Why did you choose Portugal? What drew you to mission work there?
We chose Portugal for a number of reasons, the main one being that Angelina's mother is Portuguese (and Angelina holds Portuguese citizenship) which created a strong family connection to the country and it's culture. In addition, both Angelina and I were both drawn to Western Europe and started our ministry lives in Ireland. While in Ireland we had opportunities to visit Portugal and did so (and continue to) on a regular basis. We've had ample time to see the country, meet Angelina's family and others, and visit in almost every season of the year. Over time we developed a love for the Portuguese people and their culture strong enough to consider moving to begin or join a church planting movement. Portugal is one of the least churched cultures in Western Europe with an evangelical Christian population under 1%, well below the 10% threshold to be considered a churched population. Some say that Portugal falls within the 10/40 window making it ideal for ministry. It also doesn't hurt that we love the food, the ocean, the country, and the music.
What denomination(s) or organizations are you working (affiliated) with?
For our work in Portugal we sifted through many organizations to find one with theological, practical, and personnel strength and a European based organization called KontaktMission, rose to the top. In terms of denominational ties, we consider ourselves undenominational. The Lord Jesus prayed for unity among his bride and we take unity very seriously. However, we also take the scriptures to be the inspired, inerrant word of God and hold fast to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles realizing that many so-called "christians" do not. While we can't control what others do, our desire is to teach, preach, mentor, and coach planters and congregations to love Jesus and love his word partnering with those who share the same desire. Together along with our supporting partners, we're committed to the work and ministry of Jesus, New Testament church planting, and the betterment of Portuguese and European culture.
Will you have accountability and ministry care?
Accountability in ministry is not only important, it's vital. As KontaktMission missionaries we're not doing ministry alone. One of the benefits of working within KontaktMission is the accountability we receive as members of the KM team. KontaktMission has missionaries all over Europe as well as seasoned veteran missionaries serving as KM directors in both Germany and the United States. For missionary health, KontaktMission missionaries are required to attend a yearly retreat for rest and spiritual growth alongside the missionary team from all over Europe. This retreat is designed to give missionaries a place to relax, refocus, and report on their work and receive any care that might be needed. Other KM benefits include having access to profession missionary care and counseling if needed as well as administrative support in the United States to handle salaries, supporter care, and taxes.
From previous experience, we knew it was important to add outside oversight and accountability so we've asked Life Journey Christian church to provide another layer of support. The leadership agreed and will be coming alongside us to provide the care of a supporting church in our new venture. This will consist of spiritual support through prayer, doctrinal support as needed, and member contact as well as some financial support. A benefit of our relationship with Life Journey is their involvement with Stadia Church Planting, a North American church planting organization with access to top quality ministry support and care if needed which adds another level of professional independent support.
Most importantly, our partnership with local Portuguese christians extends to localized care and oversight as well. Our ministry colleagues in Portugal have invited us to be a part of their team to provide yet another layer of support. This will prove to be most beneficial in the early days of our ministry as we're assimilating to the culture, learning the language, finding a place to live, buying a car, insurances, finding the grocery store, and making friends. Any localized support will be handled at the local level with the understanding that we also have support from outside sources willing to help and provide a secondary perspective.
In other words, we've worked hard to cover our bases.
From previous experience, we knew it was important to add outside oversight and accountability so we've asked Life Journey Christian church to provide another layer of support. The leadership agreed and will be coming alongside us to provide the care of a supporting church in our new venture. This will consist of spiritual support through prayer, doctrinal support as needed, and member contact as well as some financial support. A benefit of our relationship with Life Journey is their involvement with Stadia Church Planting, a North American church planting organization with access to top quality ministry support and care if needed which adds another level of professional independent support.
Most importantly, our partnership with local Portuguese christians extends to localized care and oversight as well. Our ministry colleagues in Portugal have invited us to be a part of their team to provide yet another layer of support. This will prove to be most beneficial in the early days of our ministry as we're assimilating to the culture, learning the language, finding a place to live, buying a car, insurances, finding the grocery store, and making friends. Any localized support will be handled at the local level with the understanding that we also have support from outside sources willing to help and provide a secondary perspective.
In other words, we've worked hard to cover our bases.
What do you envision your ministry in Portugal to look like?
Our vision for our work in Portugal consists of 3 phases:
1) A partnership with Portuguese christians willing to start Portuguese churches. Our role will be an overseeing, mentoring, supporting role to lead and guide younger church planters through the growth phases of their baby congregations. This will hopefully consist of making friends and disciples at the same time.
2) Our hope is then to mature these churches into a church planting movement to reach the 200 towns and cities in Portugal with no Christian influence.
3) The last phase consists of turning that church planting movement into a ministry of evangelism, outreach and good works for the Portuguese speaking countries of the world. Portuguese speaking places like Mozambique, Angola, Guinea Bissau, Cabo Verde, Macau, and even Brazil are rife with corruption but ripe for the gospel. We believe that a successful Portuguese ministry could one day transfer to a successful ministry in other Portuguese places where English is not widely spoken.
For a greater understanding of our work, please see our About Our Ministry page.
1) A partnership with Portuguese christians willing to start Portuguese churches. Our role will be an overseeing, mentoring, supporting role to lead and guide younger church planters through the growth phases of their baby congregations. This will hopefully consist of making friends and disciples at the same time.
2) Our hope is then to mature these churches into a church planting movement to reach the 200 towns and cities in Portugal with no Christian influence.
3) The last phase consists of turning that church planting movement into a ministry of evangelism, outreach and good works for the Portuguese speaking countries of the world. Portuguese speaking places like Mozambique, Angola, Guinea Bissau, Cabo Verde, Macau, and even Brazil are rife with corruption but ripe for the gospel. We believe that a successful Portuguese ministry could one day transfer to a successful ministry in other Portuguese places where English is not widely spoken.
For a greater understanding of our work, please see our About Our Ministry page.
Do you envision staying in Portugal long term?
Currently we've committed to 5 years of ministry in Portugal with an openess that 5 years will turn into a lifetime. From past experience, setting a reasonable short-term goal with hopes of long term success is a more natural approach to foreign ministry than making a 50 year commitment with no end in sight.
How long have you been in ministry? Have you worked anywhere else?
We've been in ministry for about 7 years. This has consisted of ministry while in bible school, full time vocational ministry in Ireland, and preaching and teaching in Bakersfield. While in Ireland Kevin worked as an associate minister for a congregation in Dublin and during our break in Bakersfield we have served our local congregation through starting, hosting, and transferring small groups, serving in church leadership, preaching, men's ministry, and hospitality.