From youth work to church planting in the Czech Republic

Ondrej Paulus shares how Union is supporting his church planting ministry in the Czech Republic.

My wife Marketa and I are involved in church planting in a small town called Chotebor (around 10 000 people) in the middle of the Czech Republic (2 hours driving from Prague). 

We started serving in this town almost 10 years ago during our college years. Through the work of an American missionary named Joanie Hull we were inspired to help with youth and children‘s ministry at schools and in teenagers‘ free time. We used English, sports and other free time activities to build relationships with young people and shared the Gospel through talks and personal conversations. 

After my studies at seminary, God called us to move to this small town and transform the youth and children‘s ministry into planting a local evangelical church. Two other young couples joined our calling and together we started learning how to live as Christians in a small, missional community.

In the first five years of our church, which we call „Signal Chotebor“, we have baptised 6 people and welcomed 10 Christians from other denominations (mostly from Catholic church). Today we are a community of 20 people from all generations and serve another 40 every week.  

From teenagers to young families

Our time of ministry in Chotebor is also the story of my and my wife‘s personal journey. It is the growth that God gave us to watch in the lives of our friends here in this town. Ten years ago we filled our lives with relationships with 20-30 young people and by God’s grace we could see around half of them start new lives in Christ.

We took responsibility in discipling them and helping them not only to mature spiritually but also grow as men and women who can be witnesses of Christ in today‘s world. Watching them grow in faith and life is an amazing gift that God gave us. Not only did God give them gifts and skills to lead others and share the Gospel, but he is calling them into healthy couples and marriages which, for me, is really the high point of God’s grace.

I am praying that their future families can be solid foundations of new Christian communities in Chotebor and the whole Czech Republic. 

"The heart of our mission is communicating the word of God clearly and understandably for us and the world around us."

An ‘understandable‘ church

The heart of our mission is communicating the word of God clearly and understandably for us and the world around us. We have accepted the great heritage of our denomination which is focussed on solid teaching and Gospel-centred mission.

What God taught us, though, was the need of understanding God’s word for Czech people who have almost no experience with church or the Bible. Czech people are sceptical and ignorant about faith but definitely not stupid. They are extremely careful of being manipulated, which is the natural heritage of a communist era.

This experience has led us to learning how to communicate God’s word and our personal experience with him in clear and understandable language. As Christ-followers we want to worship God, read the Bible, share faith and pray for each other but if we want to be open to our non-christian friends and neighbours we want them to understand and then make a decision.

No reasonable person in the Czech Republic will make a decision if he or she doesn’t understand the basic information. It is a challenge but it is the one that is pushing us to rethink our Christian traditions and habits – not because we need it, but because the people we love need it. 

If we want to be open to our non-christian friends and neighbours we want them to understand and then make a decision.

The situation in 2020

As everywhere in the western world, the Czech Republic is also experiencing an unusual year due to Covid-19 pandemic.

Our church was allowed to gather in person only in the first three months of the year and briefly in September. The whole church life had to transfer to the online world and it is teaching us new ways of ministry and care but also raises new challenges and problems.

The core of our church plant is gathering through online Sunday services and Bible studies, but the youth and children‘s ministries have almost stopped. Please pray for creative ways of continuing in relationships that are now limited, and for God’s presence in the lives of young Christians who are struggling to live strongly without close touch with their community. 

Thank you for your help, prayers and support!

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