Preparing Leaders for New Churches

By Larry E. Haag

Only a few of the 4,000 towns and cities in Croatia have gospel-preaching churches. But even if churches were planted, who would lead them? Church-Centered Leadership Training (C-CLT) is one answer to the need for prepared national Christian leaders.

Damir was one of the leading students in the C CLT program in Mackovec, a city in northern Croatia. God burdened him to become involved in church planting under the direction of his church in Mackovec.

This "mother church" in Mackovec led by Pastor Nenad, was 75 years old at that time. Pastor Nenad, grandson of the man who planted the church, is only the third pastor in the church's history. The city of Prelog was selected for the new church plant for two reasons:

The positive response of civic leaders in Prelog to the Mackovec church's summer evangelistic ministry of Christian music and gospel preaching;
The goals set by the Mackovec church's Church Centered Leadership Training Program, one of which was to plant two new churches in five years.

Pastor Nenad and the church unanimously decided that Damir and his family would lead a new church plant in the city of Prelog. The church held its first service on the last Sunday of October 1997 with 40 people attending. I had the honor to deliver the first message.

The city of Prelog was founded in 1264. This church is the first and only permanent gospel witness in Prelog's history.