Heidelberg, Germany

Church Planting in Heidelberg

by Sebastian Heck (Pastoral Intern, GPC)

Germany has been called the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation. The preaching and writings of Martin Luther (1483-1546) brought about a glorious recovery of the Gospel which, in turn, helped to spread spiritual reformation all across Europe. Germany was once teeming with passionate Christians. Presently, however, it is one of the darkest places in all of Europe. For most Americans this is hard to believe. Tourists see the beautiful church steeples all across the country. But rather than signs of spiritual life, they have become bitter reminders of a distant past. The proud atheism and agnosticism of its past philosophers has given way to a new paganism.

The largest portion of Germany‘s population is nominally (in name only) Christian. Adding up the numbers of “evangelicals” within and without the officially sanctioned Lutheran state church leads to an estimate of about 1-2% of the total population (compare with 4-5% Muslims). Church attendance ranks at about 5-7% of the population (mostly Catholics; compare with between 40% and 50% attendance in the U.S.). The Christian landscape in Germany is mostly comprised of the Lutheran State Church which has virtually no signs of spiritual life and the Free Churches which have very little respect for church history or doctrinal formulations (e.g. creeds and confessions).

At this point in the history of German Christianity, a solid and truly confessional Reformed church would be unique ministry. Indeed, there is almost no presence of Reformed and Confessional Christianity anywhere in Germany.

This has led us to start “Reformation2Germany“. R2G stands for a vision for reformation and for the establishment of a Reformed church in Germany.

Our vision is to see the establishment of a vibrant, confessional and Reformed church in Germany in order to spread the Gospel anew. The strategy we are pursuing with R2G is three-fold:

1. Church Planting

Through God-centered preaching and evangelism we will seek to plant confessional, Reformed, evangelistic, culture-engaging, God-glorifying German churches that rely on the use of the ordinary, God-given means of grace (Word, sacraments, & prayer). Yes, we are praying and planning not just for one congregation but several congregations in strategic places in order to form a Presbyterian & Reformed denomination in Germany. The first church plant and what will be the “headquarters” of the new denomination will be in Heidelberg, a city with a rich - but largely forgotten - Reformed heritage. At the same time, we are considering other potential sites and assessing potential pastors and missionaries for church planting in Germany.

2. Publishing

Publishing is part of the larger objective of creating a “Reformed atmosphere” in which people come to learn and embrace a distinctively Reformed worldview. We have already begun to publish books that we hope will encourage German Christians and reach out to the broader culture. In addition, we hope to put out a popular magazine, as well as websites and podcasts.

3. Training & Teaching

Wherever a great work of reformation is to be sustained, ministers of the gospel need to be trained and taught. We seek to provide training for future elders and church planters/pastors that will in turn be ready to plant churches in other cities in Germany as a part of a new, healthy, and growing denomination.

R2G is an official project of “Mission to the World” (MTW), the missions agency of the PCA. I am the team leader and a German national who is seeking ordination in the PCA. For that reason, I am under care of the Northwest Georgia Presbytery and currently serving a season of internship at Grace Presbyterian Church, PCA in Douglasville, Georgia under the mentorship of Dr. Jon Payne. I am also currently pursuing a doctorate at the Theologische Universiteit Apeldoorn in the Netherlands.

Additional members of the R2G endeavor are Rev. Will and Judi Traub. The Traubs previously served as MTW missionaries in Germany for twelve years and are looking forward to moving back to Heidelberg in 2009. Will is coordinator for theological education and training for MTW Europe and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Göttingen, Germany.

Since the task is great, we have asked the PCA and others to come alongside us to help us establish a Presbyterian & Reformed denomination in Germany. We are particularly thrilled about the willingness of Grace Presbyterian Church to be involved in the church plant in Heidelberg. In fact, members of the session of Grace PCA are among the founding members of R2G.

We are currently doing several things. We are recruiting missionaries to join our team in Heidelberg long-term, as well as assessing potential German national pastors for the new denomination. We are also considering various relationships to other Reformed denominations in Europe. Also, we have begun the enormous task of raising the funds necessary for the R2G project.

If you are visiting this website from another church, we would love to come and present our vision to your missions committee, leadership or church. Join with us in this effort to establish a gospel-centered, confessional, and Reformed church in Germany – to God’s glory and the joy and salvation of many!

For more information in English, please visit www.reformation2germany.org.  
For more information in German about the Heidelberg church plant, visit: www.serk-deutschland.de.

The Heck Family

If you are interested in taking part in this ministry financially, please contact the church office at 770-489-6758.

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