ,
Matthew
Your brother in Christ,
Matthew
P.S. Feel free to forward this page to friends and family. I'm always eager to share what God is doing with more brothers and sisters in Christ. I've updated my support page below to reflect my new position with Christus Gemeinde Wien.
