Linz, Austria. Photo courtesy of Matthias Mitterlehner.
Navigator leaders in Europe are excited to see God sending new laborers to Austria to work with young people in this post-Christian culture. In the past month, Mark and Megan Smith have accepted the invitation to serve in the city of Linz, which is one of the primary missions sending priorities for Navigators in Europe.
Austria, as Regional Director Bill Sparks says, “is one of the toughest places to reach” for Christ. As with people in many parts of post-Christian Europe, Austrians are often hesitant to consider the Christian faith. But this reality has inspired Mark and Megan all the more to serve in Austria. Details are still being finalized, but they hope to move to Linz from the U.S., with their three young children, by early fall 2021.
The Smiths, along with European Navigator leaders, are eager to find at least one more young married couple or two single people join them. The need is for people about age 30 of any nationality and who have some Navigator ministry experience in discipleship among nonbelievers. New team members should be willing to learn German and stay in Austria for at least five years. Mark said they would also be open to an “empty-nester” couple in their mid-50s who could support and encourage younger team members.
Mark calls the work in Austria a “dream situation” because there is a strong support network of mature Austrian Navigators who have been laboring among secular people for many years. The new team will also be collaborating with Navigators in nearby Hungary.
Linz is a strategic location, says Bill. The city of about 250,000 people, which is situated on the shores of the Danube River, is home to eight universities. It is also only two hours by car from Vienna, where an even larger student population lives and studies. Equally important, the team in Linz will be able to collaborate with Navigators in Hungary, and possibly in Germany. Bill believes that these regional partnerships could transform this part of Europe into a sending hub for all of Europe and beyond.
European Navigators are also praying that God would send at least one couple to Budapest, Hungary to work primarily with college students and young professionals. The couple (or couples) would join a mature Navigator couple who has been serving fruitfully in Hungary for many years. The cultural and spiritual context in Hungary is similar to Austria’s.
If you are interested in learning more about these opportunities, please write to Grace at grace.pike@navigators.org.
