Czech Evangelical Forum focused on church revitalization

Over 100 Czech pastors, elders, students, and other Christian leaders gathered in Prague for the 2019 Czech Evangelical Forum, February 28 – 2 March.

This was the fifth consecutive year for the event in its present form, co-sponsored by the Evangelical Theological Seminary and the Czech Evangelical Alliance. The primary theme for this year’s event was “Church Revitalization”.

The 2019 Plenary speakers included special guest Martin Robinson from the United Kingdom, David Novák and Pavel Plchot from the Czech Církev Bratrská denomination, Martin Penc and Jason Morrison from the Czech Apostolská Církev denomination, and Jirí Unger, General Secretary of the Czech Evangelical Alliance.

The topics addressed included the experience of revitalization in UK contexts, the experience of revitalization in Czech contexts, generational divides, and the strengths and ‘illnesses’ of established congregations (15+ years). The conference concluded with 10 theses for the future of the church in the Czech Republic.

The main hall. CEF was held in a new location in Prague this year. / L. Wolters, Czech Evangelical Alliance

SEMINARS: SELF-HARM, YOUTUBE, PORNOGRAPHY…

Seminars allowing deeper investigation and discussion of current issues in the churches are an important part of the Evangelical Forum. This year’s seminars addressed the main topic of church revitalization, as well as a range of inspirational and practical pastoral and church leadership issues.

There were seminars on immediate practical topics such as defending Christian marriage, addressing self-harm, managing church finances, and building a healthy leadership team.

There were seminars addressing wider cultural phenomenon such as the use of Youtube and addressing the Christian story in Czech history. There was also a presentation on the implications of the most recent Evangelical Alliance survey addressing the use of pornography among Christians. 

THEMATIC NETWORKS TO BUILDING STRONG RELATINOSHIPS

An important facet of the Evangelical Forum is the opportunity for pastors and church leaders to meet, get to know each other, and to find ways to cooperate in order to advance the Gospel.

Czech Evangelical Alliance General Secretary Jirí Unger leading the Network for Leaders of Christian Organizations. / L. Wolters, Czech Evangelical Alliance

Network meetings at the Forum make closer connections and cooperation possible. This year the Network meetings included the Academic Network, for Christians engaged with universities and academia; the Evangelical Theology Network, designed especially for those teaching and writing theology; the Homiletics Network, targeting pastors and leaders striving to raise the bar on effective preaching in the churches; the Counseling and Pastoral Network, bringing together pastors and counselors with other church leaders to discuss of effective ways to address pastoral care and counseling issues; a network for leaders and directors of local congregations; and a network for leaders of Christian organizations.

THE CEF

The purpose of the Czech Evangelical Forum is to provide a place where Czech pastors and Christian leaders can meet face-to-face in order to learn from, encourage, and support each other. The Forum is meant to be a source of inspiration in how to live out and communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the unique context of Czech society. The organization of the event believes the 2019 Forum accomplished this purpose. 

Additional information and audio recordings of past Czech Evangelical Forums can be found at the event website (Czech).