- Promote, unify and strengthen evangelical Christianity in Europe
- Provide biblical, intellectual and spiritual resources to feed and encourage Christian leaders
- Strengthen and equip local churches as living witnessing communities
One of the primary ways in which these goals are achieved resides in the work of the 10 different networks that comprise the Forum. Each network was created to train and resource a different group of European leaders.
Apologetics Network
Europe today is in great need of gifted apologists who similarly can demonstrate that Christianity is true and relevant. The purpose of this Forum-founding network is to train, mentor, and equip those apologists who are seeking to make an impact in their local communities. Another aspect of this network is to overcome the feelings of isolation that many European apologists face in their countries. Simply being involved with other like-minded brothers and sisters in seminars and workshops, therefore, provides a tremendous boon to these apologists who have been alone in their struggle for the Gospel.
Artists Network
The Artists Network is focused on helping Christian artists from across Europe to understand the big picture of the Christian life and gain insight into the transforming power of the gospel in all the areas of society. Part of glorifying God is reflecting his character in all we do, which for artists can often entail wrestling with their own identity as Christian artists. Therefore, the network seeks to provide a biblical worldview analysis of art and the artist’s vocation, which will aid in developing ways of drawing those reflections out from the artist and onto their respective canvases.
Bioethics Network
In a world where technical and medical advances continually propel us into ethically murky waters and individuals wrestle with issues like abortion and euthanasia, the need for biblically sound ethics is great. The Bioethics Network seeks to address these issues in four basic areas: the Beginning of Life (abortion, genetics, artificial reproduction), the End of Life (euthanasia, assisted suicide, allocation of resources), Public Health and Global Issues (HIV/AIDS, preventative medicine, developing moral frameworks) and the Future (stem-cells, cloning, cybernetics, nanotechnology, neuro-ethics). This sort of mentoring in a Christian worldview is virtually nonexistent for Christian professionals.
Christian Counselors Network
Participants in the Christian Counselors Network are either professional counselors or are involved in discipleship ministries in churches or Christian organizations. This Network provides a biblical framework for Christian counseling and discipleship and provides opportunities for individuals to be mentored as well as gain access to helpful resources.
Communicators Network
In today’s world the medias of television, film, and the Internet dominate the way we, as a planet, transmit and receive information. If the Church wishes then to continue making a meaningful impact upon the world, gifted communicators who want to relate biblical Christian faith to popular culture through these platforms will be greatly needed. This network seeks to train and equip such leaders who can speak with authenticity and relevance from within these influential positions, as well as negotiate the hurdles and pitfalls found within the fast-paced culture of media. It will also focus on biblical foundations and models, worldview analysis of popular culture and creative communication in contemporary contexts.
Evangelism Network
Europe is the most relativistic and pagan continent on the earth. Europeans desperately need to hear and understand the life giving word of truth – the gospel. How do we share this message to them in ways that are relevant, biblical and credible? This Network is designed for evangelists, pastors and lay evangelists who want to be equipped to be more effective evangelists.
The training aims to equip Christians to reach their friends with the Gospel on a one to one basis, so that in the different workplaces and University settings in our nations, Christians are able to credibly and compellingly answer the real questions of their friends and lead them to Christ. As a result of the training which has taken place, many participants have had the joy of confidently leading work colleagues, family members and university friends to Christ. This is the heartbeat of the course – that ultimately many men and women will turn to Christ, and bring about change for good in the different arenas they are called into by God.
Leaders of Christian Organizations Network
The Leaders of Christian Organizations Network identifies key problem areas of the leader’s role with the aim of supplying practical tools and biblically-based solutions. It also addresses the various issues that leaders may encounter, ranging from how a leader deals with their own assumptions of character in others, strategic planning (vision-casting, planning daily activities, determining objectives, creating bridges), assessing of finances and resources, and biblical models of leadership.
Pastor-Teacher Network
The European Pastor-Teacher Network is particularly designed for younger pastors, who want to make the systematic exposition of Scripture the cornerstone of their ministry. While being theologically aware, they may have had little opportunity for detailed teaching and practice of the “nuts and bolts” of expository preaching. This stream of the conference will begin to examine the ways by which a regular preaching ministry can impact both the church and the world for biblical change.
The European Pastor-Teacher Network focuses on hands-on practice sessions, working together on biblical passages, combined with instruction sessions on how to exegete and prepare Bible passages for preaching, with reference to the different genres of biblical literature and application to the contemporary church and world. Applicants should be gifted local church pastors who want to develop their skills in expository preaching within the context of pastoral leadership.
Scientific Network
The primary focus of the Scientific Network is the examination of the Science and Christianity and how they are integrated. Discussions within the sciences of physics, astrophysics, astronomy, biology and chemistry that deal with providing arguments for the existence of a Supernatural Designer / Transcendent Creator are of significant importance to the network. One of the network’s main initiatives also lies in the supporting and encouragement of scientists as they integrate their faith into the laboratory, university, and workplace.
Theologians Network
Many evangelical theologians are teaching in universities, seminaries and colleges with little opportunity for dialogue, fellowship and encouragement from their Evangelical brothers and sisters. The Theologians Network has been designed to provide this context and to make available an opportunity to interact with some of the world’s leading evangelical minds each year.