The Position
The role of church planter is one of the most demanding yet rewarding positions within ABWE. It takes a special commitment to Christ and a rare ability to share the truth of the gospel with passion and energy. With ABWE, you can spread the Word of God to a population who desperately needs your help. Many Bulgarians consider themselves Christians yet have no personal relationship with the Savior. As a church planter, you’ll develop the community relationships that will change lives — theirs and yours — forever.
As a church planter, you will:
- Develop important community relationships that will inspire a lifelong devotion to loving Christ and sharing the gospel with nonbelievers
- Bring passion and motivation to the mission every day as you build the church community from the ground up
- Demonstrate the necessary spiritual maturity to answer questions and provide leadership to new and prospective church community members
- Stimulate the multiplication of churches throughout the Bulgarian community
- Guide believers to greater spiritual depth and identify potential servant-leaders in the community
The Need
There is little diversity in Bulgaria, where 98 percent of ethnic Bulgarians identify as Bulgarian Orthodox. Members of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church consider themselves Christian because they were baptized at birth, yet they do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Less than 2 percent of the population is evangelical Christian, and many of their churches lack trained leadership — some have no leadership at all. ABWE’s mission is to expand the evangelical presence in Bulgaria by planting new churches throughout the country while providing support to the existing churches through training and guidance. The people of Bulgaria and ABWE need you.
The Impact
ABWE launched our Bulgarian mission in February 2014 with two teammates. Today, our Bulgarian team has opened a Christian bookstore, where a small group of committed church members meet to discuss faith and share the gospel. Many of Bulgaria’s residents have lost faith in God, or believe they are saved because they were baptized at birth. The needs of the Bulgarian people — and our teammates — are great. Won’t you join us?
Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 crisis, ABWE is limiting international travel of short-term missionaries originating from the US and assessing the level of risk per country per US State Department guidelines. To inquire about travel restrictions or exceptions, please contact go@abwe.org. We would love to talk to you!