A Church for Others ? On Wednesday, February 3, 2016, I witnessed over 160 church leaders meet at the Matthäus Church in Frankfurt, Germany to discuss the new challenge facing the German church. Over one million refugees have streamed into Germany. With a population of 80 million, this means one out of every 80 people is now a refugee! This statistic will change the face of Germany forever. We will all be affected in some form or another. But the challenge that lies ahead for the German church is immense. Stephen Beck, pastor, church-planter and professor at the FTH (Freie Theologische Hochschule) gave an inspiring speech at the conference. “Today, we are making history! Today, we are walking in the footsteps of Bonhoeffer and the confessing church whose motto it was that the church must always be the church for others.” [1] In 1934 the German church was restructured and the Frankfurt churches received a new bishop who was a member of the German Church, a...
A pessimist's pursuit of joy