Baptists in Croatia make efforts to evangelize their society which results in the planting of a new congregation.
Baptists in Croatia
The beginnings of the Baptist Movement in Croatia are traced to the missionary influence of Johann G.Oncken (1800-84), often named the “Father of European Baptists”. The very first Baptist congregations in Zagreb and Daruvar were founded in the 1890s. More significant growth was registered between the two World Wars and is attributed mainly to the leadership of evangelist Vinko Vacek.
At that time the Croatian Baptists numbered about six hundred and were part of Yugoslavia. Further growth was possible after World War II as the Baptist congregations were planted in several industrial cities, like Rijeka, Sisak, and Karlovac.
The Croatian Baptist Union was formed in 1991 and has enjoyed further growth, even to the extent of doubling the number of members and congregations. Currently, there are 48 churches and mission stations that comprise a total of 2 thousand members.
Church Planting in Croatia
A new church plant is located in Krizevci, about 40 km from Varazdin, the mother church that backs up this new congregation. There are 15-20 people who during the last three years have been regularly meeting for a Bible study and prayer. The meetings take place in a rented hall and are led by the indigenous church planter Alen (44) who had studied theology in Osijek, Croatia. The population of Krizevci is about 21 thousand. Alen shared in his past ministry reports:
“In the first several months of this new mission project (2022) we worked on laying the foundations for our future Christian community. Building a leadership team was crucial for me. Therefore I developed relationships with people who regularly attended meetings and made new contacts. We established the biblical material for our meetings.
As time passed by we started regular services in a rented hall. Throughout the week we also meet for Bible studies in homes. We have some amazing examples of how God can change a human heart. For instance, two men recently repented from a difficult life and were freed from addictions. We noticed that the attendance rose after we started our meetings in a rented hall. Lately, over the period of six months, some new people joined our community.
A couple of new converts went through a course of preparation for baptism. After having finished the course they confirmed their faith through baptism which was celebrated together with the mother church in Varazdin. This was a very important public testimony to everyone present. We pray that God will continue to work in their hearts. The attendance of our services is growing. Among others, we had a visit of two persons and are slowly developing our relations with them.
In the meantime, one person decided to leave our community and joined a church in Zagreb. During the past four months, I had several phone calls trying to encourage this person. I managed to explain that it is very important to be a part of a spiritual family in the town where he lives. Some others also showed their care by contacting this person and we continue to pray for him.
We are still having our regular meetings every Friday. Once a month on Sunday we organize a special event with vibrant worship, preaching of God’s Word, celebrating the Lord’s Supper and an Agape lunch/fellowship following. This form of our gathering activates many people which is a great blessing to the whole community”.
Alen shared a video
Prayer requests
1. Pray that the mission team will be encouraged to continue the ministry.
2. Pray that the people in Krizevci and its vicinity may be receptive to the gospel.
3. Pray that the gospel outreach will result in conversions.
In Christ,
Daniel Trusiewicz
EBF Mission Coordinator
Planting new churches together!
For the glory of God!