By Rev. Dr. Peter Chang, Europe UBF Director

In the Lausanne Covenant, which was ratified in 1974, world evangelization is defined as “the whole Church taking the whole gospel to the whole world.” It also declares that “the church is the community of God’s people rather than an institution” and that it must not be “identified with any particular culture, social or political system, or human ideology.”

40 years have passed since Korean self-supporting nurses set foot in Germany in 1969. For early pioneering missionaries, the last 40 years have been a dramatic journey full of tears and sweat, countless cycles of challenges, failures through which we step by step made and still make our way to God to fulfill the mission He has given us. In order to celebrate the 40th anniversary of European UBF campus mission, I compiled the 40-Year History of European Campus Mission, with a sense of mission to pass it down as a spiritual legacy to future generations. This project also inspired me to pray earnestly on my knees for the next 40 years of Europe UBF mission.

Thanks and praise be to God who sent out countless self-supporting missionaries to Germany and Europe, and raised native European shepherds as harvest reapers and leaders to carry out campus mission ministry for the last 40 years. The marvelous gospel ministries that we currently witness and experience are the mighty work of God. What we offered God was meager as Andrew’s fives loaves and two fish, but God blessed our offering and established 50 UBF campus ministries in 23 European countries during the last 40 years. Currently, approximately 230 missionaries, 60 native shepherds, and 260 second generation coworkers are attending this ministry.

Forsaking worldly titles and glory, our missionaries and native European shepherds obeyed Jesus’ world mission command, offering their lives and youth to God as a kernel of wheat that falls and dies. God blessed their sacrificial life of faith and revealed to them “The Hope of God” towards Europe for spiritual awakening and revival so that Europe may be a missionary-sending continent once again.

Missionaries in Germany and Europe will always remember Dr. Samuel Lee who served Germany and Europe UBF with life-giving spirit while holding on to this hope of God. I give my sincere thanks to late Dr. Samuel Lee, Dr. John Jun, Mother Sarah Barry, Missionary Grace A. Lee and all the Korea UBF staff shepherds for sending out excellent Bible teachers and warriors of faith to Germany and Europe. Moved by this love and dedication, European coworkers gathered together day and night for 1,000 “Nehemiah united prayer meetings” in support of the 2009 European International Summer Bible Conference (EISBC). God blessed our united prayers and two months prior to the conference, more than 1,100 people have registered. What is more precious is the work of the Holy Spirit in helping second generation (New Generation) missionaries and first generation missionaries overcome the generation gap. Many second generation missionaries are growing as or have been established as the leaders of the next generation, co-working with the first generation missionaries and native shepherds.

The 2009 EISBC which commemorates the 40th anniversary of European campus mission is also the 12th International Conference held in Europe. I warmly welcome, from the bottom of my heart, all the mission co-workers who participated as prayer servants, staff shepherds from Korea, native shepherds, second generation missionaries, and their families. I would also like to thank Reverend Ock-Hee Park who sacrificially served the first nurse missionaries through Bible study during the early stages of ministry. I would also like to welcome all the responsible leaders of German and European churches, as well as Korean churches in Germany who are coming to bless this historical conference. I thank all the journalists who are coming to cover this historical work of God from Europe and Korea to reveal God’s hope and vision through their reports. Thanks and praise be to God who raised up German and European native shepherds and the new generation leaders to declare “The Hope of God.” May God fill the hearts of all the mission coworkers of Germany and Europe UBF and all the conference participants with “The Hope of God” and vision through the 2009 EISBC. Please pray earnestly for the spiritual awakening and revival of Europe so that Europe may become a missionary-sending continent once again, overcoming the influence of post-modernism. On this occasion of publishing the 40-year History of European mission, I would like to share the significance of 2009 EISBC.

First, the 2009 European International Summer Bible Conference is proof that European campus mission is possible through selfsupporting lay missionaries. When three Korean nurses were sent out as self-supporting missionaries to Germany in 1969, no one imagined God’s hidden will for His mighty salvation work through them. The three nurses were like a mustard seed planted on this mission field. Now, Germany and Europe UBF has grown large enough to host of EISBC, serving more than 1,000 attendees from 45 countries. Furthermore, there are German and European native shepherds who received God’s calling for European mission and succeeded Korean missionaries’ leadership as UBF church directors. This is not only a living testimony that mission in developed countries through Korean self-supporting missionaries is possible, but it is a practical and effective model of self-supporting mission.

Following this model, native Europe UBF shepherds and the new generation leaders are now preparing themselves to be sent out as missionaries to a second mission field. Presently, sending out professional self-supporting missionaries throughout Europe UBF seems as insignificant as planting a mustard seed in the ground, but in 20 to 30 years, this mustard seed will grow into an enormous tree so that birds of the air come and perch in its branches. Through 2009 EISBC, God will raise many Bible teachers and campus shepherds for the spiritual revival of Europe. The almighty God will surely accomplish this with His mighty hands.

Secondly, we have developed a mission strategy to raise not only the European natives, but also foreign students in Europe with Muslim background as Bible teachers to send them as missionaries when they return to their homeland. This mission strategy is applicable and suitable in reaching out to inaccessible places, such as Muslim nations in which Korean or European missionaries are not allowed.

By following this strategy, France UBF is supporting Frenchspeaking African nations. Germany and Greece UBF will support Middle East mission as well. Using this strategy, we can send out young foreign intellectuals who come to study in Europe as well as European natives as missionaries making Europe a missionary sending continent once again.

In preparing for the conference, we have encouraged regional coworking through establishing seven regions in Europe according to language and culture. This enabled the missionaries to co-work at a regional level within the European continent. As all the seven regions in Europe engaged actively in serving the ministries, Bible studies and disciple-making ministries were revitalized. In addition, the formation of committees and mission prayer teams with specifically assigned tasks and prayer topics further advanced God’s work. These efforts have positively encouraged the missionaries to actively co-work and contribute to the European campus mission in various ways according to one’s own talent and interests. One of our thanksgiving topics for the 12th European International Conference is that we were able to invite Christian leaders of Korean churches in Europe, as well as the leaders of European churches. Through this historical conference, we may be able to share the knowledge of self-supporting mission that UBF has acquired over the last 40 years with the European and Korean churches. Macroscopically, this co-working is significant since Korean, European, and Europe UBF churches all together form the body of Christ. God will be pleased as we co-work with each other to serve world mission. Through coworking and collaborating, may God send out 100,000 professional self-supporting missionaries to China and Muslim nations by 2041.

Compiling this book together, I tried my best to include all the stories of faith, tears and sweat of our missionaries and European coworkers of the last 40 years. However, I apologize that not everything could be included due to time constraints. I once again would like to thank all the missionaries and native coworkers who gave their lives to campus mission and world mission ministries. I would like to thank each one of the missionaries who provided priceless photos and stories for this book. I would also like to express my gratitude toward UBF General Director Rev. Dr. John Jun, who gave much valuable spiritual advice along the way, Rev. Mother Sarah Barry, Missionary Grace A. Lee, Korea UBF Director Rev. Dr. Samuel H. Lee, Rev. Dr. Paul Hong, Rev. Dr. Joseph Ahn, Joseph Lee of Korea UBF, Rev. Elijah Lee, and Rev. Dr. Nehemiah Kim of Kwangju UBF, and Europe UBF Honorary Directors Rev. Abraham Lee and Missionary Kaleb Hong. My sincere thanks to Dr. Paul Koh, missionaries Johannes Lee, Stephanus Park, Markus Kum, and Paul Lee (Greece) for writing and putting together the 40-year history and to Missionary Hanna Ryu, Sarah Eun-Jie Park, Deborah Chang, Mary Grace Kwon, and all the other translation staff and coworkers for editing and making corrections on this book.

Thanks and praise be to God who blessed our one-to-one Bible study ministries and countless united prayers to raise an army of God among German and European campus students. Glory and praise be to God who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light to take part in God’s redemptive work. May God continue to send out 100,000 self-supporting missionaries to 233 countries including China, North Korea, and Muslim nations by 2041. Amen!