Kosovo Training
August 25 – September 3, 2023
They arrived on Monday at the conference center overlooking a lake on the Kosovo/Albania border in the Balkan region. These pastors, church planters, ministry leaders and their spouses from Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia make up a beautiful standout minority of Christ’s committed followers.
Most of the couples were first generation believers who have also stepped into pastoral roles, so it was a much needed gift to bring some solid biblical input to help them grow. They lead some of the few gospel-centered churches scattered across this Muslim region where Islam is a 99% majority.
This first Shepherds’ Support conference held in Kosovo is encouraging a powerful network. We are seeing mature local pastoral mentors coming alongside younger workers for prayer and encouragement.
Stories exchanged at mealtimes, between sessions, tears, laughter, hands on shoulders and prayers for each other are visible signs of the support God is bringing them.
We navigated through the New Testament pastoral letter to Titus, emphasizing the power and impact of spiritual influence that pastors have.
We called on ministry couples to prioritize the sanctity of their marriages, giving each other understanding, honor and grace and developing a vision for their marriages.
We discussed resilience in ministry through the upward and outward gaze. We were urged to remember and even form the habit of Sabbath rest, so often neglected in the frantic pace of ministry life.
A special thank you to our local Kosovo partners (Banush, Finete and Estera) and our fantastic teaching team members (Pastor Will Schraven, Pastor Jim and Arline Parris, Pastor Jim and Suzy Erb and Andy and Nancy Hagen)!
Thank you for joining with us in your thoughts and prayers for this special ministry in Kosovo!
We continue to be amazed at the opportunities that the Lord is providing!
