Cross-border evangelism and church planting began in Europe almost as soon was the Brethren movement came into being in the 1830s, in Switzerland, Germany, and Spain, and shortly after in Italy. Europe has never been off the agenda since then, and there was remarkable outreach for Christ in Russia and eastern Europe from the last decades of the 1800s up to 1939. Few of the 50+ countries of wider Europe are without Brethren-background churches, and in some like Romania and The Faroes the growth has been astonishing. IBCM Network – Europe’s conferences aim to encourage and strengthen these churches.
Upcoming European Conference
The third European Conference will be held in Durres, Albania on 26-30 September, 2022. The conference theme is “Passion for the Kingdom.” Main speakers include Peter Kozar (Slovakia), Allan McKinnon (Scotland), Andrzej Turkanik (Poland/Austria), and Frédéric Walraven (Netherlands). To book and for more details go to https://booking.ibcm.net/ We would like to see every European country where there are Brethren represented at the conference, and urge key leaders to encourage participation from their own countries.
Earlier European Conferences
2005 The first European Conference was held in Wiedenest, Germany on 30 June–1 July 2005. There were 165 representatives from 24 European countries. At the 2005 conference a declaration on church growth and church planting in the Brethren movement in Europe was agreed.
2009 The second European Conference was held at Modra-Harmonia, near Bratislava, in Slovakia on July 1-4, 2009, in co-operation with leaders among the Slovakian Brethren. Some 125 participants came from 29 countries.