Together for Berlin

How exactly does one go about reaching a city of more than 4 million people? Especially one as spiritually apathetic as Berlin. No one group can do it alone; the only hope is through believers working together.

An organisation called “Together for Berlin” is calling Christians to make a difference in Berlin. Consisting of a partnership between free churches, state churches and parachurch organizations, it is creating a greater unity between followers of Jesus in different traditions.

At the same time, God seems be moving in Berlin. “The overall openness to the gospel has improved,” says Rev. Axel Nehlsen, a Lutheran pastor who leads Together for Berlin. He points out that in Prenzlauerberg, the area of East Berlin near his office, the churches are full. It is a trendy area for young families, who seek out spiritual foundations for their children. Other parts of Berlin are not so open, but all the same it represents a change from the former trend in East Germany — away from God.

Axel Nehlsen

Another change in the spiritual climate,” says Pastor Nehlsen, “is that politicians and people in the marketplace are willing to talk about their faith in public. The Christian president started this by saying “God bless Germany” after one of his speeches.”

Together for Berlin had its roots in the late 1990s, when Duane Conrad, then director of Campus für Christus Germany, visited Berlin pastors to learn about the needs of the city. “How can we help you?” he asked. “What are your needs?” Pastors said they felt lonely, isolated and discouraged at the low level of spiritual interest in the city.

Then in May 1998, Campus Crusade invited Christian leaders from several European cities to meet in London and share ideas. “None of us knows how to do city ministry well,” Duane said to the Berliners. “Let’s meet and talk about what we can do.”

Four men joined Duane in London, where they concluded the greatest need was for pastors to meet each other and to realise they were not alone. Back in Berlin, they invited dozens of pastors and their wives to a prayer breakfast.

This breakfast grew into Together for Berlin, a network of pastors and Christian leaders seeking to influence all areas of the city with the gospel. As Christian leaders meet each other through the prayer breakfasts and other forums, they discover ways to improve their partnership. Together for Berlin developed nine different tracks, each focused on reaching a different sector of the city.

“Campus für Christus was the catalyst pulling us together,” says Axel. “Since they are not a local denomination, they were not a threat.” CfC also had a strong reservoir of credibility, due to successful ministry among the 130,000 university students back in the 1970s. Today, the various CfC ministries in Berlin work closely with Together for Berlin in its many outreaches.

Partnerships influence the spiritual climate in many ways. On May Day, for example, radicals often unleash violent demonstrations. Several years ago Together for Berlin sent youth on prayer walks to places where the violence had taken place, and that May saw one of the most peaceful demonstrations in years. This past year, an intercultural worship band played in the open air on May Day. Afterward, Together for Berlin presented two initiatives where people could get involved in serving the community – one Christian, one not Christian.

This is a good way to cooperate in a post-modern world,” says Axel. “People like networking. We cooperate with secular authorities, but we bring in what we can do – prayer, humanitarian aid, saying that Jesus is Lord. And it is accepted.”

“We need direct ministry,” says Duane, referring to the personal outreach of individual staff members, “but if that is all we do, we won’t reach the city. It’s too big. We need the partnership too.”