Die Konferenz am vergangenen Wochenende bot unter anderem auch verschiedene Workshops und Kleinseminare an. Eines davon stellte eine Studie über "Wachsende Gemeinden in Schweden" vor, die vom NGE-Institut (Natürliche Gemeindeentwicklung) untersucht wurden. Wenn man die Leute fragt, die neu zu Gemeinden gekommen sind und vorher keine Gemeindeanbindung durch Eltern, Familie oder sonstiges hatten, so gibt der Löwenanteil der Befragten an, ausschließlich aufgrund eines Freundes oder einer Freudin begonnen zu haben, sich für den Glauben zu interessieren. Immerhin sagten 15%, dass ihr Interesse durch irgendeine Art übernatürliches Erlebnis in eine Gemeinde gebracht wurden. Fast niemand gab das Internet oder irgendwelche Werbung an. Auf die Frage, wie lange ihre geistliche Reise in eine Gemeinde denn gedauert habe, setzten rund 45% ihr Kreuzchen unter: "Sieben Jahre oder mehr". Das ist also die Kultur, in der wir arbeiten, und es passt perfekt mit unseren eigenen Erfahrungen zusammen. Übernatürliche Erfahrungen können wir zum Beispiel unmöglich selbst erschaffen, aber wir können darum beten. Und wir können um Liebe und Ausdauer, um Kreativität und Mut beten. Und wir können öffentlich darum bitten, mit uns und für uns zu beten.
Seven years or more
The church planting conference in Gothenburg last weekend offered also some workshops. One of them was about "Growing churches in Sweden" and presented a research of a Swedish Natural Church Development Survey which gave some interesting results. If you ask those who have recently joined a church although they didn't have any church background through parents, childhood, family etc the vast majority states there was a friend who wakened their interest in faith. 15% indicated a supernatural experience of any nature whatsoever that brought them to church. Almost nobody indicated the internet or advertisement. If you ask them how much time their spiritual journey took into a church about 45% checked the answer: "Seven years or more". That's the culture we're working in and these results fit very well to our own experiences. We cannot create like supernatural experiences. But we can pray for them. And we can pray for love and resilience, for creativity and boldness. And we can ask publicly to pray with us and for us.
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Seven years or more
The church planting conference in Gothenburg last weekend offered also some workshops. One of them was about "Growing churches in Sweden" and presented a research of a Swedish Natural Church Development Survey which gave some interesting results. If you ask those who have recently joined a church although they didn't have any church background through parents, childhood, family etc the vast majority states there was a friend who wakened their interest in faith. 15% indicated a supernatural experience of any nature whatsoever that brought them to church. Almost nobody indicated the internet or advertisement. If you ask them how much time their spiritual journey took into a church about 45% checked the answer: "Seven years or more". That's the culture we're working in and these results fit very well to our own experiences. We cannot create like supernatural experiences. But we can pray for them. And we can pray for love and resilience, for creativity and boldness. And we can ask publicly to pray with us and for us.
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