KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — A local Tennessee church and the Croatian Baptist Union have formed a unique partnership to help support a pastoral center in ?akovec, Croatia.
First Baptist Church of Knoxville, Tenn., and the Baptist Union will provide writing, translating and publishing services for the Baptist Institute, a training center in ?akovec. They will also support professors at the institute, which was started by the Croatian Baptist Union to help pastors and church members.
Zjelko Mraz, general secretary of the Croatian Baptist Union, said the partnership with the Knoxville church will significantly help the institute as it matures. He said both sides will benefit from their participation in a “healthy model of cooperation in the mission field.”
Located on the edge of the Adriatic Sea between Bosnia, Herzegovina and Slovenia, Croatia has a population of 4.5 million and is roughly the size of West Virginia. Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion, although the Baptist World Alliance lists 52 churches and 2,033 members in the democratic nation.
“In the last 15 years, the number of Baptist churches in Croatia has doubled, as well as the membership in these churches,” Mraz said. “The number of full-time pastors grew from four to 27. For further growth, we need a quality discipleship program both for pastors and members. This was the role of [the Baptist Institute] so far. May the Lord bless this partnership.”
The Knoxville church first participated in a construction project in ?akovec in 2004. It was one of the first Baptist organizations from the United States to assist the Pastoral Center, one sector of the institute.
At least five other churches have supported the development of the Pastoral Center, a partnership initiated by Tennessee Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Bill Shiell, senior pastor of the Knoxville congregation, said he hopes the partnership could be a “hub” to encourage other churches and Baptist groups to get involved in similar efforts.
In addition to the publishing services, the pairing will help the development of the Pastoral Center in ?akovec, which is a retreat and training location for the Baptist Institute. Next year, the center will offer support for victims of substance abuse and courses on parenting and conflict resolution.
According to a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship press release, 700 people have participated in the training in six regional centers. The textbooks of the Baptist Institute are used by lay leaders to help in their ministry of teaching and preaching, and the Baptist Institute provides in-depth training for lay leaders through intensive weekend seminars on topics of effective faith or systematic doctrine.
Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, but it took four years of intermittent fighting before occupying Serb armies left Croatian regions. Under UN supervision, Serbs had completely left eastern Slavonia by 1998.
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— Compiled by ABP from CBF and other sources