Frequently asked questions

It was quite simple: one evening Tyler was praying in our church in Kansas. While praying, he sensed God speaking “East Germany” into his heart. To be honest, we had no idea how many people there believed in God. “Are there many Christians? Do they really need more pastors?” So we looked into it and found out that only about 1 % of people in East Germany believe in God! That number was shocking and moved us deeply. For Americans it is hard to imagine: our hometown of 50,000 people has more than 100 churches.

So we decided to follow God’s call and first moved to Rostock. Since we didn’t speak any German yet, we went to language school first. After six months we started helping with the youth group of a free evangelical church. That time was a huge learning process for us: learning the language, getting to know the culture, trusting God in everything and walking alongside people from a different culture in their faith. It was the hardest time of our lives – but also the one we learned the most from. We saw God work in us and through us in ways we would never have thought possible. We believe that was because we had to rely on him completely.

The youth group we were able to support in Rostock is doing really well today and keeps growing – we are very grateful for that. We lived in Rostock from January 2012 to December 2014. After that we flew back to the US to start fundraising for the church plant in Leipzig.

We actually thought we would stay in the Rostock area – we hadn’t even considered another city. But then we remembered what God had put on our hearts from the very beginning: planting a church. Back in 2008 we had the vision of starting a church that would, in the long run, plant more churches.

So we started praying about where exactly the first church plant should begin. Soon after, a friend called us and said he felt we should visit Leipzig. The first time we were in Leipzig, Tyler received confirmation from God that this was the right place. We walked through the city and prayed. As we stood next to the opera house, the name of the new church became very clear to us: it would be called “generations church”. Afterwards we talked to our leaders in America and received the confirmation that we could get started in Leipzig.

We know there are many good churches and Christian communities in Leipzig, and we are incredibly grateful for every one of them and for the amazing work they do! Each one is needed. We really value being part of the movement in Leipzig and working together with such great pastors. These churches love you, Leipzig! So why another new church?

Our main motivation is that we believe God wants us here. And the city needs more churches. We won’t be the last church to be planted here – we hope there will be more than we can imagine! Why? Because you matter! Because your neighbour matters! And because the stranger on the street matters! Because 99 % of the people in Leipzig don’t know Jesus as their creator, saviour and friend. Jesus is the best news and the greatest hope – and we want everyone to have the chance to hear about him. Maybe through us, maybe through another church in Leipzig, because we are all working towards the same goal: seeing people encounter God and experience real freedom through him.

In the long run we hope that our church plant will lead to many more new churches. There are many districts in Leipzig that still don’t have enough churches.

The book of Judges, chapter 2, in the Old Testament is the perfect example of how important it is to pass the gospel on to the next generation:

The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. […] After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:7, 10)

Something similar happened in East Germany. The communist regime made it very hard for Christians in the east of Germany to speak publicly about their faith and to pass it on. Many people did not pass their faith on to the next generation. As a result, only about 1 % of people in East Germany believe in God today.

Our prayer is that God will raise up a new generation that follows him and Jesus Christ and passes this trust on to the next generation – who will then pass it on to the next …

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2:2)