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Volume 14, No. 3

Christians in the Czech Republic: Overcoming

the Legacy of Oppression

Stephen Edward Olsen

An End to Captivity

As the Czech Republic continues its transition from its Communist past to its post-Communist future, changes are taking place at an incredible rate. Thankful for the removal of fear and the entrance of freedom, many, especially the elderly, are struggling to find their place in the emerging nation. As a tiger born into captivity, Czechs had adapted to life in a Communist cage. They lacked freedom, but they could count on basic sustenance. The caretaker (the state) fed them and their lives were ordered and predictable. One day the Czechs’ cage door was broken down and they ran out into the jungle, only to find they did not know how to live in freedom. Some desired to return to the familiarity of the cage - but the caretaker was gone. They had to learn to live in the jungle. New fears replaced old ones. Nevertheless, amidst dramatic changes, the Czechs’ indomitable character and the constancy of their social organization remained largely intact.

Surviving Oppression

Surviving an eleven-hundred-year history of oppression and servitude testifies to Czech endurance and adaptability. The combined effect of repeated regeneration and long-term perseverance has produced in Czechs a sense of self-reliance and an instinct for survival. However, such protest and regeneration comes with a price: exhaustion and resentment. The birth and re-birth of the nation has been hard on everyone. Not only must oppressors be overcome, but a new way of living must be built. Change is taxing. When it occurs on a national scale in political, economic, religious, and social spheres, as is the case today, exhaustion becomes the norm. Resentment against both oppressors and change easily follows. Pain and resentment run deep in the Czech experience, complicated by the fact that in order to survive, Czech soften have resorted to burying their pain.

How Czechs Have Coped

Czechs have the ability to detect error and “examine everything carefully” (I Thessalonians 5:21). Unfortunately, many Czechs have an inclination to remain at this point, dwelling on the negatives and not moving beyond them. Fatalism is prevalent. The attitude is “Yes, it’s bad; but what can I do about it? “As a result, many Czechs resign themselves to sarcasm, irony, and criticism. Czechs divide social space between a private sphere(inside the house, inside the fence, inside the car) and public sphere. This dualism of space has led Czechs to give great care to their personal possessions. This mentality encourages thrift. As a corollary, Czechs carefully guard their personal space and personal belongings, giving them strong sense of security on the inside.

Unfortunately, these values of care, thrift, and security often transmute into neglect, parsimony, and suspicion outside the private domain. Among Christians, this may be seen in the neglect of church property, which leads non-Christians to conclude that Christians are no different from non-Christians. If, however, church property is well cared for, nonbelievers will know something is positively different about Christians. It will reflect well upon Christ and His church. Secondly, tithing generally is not practiced, or even discussed, which limits mission efforts as well as church upkeep. Furthermore, suspicion often causes strangers to feel unwelcome in church. After an initial socially polite greeting, visitors often feel neglected.

Taking Responsibility and Taking the

Initiative in Witness

A healthy commitment to stewardship can transform the Czechs’ truncated understanding of responsibility. Christian modeling of stewardship includes efforts to improve church facilities, both financially and physically, and to welcome non-Christians (usually considered outsiders) into homeland church fellowship. It also entails using one’s money for others; willingness to risk loaning property; and taking the risk of welcoming so-called undesirable children into home and church. Czech believers need to see that everything in their possession belongs to God and can be generously used for His purposes. The researcher’s home has been opened to non-Christian babysitters, housekeepers, and party guests. In each instance, Czechs have shared verbal cautions about such behavior. However, after a period of time, the warnings have ceased. Instead, strangers have actually been accepted among Christians, even to the point that non-Christians, once thought untrustworthy, have been welcomed into Christians ‘homes. Negative Czech attitudes towards non-Christian visitors can even change to the point that outsiders may be invited into homes for evangelistic purposes.

Typical patterns in Czech social relationships perpetuate mistrust and control. Concerted efforts are needed to overcome these barriers. Change agents must model trusting relationships over time, with frequent interaction, and a willingness to take risks. By building trusting relationships within a system that works against it, Christian change agents will do much to equip Czechs with the necessary skills and experience to do the same. This researcher has seen that this transformation can take place. Sometimes individuals within a small group may be asked to introduce themselves; the next week they are asked to bring a picture of themselves when they were young; the newel they are asked to talk about their favorite hobby. Progressively, on the basis of graduated risk, time, and an increasing level of comfort with the group, people take courage to share at a deeper level and begin to build trusting relationships.

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Volume 14, No. 3

Letter to the Editor

I have been a missionary in and out of Russia since 1990. EXCELLENTCOMMENTS on your East-West Church &Ministry Report 13 (Fall 2005). My thoughts: Isère fewer Westerners, but more Western money going from West to East. I think this is in part due to a growing understanding on the part of the church leadership in the former Soviet have been a missionary in and out of Russia since 1990.

EXCELLENTCOMMENTS on your East-West Church &Ministry Report 13 (Fall 2005). My thoughts: Isee fewer Westerners, but more Western money going from West to East. I think this is in part due to a growing understanding on the part of the church leadership in the former Soviet

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Volume 14, No. 3

Expatriate Christian Workers and Czech Evangelicals

In 1995-2000, forty-five full-time missionaries worked in the Czech Republic.1 In addition, short-term workers came to the Czech Republic organizing English camps, sport activities, and other forms of outreach. The focus in this article will be the relationship between non-charismatic Protestant missionaries and local evangelical churches in the Czech Republic, especially the Evangelical Brethren Free Church (Cirkev bratrskahe). The Czech Evangelical Brethren originated with the formation of the Free Reformed Church in Prague in 1880. Today, it includes 6,000 members in 59 local churches. From1995 to 2005, this denomination arranged partnerships with seven Western mission organizations: the Evangelical Free Church Mission, Mission to the World, SEND International, TEAM, Covenant Mission, Athletes in Action, and the German Alliance Mission.

Low-Profile Western Help

People of great empathy and understanding came from Slavic Gospel Association (SGA), European Christian Mission (ECM), and other organizations to minister in Czechoslovakia. Later, in the 1980s when state oppression of the church diminished, visiting missionaries organized seminars in flats. It was similar structure to that used by political dissidents associated with Vaclav Havel and others.2 The idea was based on the legal possibility that even in a police state one was allowed to meet with friends in one’s private house or flat. Therefore one or two people from abroad came for a visit to a family, and other “friends” of the family were invited. Thus, missionaries met with “friends” who were key Christian leaders, lay pastors, and church workers preparing for the ministry. Such seminars were mostly interdenominational. Navigators developed this opportunity which had a significant impact on the progress of personal evangelism, the only possible evangelistic method at that time. Later, Biblical Education by Extension and Child Evangelism Fellowship used this network for the education of lay pastors, youth leaders, and Sunday School teachers.

False and True Missionaries

After the political changes in 1989, Czech Christian leaders were full of expectations, hope, and sympathy for new teams of missionaries coming to help local churches with mission and evangelism. Very soon, however, it became clear that the word missionary had different meanings. Instead of workers involved in mission, some missionaries came to Czechoslovakia as “experts” ready to teach. Pavel Cerný, one of the key leaders of the evangelical movement in the Czech Republic, characterized these so-called missionaries in this way: In our context, the word “expert” means someone who is really very experienced in the theory and practice of some ministry and particular work. We find it very offensive to discover that some missionary who comes to our country as an expert, let’s say in church planting, has never planted a church before.

We have met many so-called experts who just know some theory. Many national leaders through the years became almost angry hearing some missionary saying: “We have ‘know-how’ and you have people to do it; ten steps how to plant a church; seven steps how to make your church grow; etc.! But there are no functioning examples, no models of that ministry in our context.” To do mission work in a foreign country and to avoid studying local church history, theological vocabulary, and ecclesiology is arrogance.

This failure means very often not to do mission work but to split and multiply denominations.3It should be noted that most such “experts “quickly left or were asked to quit their ministry. At the same time, other Western missionaries came as servants with a real love for the Lord and for the Czech people. They helped and are still helping in the process of evangelization and church planting.

Czech versus Missionary Expectations

Czech leaders made mistakes, as well, by not clearly communicating their expectations for expatriates: What should their responsibilities be and what goals were to be set for their involvement? A survey of 216Czech Evangelicals conducted in 2003 included questions on collaboration between local churches and expatriate missionaries. Among those surveyed,89 said they had had experience with expatriate mission workers, while 127 had not. Most missionaries mentioned had come from the United States, with the remainder coming from 11 other countries: England, Ireland, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Ukraine, Sweden, Holland, Switzerland, Australia, and Slovenia. Respondents favored work with missionaries in local churches over church planting efforts. In contrast, missionaries working in the Czech Republic viewed the planting of new churches in partnership with Czech workers as their primary goal.

For Czechs, the concept of church planting is a very new area of missions. In addition, church leaders prefer to enlarge their local church rather than invest resources in planting a daughter church. Survey findings also indicate that missionary involvement in local Czech churches includes service as church elders, preaching, teaching, working with children and youth, and organizing evening clubs withdrew-evangelism in mind. Those surveyed spoke favorably of mission efforts involving weekend retreats, English camps, sports camps, and teaching English in public schools and homes. While most respondents viewed Western missionaries positively, some were singled out as doctrinally insensitive, demonstrating a lack of qualifications for ministry, and performing poorly in comparison with nationals.4

Overcoming Age-Old Catholic-Protestant Tensions

During the era of atheistic Communism, trials and executions occurred and all churches suffered. For the first time in 500 years, the Roman Catholic Church possessed absolutely no political power. The state confiscated all its property, arrested many priests and bishops, and liquidated monastic orders. The Catholic Church was reduced to the same level as Protestant denominations. While in the twentieth century Protestant numbers increased up to the Communist takeover, only to fall below their 1910totals, Catholic numbers dropped dramatically throughout the century.

Some Protestant pastors and Catholic priests found themselves in the same prisons. Relationships became stronger because Communists defined all Christians as the common enemy. Possibly as a result of this shared experience, Czech Protestants and Catholics have unusually positive fellowship. However, many expatriate workers, especially from the United States, do not know this history and do not understand the reasons for the close ties between Czech Protestants and Catholics.

Making Mission Partnerships Work

One Czech evangelical denomination (that prefers not to be identified) concluded partnership agreements with two mission agencies from the United States that stipulated that the Czech partner would have no financial responsibilities for any U.S. missionaries. Such contractual agreements put expatriates in a difficult position, financially supported and dependent on the sending side, but simultaneously subordinate to, and commissioned by, national church leaders. Practice confirms that such partnerships do not always function well. Missiologist Gail Van Rheenen describes one appropriate approach to financing mission partnerships that he defines as the indigenous partnership model. For the specific context of the Czech Republic, the present author supports variation of this arrangement in which a self-supported national denomination or local church agrees to partner with a foreign mission agency willing to provide financial help. Van Rheenen maintains that, in certain contexts, foreign money (if used carefully) can empower missions without creating dependency.” In this case, support money from both sides can be shared according to the needs of a particular church mission activity or church planting project. To be effective, such a partnership requires mature leaders. Also, money, “rather than going directly to the recipient, should go through a local accountability structure.” Partners should mutually decide the duration of the partnership, accountability for use of money, and methodologies for their specific mission tasks.” 6 Also, it is important to judge whether or not goals are reached and the degree to which common vision is still mutually shared. Such an evaluation procedure should be a natural part of any partnership agreement. One mission agency even suggested that partners plan evaluation retreats to insure that both are “singing from the same sheet ofmusic.”7 According to Ed Dayton and D.A. Fraser, it is important to set aside specific times to evaluate performance and the effectiveness of a partnership.8

Conclusion

The Czech Republic, in spite of its rich Christian tradition, is largely a mission field. More than 70 percent of its ten million inhabitants are evangelized .Joint mission projects are welcomed if the mission church relationship is based on the conviction that “sending and receiving churches are on an equalbasis.”9 A credible and challenging partnership must be based on mutual respect and trust and requires the building and maintaining of good relationships. National Christian leaders need to formulate the status and roles of expatriates transparently in order that missionaries can be sure their ministry is relevant. Expatriate workers must be aware of the long and painful history of the Czech church, the reality of lingering influences of the Communist era, and the strong secularization process that has taken place in the last century. Basic principles of cooperation between Czechs and expatriates must be expressed in partnership agreements which clearly state the philosophy of ministry and the responsibilities of both partners.

The way to fulfill particular mission projects based on a contractual partnership is to build a credible team that embodies an attitude of equality. Unimportant part of all planning, goal setting, and decision-making is clear communication. As T.C. Shelling points out, “To communicate a promise one has to communicate the commitment that goes with it; and to communicate a commitment requires more than the communication of words. One has to communicate evidence that the commitment exists.”10

Another important characteristic of any partnership will be each side’s respect for the other’s value system.

In conclusion, it can be said that expatriate workers have done considerable work during the last 15 years that Czech nationals value highly. At the same time, in the changing contours of mission in the Czech Republic, new possibilities are emerging for expatriates and nationals to work together.

Edited excerpt published with permission from Daniel Fajfr, “A Critical and Evaluative Study of the Roles and

Partnership of Expatriate Christian Workers and Czech Evangelicals,” Master of Theology thesis, International

Baptist Theological Seminary and the University of Wales,2005.

Notes:

1 Czech Evangelical Alliance, Basic Information About Evangelical Churches in the Czech Republic in the Years 1990-2000 (Prague: CEA, 2002).

2 E. Kristova, Vaclav Havel - Biography (Brno: Atlantis, 1991), 72.

3 Pavel Èerny, “Churches and Missions in Dialogue,”Lecture at the Consultation on Mission, EuropeanEvangelical Alliance, Budapest, 1996, 1-2.

4 D. Bena, Zásady spolupráce zahraniènich misionárù smisstnim sborem v. èeských podminkách [The Principles of Cooperation with Foreign Missionaries in the Czech Context], Pastoral Seminar (Rybniste, 2004), 1. Partof this paper includes a survey of church leaders fromwhich testimonies are quoted.

5 Evangelický týdenik-Kostniche  Jiskry, Czech interdenominational weekly newspaper, No. 18, May1996, 3.

6 “Using Money in Missions: Four Perspectives,”Monthly Missiological Perspectives, No. 15, 2-3, www.missiology.org.

7Ibid., 3.

8 Ed R. Dayton and D.A. Fraser, Planning Strategies for World Evangelization, (Monrovia, CA; MARC, 1990), 478-87.

9 Daniel Rickett and Dotsey Welliver, eds., Supporting Indigenous Ministries (Wheaton, IL: Billy Graham Center, 1997); G.V. Peters, “Pauline Patterns of Church-Mission Relationships,” in ibid.

10 T.C. Shelling, The Strategy of Conflict (New York:Galaxy, 1963), 147.

Daniel Fajfr is a pastor and teacher of evangelism admission, Prague, Czech Republic

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Volume 14, No. 3

Exposure to Trauma and Stress Among Missionaries

in Moscow

Christine Currie

The Survey

A survey conducted in 2004 by the author explored the level of trauma and stress experienced by missionaries in Russia, particularly in Moscow. Respondents included 26 missionaries representing 15mission organizations and one independent missionary. Counting children, the survey represented104 people. As of 2004, respondents had been serving as missionaries for an average of 7.5 years and had served in Russia for an average of six years. The intent of the survey was to measure the occurrence and describe the nature of traumatic events and subsequent stress on families. The resulting analysis leads to several recommendations listed at the conclusion of this article.

Motivation for the Survey

After 11 years of missionary service in Moscow, the author became increasingly aware of stress as a cause of the departure of missionary families serving in Russia. An informal survey of high school males at a school for missionary children revealed that 85percent had been assaulted in some way during their family’s tenure in Moscow. Several families endured painful infidelities and subsequent divorces. One of the author’s missionary friends was murdered.

Traumatic Events

Respondents noted a total of 41 specific traumas, in addition to seven general city-wide traumas that had taken place over the previous six years - including apartment bombings, bombings on the Metro(subway), Red Square, and McDonalds, the hostage crisis in the Nord-Sot Theatre, the U.S. bombing of Kosovo (which heightened anti-American sentiment),and the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack in these. The particular McDonald’s that was bombed was one often frequented by missionary families following their children’s soccer games, and the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon led to heightened security concerns over Americans living abroad.

The school where most missionary children attend was termed a “soft target” for a terrorist attack, and missionaries became increasingly aware of their vulnerability. Some specific personal traumas included being hit by a car requiring evacuation from Russia for medical treatment, being harassed and/or threatened, car accidents, medical emergencies, having friend murdered, seeing dead bodies on the street, attacks on missionary children, and witnessing suicide on the Metro. Missionaries who were in Moscow in 1993 also experienced the attempted Communist coup. While most respondents suffered losses to pickpockets and money changers, other reported crimes included identity theft, attempted rape, being robbed at knifepoint, office robberies, apartment robberies, and car vandalism. In total, missionaries in Moscow experienced an average of9.64 traumatic events per family over an average of sixyears.

Underreporting by Respondents

How accurate are the survey results? Were the traumas and stresses exaggerated or minimized? It is clear that negative data were underreported because the author knows first-hand of multiple instances of missionary families not including traumatic and stressful events. For instance, one respondent did not report a medical emergency that necessitated a family member being evacuated from Russia. Another female respondent did not report being physically attacked binate-American Russian teenagers at the time of U.S. bombing in Serbia and Kosovo. When asked why she did not make note of the incident, she replied that it did not seem very significant compared to other incidents. Another respondent had a family member suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome but downplayed its effects. It also is important to note that while 85 percent of high school males in the missionary school reported being assaulted, few of the parents of these youth reported these incidents in the survey. Respondents from 26 families identified 85crimes for an average of 3.4 crimes per family. Again, this figure represents underreporting, as in almost all cases it does not include personal assaults, especially against teenage males. Nor does it include instances of extortion or pressure to pay bribes. Resolving traffic violations (real and alleged) and paying fines required by neighborhood constables are so common, many respondents did not think to identify them in the survey.

Changes of Residence

Many families have moved frequently and for different reasons. Generally, there are no legally enforceable landlord-tenant contracts. Agreements are often written, but they are personal, depending upon the good will and intentions of the parties involved for fulfillment. Most commonly, missionary families rent from Russians who typically own two apartments, renting one to the missionary and using that rent to supplement their family income. When a change occurs in a Russian family, that often results in the missionary family receiving an eviction notice or a rent increase. Rents typically change according to local economic factors, including constantly increasing real-estate values in Moscow. The Russian capital currently is ranked as the most expensive city in the world for expatriate living, surpassing Tokyo and Seoul (Moscow Times, 27 June 2006, p.1). In total, respondents representing 26 families reported approximately 78moves for an average of three moves per family in six years. They also reported being required to move 26times for an average of one forced move per family.

The Cumulative Impact

The cumulative impact upon a missionary family moving every few years is difficult to assess. The survey probed for a response to the “unexpectedness” and “forced” nature of changes in rental agreements, but only 12 respondents reported having their rent raised “unexpectedly.” Many answered that their rent had been raised, but they expected it. A better question would have been, “How many times was rent raised and what percentage did the raise represent?” The author’s family may serve as a typical example, with three moves since arriving in Moscow in 1993. All three changes of residence were involuntary. The first landlord, 1993 to 1997, increased rent 133 percent over four years. The next landlord actually decreased rent when the dollar fell against the ruble in 1999,and in 2003 gave three months’ notice when his family needed to move back in. This man, a Russian Baptist, is perhaps one of the best landlords any missionary has had in Moscow and the relationship with him was excellent. However, the present landlord has raised rent 88 percent over three years, and in December2005 insisted upon another 25 percent increase – or eviction. In a sense, none of these changes were unexpected, but the long-term impact of the constant uncertainty and the sense of powerlessness in negotiating rental arrangements add great stress to missionary life in Moscow.

Additional Questions and Responses

Have you ever seen a dead body on the street or elsewhere?

Eighty-one percent of respondents reported seeing dead body at least once, and most of those reported multiple instances.

 What are the most stressful circumstances on the mission field?

The sources of stress and the number of times that they were mentioned among 26 respondents follow:

• Ministry conflicts (including cultural adjustments, mission team disagreements, and certain national leaders intent on obtaining money)

                                                                                      percent

                                                                                         16 (61.5)

• Language difficulties                                                           14 (53.8)

• Urban living                                                                       11 (42.3)

• Separation from family and friends                                         11 (42.3)

• Finances                                                                           10 (38.5)

• Problems with police and

government officials                                                              9 (34.6)

• Safety                                                                             8 (30.8)

• Russian living                                                                     8 (30.8)

• Difficulty in forming friendships                                              6 (23.1)

• Children (including unhappy children,

helping children cope with mission life,

and the feeling that one’s family is

obliged to be perfect                                                           5 (19.2)

• Spiritual warfare                                                               4 (15.4)

• Schooling issues for children                                               3 (11.5)

• Conflicts with one’s mission organization                                2 (7.7)

What Would Help You Stay on the Mission Field?

When asked what would most help them to continue their ministry, respondents gave the following replies:

• Counseling for various percent missionary family problems          15 (57.7)

This was stated in various ways:

o “Effective, confidential Christian counselors in the locale when needed”

o The need for a “safe place” to talk

o “Confidential and anonymous counseling on the field”

o “Some sort of neutral caregiver for missionaries, where missionaries can feel safe to talk about various issues”

• Counseling for children 8 (30.8)

• A sense of having friends who really care                           6 (23.1)

• A place to go outside the city to relax                               4 (15.4)

• Effective pastoral ministry within one’s mission                    3 (11.5)

• Access to marriage and parenting seminars and resources 3 (11.5)

• Greater support from the mission

Conclusions

It is clear that missionaries in Russia, and in Moscow in particular, experience significant trauma –sometimes in the form of one-time events, sometimes in the form of several events over a short space of time, and sometimes in the form of ongoing, cumulative stress. Trauma and cumulative stress work to create heightened anxiety that can lead to depression, burnout, physical symptoms, and various “acting out” behaviors – conditions that can cause the missionary to leave the field. It is also clear that surveyed missionaries tended to underreport trauma and cumulative stress. Why? Perhaps they did not consider or recognize these events as traumatic. Perhaps they simply expected to endure certain difficulties as missionaries and were prepared to trust God in all matters. Because they knew others in the missionary community experiencing the same difficulties, perhaps they did not want to complain or appear weak. Because they were highly motivated and trained individuals, perhaps they expected that they should be able to overcome cross-cultural challenges. Or perhaps they were so busy that they just never stopped to account for all the negative events experienced over time. Although this author served as a missionary in Moscow for 11 years before researching this topic, the tally of what missionaries typically had experienced in a six-year time frame still came as a surprise: 9.64 traumatic events; 3.4personal crimes (not counting graft and/or bribes);three moves, one being forced; and significant rent increases – in addition to the stresses of cross cultural adjustment, language learning, and the general uncertainty and instability of Russia today. This inability or unwillingness to recognize or admit the impact of trauma complicates the process of providing missionaries with needed assistance. It seems clear that help needs to be given as incidents occur, before they accumulate and contribute to missionaries leaving the field.

A third point is also evident from the survey. Missionaries in Moscow not only wanted counseling services; they, in fact, considered such help to be crucial in enabling them to remain on the mission field. A majority (57.7 percent) reported that counseling services would help them to continue on the field and 30.8 percent specifically mentioned counseling services for children as a significant need. In addition, missionaries want help from counselors who understand their perspective and who can relate to the unique circumstances they face.

Finally, when problems are finally recognized and the need for help is acknowledged, missionaries want that help to be “safe.” A surprising fact revealed by the survey was how many people wanted counseling services from outside their mission organization, as that seemed safer. As noted above, several respondents said that they needed a “safe place” where they could talk about problems without fear of “punishment.” In poignant quote, one missionary stated, “We need help with our struggles, but nowhere is safe – or so it seems.”

Recommendations

Missionaries surveyed in Russia tended to underreport trauma and cumulative stress. If not addressed by professional treatment on the field, this trauma and stress can lead to the premature departure of valuable workers from Russia.

Therefore, ongoing educational opportunities addressing trauma and its impact would be beneficial, both for adults and for missionary children. Mission leaders and mental health providers must be more proactive as they anticipate the trauma and stress endured by missionaries in the Russian context. Ongoing, on-site counseling services are a necessity. In addition, mission organizations need to support the need for “safe” counseling outside the mission – need heightened in the minds of missionaries exposed to the traumas and cumulative stresses of life in Russia today.