Romania

From persecution to proclamation

Ministry opportunities in Romania

For over 20 years during the communist regime, we were actively involved in smuggling Christian literature for the persecuted church. Full ministry began in January of 1992, and we have seen the church growing and celebrating freedom ever since!

Today, our primary focus is to mobilise the Church for local and world missions. We want to challenge believers to reach the ends of the Earth with the Gospel that can transform other nations just as it has transformed ours. This is achieved through conferences, church meetings, and short-term missions programmes.

At the same time, we want to be faithful disciples of Christ and serving Him through our local outreach programs:

Hope for the Romas: The Gypsy church is experiencing a spiritual revival like never before. We offer support to the Roma pastors and new believers through training and discipleship.

Sports: Romanian people love sports! This is a great tool to connect with the younger generation and share the love of God with them. We have started a football league and several local basketball and volleyball teams.

New Generation: There is a significant generational gap between the people of Romania. Unlike their parents who often hold traditional Communist values, the new generation is growing up with a more Western mindset. Our goal is to guide both generations through this transition using opportunities with our kids and youth programmes and family games.

Business for Transformation: Compared to other European countries, Romania's struggling economy has led to many people seeking better-paid jobs overseas. By helping people with initiatives to start and grow a small business, we minimise this exodus and keep families together.

Bus4Life and Literature: Distribution of Christian literature is at the heart of our ministry. One creative way we reach people with the written Gospel is through Bus4Life, a traveling book caravan that connects people with our ministry.

How you can get involved:

• PRAY
  • Pray for the Romanian Church to continue what the underground church has started and use the freedom we have today to share the Gospel with as many people as possible.
  • Pray for Romanian missionaries to reach the ends of the world with the good news of salvation through Christ’s sacrifice.
  • Pray for the new generation to follow Jesus in all they do.
• GIVE — Give here (http://www.om.org/en/give) to help support the work of OM in Romania.
• GO — See the job opportunities listed at http://www.om.org/en/opportunities. Contact us at: info.ro@om.org or visit our website: www.ro.om.org. Please join us in equipping the church in Romania to help fulfill the Great Commission.

More information about Romania

·       Population: 19 million

·       Official language: Romanian

·       State of economy: Member of the European Union since 2007, but still struggling to achieve economic stability

·       Religious make-up: 81.9% Eastern Orthodox, 4.3% Catholic, 6.4% Evangelical, .9% other religions, 0.2% non-religious

·       State of the church: The Evangelical Church of Romania was one of the most severely persecuted churches in Eastern Europe prior to 1989. Despite this persecution, the church has continued to grow and spread the message of the Gospel. Romania’s Evangelical church is now one of the strongest in Europe, second only to the Evangelical church in Great Britain. However, a fresh perspective is continually needed to most effectively reach those who have not yet heard about the love of Jesus.