An Unexpected Mission Field

Italy. A country of ancient ruins, vast cathedrals, breathtaking scenery, and mouth-watering food. A country with a rich religious heritage, where the Apostle Paul wrote many of his letters. A country that is still in need of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

When Daniel* and Leah* first considered moving across the world to share the Gospel, church planting in Italy was not even on their radar. Then, during Daniel’s years in seminary, the couple did a 3-month internship in Italy. While they were there, God opened their hearts to the need in Italy for the Gospel.

In Italy today, a vast percentage of the population has a superficial knowledge of the Gospel. For most, this knowledge is simply cultural. Daniel shares, “We’ve been really surprised to see how many agnostic and atheistic people there are in Italy. Many people that have not only left the Church but just left faith altogether.” Even though Italy is often seen as a Christian country, the need for followers of Jesus to share the Good News there is still immense.

Once Daniel and Leah understood this, they knew that they must act. They moved to Italy, excited to share the Good News of Jesus with those that they met.

Life in Italy

As they settled into life in Italy, ministry began to form in three different areas. Leah shares, “We have a wide breadth of how we approach ministry…. Raising a family there has opened doors with [our children’s] friends and their friends’ families. There’s the ministry association that we have, that’s like a cultural association that allows us to do dinners like Thanksgiving or parties, events that we invite people to and then build friendship from their English club. And then, caring for and discipling members of the church.” All three of these avenues have allowed Daniel and Leah to build relationships, with the goal that they will be able to share their faith with all these different people.

The couple shared briefly about the first two ministry avenues, but their conversation primarily focused on the third: their local church. Shortly after they moved to the town where they currently live, they were able to partner with another couple and start a church plant. Daniel shares, “There’s been some transition, even some families that have moved in and then had to move out because of work in the city. So, we’ve generally been between 15 and 25 [congregants], and right now we’re around 25.” He continues, “We’ve had two or three baptism services, which has been exciting. In recent years, we have two different guys that are potential leaders that I’ve been working with, and maybe one or two others in the future that I’m starting to look at training.”

Church Planting in Italy

The couple’s end goal with the church is to see it run by local believers. But church planting in Italy is not easy. Leah shares, “Church planting in Italy is complicated. They say the church in Italy is small and well divided, and that is what we have seen in our time in Italy. But what’s kept us going is just focusing on the kingdom work.”

One part of church planting in Italy that can prove a challenge is how many people who attend the church at some point end up having to move eventually, for work or for school. The couple points out that, if every person in the congregation had stayed local, the church would be twice the size that it is now.

We can be small and still be sending people all over the world. And that’s a good thing. That’s God’s heart for the nations.

However, when people must leave, Daniel and Leah see it as sending these people out to share the Gospel. Daniel shares, “We’re sending them out because they were here for three years and we taught and trained them and now they’re going out and they’re going to live out their faith in Belgium or they’re going to live out their faith in Brazil or…in Sweden.” He continues, “An Italian student was with us for a while and now she’s in Sweden. And so it’s like we’re teaching the church. We can be small and still be sending people all over the world. And that’s a good thing. That’s God’s heart for the nations.”

Daniel and Leah could never have foreseen how God would use them when they first moved to Italy all those years ago. They have been able to live missionally by opening up their home, pouring into their community, and planting a church. Most importantly, because of their faithfulness in ministry, the Gospel has gone out far beyond the borders of their town, reaching all the way to the ends of the earth.

*Names changed for privacy

For decades, global workers with TEAM have been giving their lives to make the Good News of Jesus Christ known in Italy and it continues today. To learn more about how you can share the love of God with people around the world, reach out to us today.

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