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The Role of Partnerships in Church Growth: IBC Bonn's Collaborative Approach to Expansion in Europe

Updated: Sep 27


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At this time, the church I pastor (the International Baptist Church of Bonn) has two apprentices enrolled in Aquila’s apprenticeship program. Although both are in the program to be trained for church planting, they are in very different contexts. Therefore, I’d like to speak about them separately.

 

But first, let me tell you a little about our church. IBC Bonn is a small international English-speaking church in a very diverse, well educated, and family-friendly city. The church has 61 members, two lay elders, and a lead pastor who is co-vocational. Our budget is small and although we have been financially stable since we were planted six years ago, we are still unable to support a full-time pastor.

 

The reality is that in western Europe, IBC Bonn may never be able to support a full-time pastor. The cost of living is too high and the evangelical church is too small. This means that if we are going to plant churches, we will have to reimagine church planting.

 

Despite our size and limited resources We are currently planting a church in Alicante, Spain, and we expect to begin planting a German-language church in Bonn next year. This is only possible because of the marketplace missions strategy of the Aquila apprenticeship program, both of our apprentices work to support their living and this allows us an opportunity we wouldn’t have otherwise.

 

Now for our apprentices.


Domestic Church Planting


One of our apprentices is in what might be considered a more typical church planting scenario. He attends IBC Bonn, is an intern in our church, leads a weekly Bible study, and is leading our church planting team with the help of his mentors. By trade he is a carpenter and works four days a week fabricating custom camper vans and one day a week for the church. This allows IBC Bonn to financially support a church planting effort with only 61 members.

 

Through the help of Aquila, we have forged a partnership with a like-minded church in a nearby city; their pastor is Jonathan’s network mentor. This means that he can gain experience in the local church whilst also gaining invaluable experience preaching in German and gaining important insights about church planting and the city of Bonn from a local German pastor. These are insights and experiences that would not be possible in our English-speaking international church.

 

All-in-all, this set up is a perfect representation of the Aquila church planting model. Jonathan is gaining knowledge and experience in the local church through the apprenticeship program. The local church is seeing him grow in competency and he and his co-leader are being mentored and encouraged through his team of mentors.


International Church Planting


In addition to the effort to plant a native language church in our own city of Bonn, we are also planting an English-language church in Alicante, Spain. This effort came about quite by accident, but that was only from our side; God was clearly in control.

 

Matthias is a German member of IBC Bonn who was leading a German-language Bible study at IBC Bonn. Then I began to mentor him more intentionally for leadership using an Aquila Theological Institute course called Training Track for Lay Leaders. My hope was that he would one day lead a church planet in Bonn. Instead Matthias surprised us all by saying that he and his family would be moving to Spain,

 

After a vision trip and feasibility study sponsored by Aquila, Matthias and I knew that an IBC church was possible and needed in Alicante. We were then surprised to learn that there was a former elder of the IBC church in Copenhagen that wanted to move to Alicante to help plant a church. All of a sudden God had given us a team! Matthias and Arno soon became apprentices with ATI (Aquila Theological Institute) and a partnership was developed between three churches through the help of the Aquila Initiative.

 

Arno is retired and Matthias works full-time as a software architect. This means that once again IBC Bonn is able to sustainably able to plant as a small church. With the support of the local Spanish church, IBC Alicante now has a place to meet on a weekly basis. The church plant is doing well and is well on their way to becoming an established church.


Concluding Thought


IBC Bonn is a small church with limited resources. But as a church plant we are committed to the important work of planting more churches. As an international church with a transient community we are committed to continuing the work of raising up leaders and sending them out. Aquila Initiative has helped us in so many ways to accomplish these goals. ATI has proved us with teaching material for discipleship and leadership development. Aquila Initiative has helped us develop partnerships that would have been more difficult otherwise, has led us through a feasibility studies, and has guided us in the effort to plant new churches.

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