Why so many people in the warehouse?

Welcome to the “Valgmenighed” church in Kolding, a city of about 95,000—eleventh largest in Denmark. You might know that the Valgmenighed movement within the Danish Lutheran church offers congregations a bit of latitude in worship style and structure. (In Danish, “valg” means “choice” or “vote” and “menighed” means “fellowship” or “congregation.”) And there’s a lot about Kolding Valgmenighed that’s atypical. 

The building, for instance. Rather than a usual Danish-style church structure, this fellowship meets in a large warehouse-type building. But that gives them plenty of room to grow.

The church started meeting in 2003, with a vision to reach their city. For the first ten years, they met in various rented church buildings, then grew into their industrial building starting in 2014. They bought the entire building in 2018 and remodeled to accommodate the growing fellowship. But there’s much more to this church than the building—and that’s another unique aspect of the Kolding church.

House churches, or small groups, are an integral part of the Kolding fellowship, and part of the reason the church is growing. People make connections and are equipped for ministry in these small neighborhood groups—and that’s not always typical in all Danish churches.

And then there’s “Elsk Kolding” (“Love Kolding”). Through this service/outreach program, the fellowship is committed to helping neighbors with practical needs, from house cleaning and yard work to moving and painting. It’s one way to show the love of Christ for their neighbors. 

“If you want to pray for us,” says the church’s website, “please pray that we may always be kept humble in the midst of everything we’re allowed to experience. Pray that our efforts may be an overflow of gratitude to Him who has given everything for us. He is worth it!”

PRAY for this growing church, that God would continue to give them a vision to reach out to Kolding in the name of Jesus. 

PRAY for the youth of this church, that they would remain true to their faith, and that many more would be reached.

PRAY for the Kolding church leadership, for protection and wisdom as they continue to grow. Pray especially for lead pastor Mads Peter Kruse.

PRAISE God for this bright shining light! 

A new kind of mission house for Agger Strand

The traditional mission house is being reimagined today in out-of-the-way Danish towns like Thisted and Lemvig, in the north part of the country—and believers there are hopeful they’ll regain a more prominent role in community life. In the town of Thy, that means rebuilding their old building from the ground up, and looking for new ways to reach out.

Brian Christensen, a local pastor and leader in the Lutheran renewal movement, says the goal is to “reach out to a larger portion of the community with the gospel.”

In Thy, the old building is being physically rebuilt, but Christians there are also dreaming of rebuilding the programs that building can offer. Children’s festivals. Café evenings. Casual men’s gatherings. And much more. 

“We’re trying different things to see what works,” said Christensen.

The renovated building will also play a larger role as a community center. And that’s especially important in this more rural area of the country where young families are known to leave—sometimes for lack of job opportunities, but also for lack of social opportunities. What is there for kids and families to do here? The new community center renovation aims to help fill some of those gaps, and will hopefully give Christians a new kind of venue to reach their community for Christ. 

PRAY for the new community center in Agger Strand, slated to reopen this summer.

PRAY that believers from different churches will come together in this new venue and use it creatively for outreach events.

PRAY that the new center will help draw young families and others back into the community.

PRAY that the new center’s owner, Lars Møller, will continue to see the vision of a cooperative private/church use of the building.

PRAY that all ages will meet Jesus Christ at this new place.

Welcome, King Frederik

Pray for the country’s new king, Frederik the Tenth, who took the throne last month after his mother, Queen Margrethe, abdicated. 

Some Christians were initially concerned that the incoming king failed to mention God in his acceptance speech to the nation from the Christiansborg Castle balcony. His mother had set an example as an outspoken Christian.

However, a slim volume published just days after King Frederik succeeded his mother explained his views more clearly, beyond the earlier pomp and circumstance.

In the book, called Kongeord (Words of the King), he said that he and the new queen, Mary, recite evening prayers with their children, and that he enjoys attending church. He also says that the Christian faith is “an important part of who we are.” 

Perhaps that’s a good start. The King also maintained that he and Mary want to encourage fellow Danes to remember the needs of the most vulnerable in their society, to volunteer and to care for those less fortunate. 

“People need people,” he said, “and in many Western societies the most important question is ‘What can you do for me?’ Too rarely it is the other way around: ‘What can I do for you?’ ”

PRAY that Frederik and Mary will grow in faith as they lead their family—and serve their country—in the coming years.

PRAY that God will touch the new king and queen’s hearts and keep them receptive toward things of true faith. 

PRAY for the royal couple’s children: Crown Prince Christian (18), Princess Isabella (16), Prince Vincent (13), and Princess Josephine (13). And yes, the two youngest are twins.

PRAY for revival in the royal house of Denmark, and for faith in Jesus Christ to spread throughout this beautiful land.

PRAY that the now former queen, Frederik’s mother, would still have a godly influence, and that God would work through her to bring others to faith in Christ.  

A new Danish Bible?

This is no small project. Completion date isn’t set until 2036. And for the Danish church, nothing could be more important than the start of a brand-new Danish-language Bible translation. This project needs our prayers.

And so does the newly formed six-member leadership team. They’re recognized scholars and experts in the Old or New Testament, language, theology, biblical interpretation, or… the list goes on. But success doesn’t depend on their skills alone. 

From left (photo by Bibelselskabet):

Iben Gjesing is an editorial assistant.

Eva Skafte Jensen is a Danish language expert.

Jette Bendixen Rønkilde is a practical theology expert.

Morten Hørning Jensen leads the New Testament translation. 

Søren Holst heads up the Old Testament translation. 

Johannes Baun leads the task as general secretary. 

Keep in mind that this group anticipates working on a new translation for the next decade—actually longer. Perhaps up to 12 years. That tells us something of the enormity of the project. But when they’re done, they will have in hand a contemporary version of the Bible—for churches, evangelism, and personal use. 

Did we mention this is no small task?

“I have sometimes compared the translation project to the temple building in the Old Testament,” said Johannes Baun. “Despite all the differences, both then and now it was about producing something where you can meet God in a significant way. We look forward to using the most talented people for the work. And I want to encourage friends of the Bible Society to take the work into the evening prayers. As it says in the Book of Psalms, ‘If the Lord does not build the house, the builders work in vain.’ ”

PRAY for the steering committee as they meet in the coming year. They need a very large dose of God’s wisdom as they set the direction for this new Bible translation. 

PRAY that truth would prevail in this project. God’s truth, and not the world’s. Pray that fallible human scholarship would give way to God’s Holy Spirit in every aspect of the work.

PRAY that trendy trends would play no part in this new translation, that it would be faithful to God’s word in the original languages, translated into a Danish language that is fully understood by those who will read it. 

PRAY for strength, day after day. This project is a marathon, not a sprint. 

PRAY for the protection of each person working on this Bible translation: Søren, Morten, Jette, Eva, Iben, Johannes, and others. 

It's a family affair

Pray for a new outreach to families in southeast Copenhagen called, appropriately enough, the “Family Network.”

In an environment sometimes plagued by loneliness, divorce, economic worries, and health challenges, the Network offers free evening sessions featuring encouragement for kids and their parents, workshops, a chance to meet other families, and of course good food. 

The special events are co-sponsored by the Amagerbro Free Church and Blue Cross Denmark.

“For a long time we’ve very much wanted to start a Family Network,” explained the church’s project leader, Vibeke Kelway. “That’s what the church should do—reach out and help people around us. We’ve found there are many families in the local area who don’t have too much money, and need help and support in everyday life.”

So Kelway and her team have opened the church every other Thursday evening for fun themed activities, support, and a free meal. They’re hoping to create a place where memories are made. 

“It’s a place where we’ll be there for others and care for each other,” said Kelway. “A place where people feel like they are seen, and where they can talk to another person while their kids are loved. Kids and parents will meet good role models, and they’ll be able to build relationships and friendships across the board.”

Blue Cross Denmark is a Christian social outreach organization. Currently they’re partnering with more than 40 other churches across the country to offer Family Network evenings.

PRAY for the Amagerbro Family Network events this fall, that God would draw those families who need support and hope.

PRAY for changed lives and healing for families in Amagerbro.

PRAY for Vibeke Kelway and her team, for compassion and courage to share God’s love and hope of salvation with needy families. 

After a decade, what's next?

Let’s visit another Danish church fellowship that is making a difference in their community—and that could use our prayers. The “Borgerkirken” (Citizen’s Church) in the central Jylland city of Silkeborg.

This city of some 50,000 people contains a number of evangelical churches, but the challenge remains. And as a free (not a state Lutheran) church, Borgerkirken has been in the news recently for two reasons: They just celebrated their tenth anniversary, and they just hired a new lead pastor. Bent Skovhus began serving in April.

Borgerkirken tackles head-on the fact that only two or three percent of Danes regularly attend church services on any given Sunday. “That’s far too few!” says the church’s website. “But the church has unfortunately become distant, and not very relevant in the lives of Danes.”

Under Pastor Skovhus’s leadership, Borgerkirken members are working to build new bridges, not only with relevant Bible preaching on Sundays, but also with an inviting meal after services. It’s a great place to connect. They also promote small groups for discussion and personal connection—men’s groups and women’s groups. 

“We want to transform Denmark,” says the church’s vision statement, “by freshly communicating the gospel, living the gospel ourselves, and reestablishing the worth of all.”

Let’s join in prayer for Silkeborg and the Borgerkirken!

PRAY for Pastor Bent Skovhus in his new position as lead pastor. Pray for energy and vision as he settles into the community.

PRAY for Borgerkirken’s small groups. These are the front lines. Pray that believers would be built up and that not-yet believers would be drawn to attend, and that the groups would flourish and multiply.

PRAY that faith would grow anew in Silkeborg and that revival in Denmark might spread from this strategic city.

Because good questions deserve answers

They’re doing a quiet, scholarly work… testifying truth about the gospel on the college campus and all across Denmark. The “Center for Kristen Apologetik” (Center for Christian Apologetics) needs our prayers.

For volunteers with the CKA, it’s all about truth—in all God’s world. So they’re organizing public forums and webinars, training believers to share their faith, and sharing biblical perspectives with anyone who will listen. 

They’ve also pulled together a “dream team” speakers’ bureau of leading Danish Christian thinkers. These professors and students are ready to tackle a variety of questions, including: 

Did Jesus really rise from the dead? How do science and faith work together? What prevents us from sharing our faith? What about evolution? How reliable is the gospel? How do beauty and art point to a creator? What is a Christian worldview?

Good questions! So CKA staff and speakers are training the Danish church to provide answers. Pray that God would touch hearts and minds through this vital ministry.

PRAY for the center’s leader, Emil Børly Nielsen. For wisdom and vision to equip more Danish believers with truth from the scriptures.

PRAY for the CKA speakers bureau. These eight CKA experts are prepared to speak on how to share our faith in a winsome, intelligent way. 

PRAY that more Danish believers would catch the CKA vision and would be able to ably share the good news of Jesus in their workplaces and homes.

PRAY that God would continue to bless the work of the CKA!