Visit to Austria
By Colin Ride
Area Secretary, Europe
April 2004
The purpose of the visit was to familiarise myself with the Theological Study Programme - Graz / Waiern for the Balkan States. This follows an application for NMA support in 2003 for the Assistant Pastor post in Graz. This post has been designed to give a student ministry experience and supported practice for one year. This was rejected as the NMA criteria was not met. However, the NMA group agreed that the programme could be supported through the New Initiatives in Mission budget. The programme supports the development of ministry in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia and now Albania. The programme, established in 1986, has been designed in response to the need for indigenous people to be trained as pastors and teachers in new congregations.
The visit also gave me an opportunity to develop a relationship with the Methodist Church in Austria through:
Meeting the Superintendent, the Revd Lothar Pöll, in Vienna
Meeting the Revd Dr Robert Hunt, the minister of the English speaking congregation in Vienna
Visiting the Methodist Church in Graz & Vienna
The Study Programme (Graz / Waiern)
The visit to the study programme included:
Conversations with Wilfried and Jean Nausner. Wilfried is the Programme’s Director.
Meeting some of the students on the programme in Waiern.
The Study Programme[1]:
Provides seminary level education for ministry in the predominantly Orthodox countries of Central and Southern Europe
Requires the development of German language skills
It provides the students with a common body of theological literature
Promotes the development of a common identity with Wesleyan Methodism, with the Conferences of Central & Southern Europe, and with the United Methodist Church around the world
Provides opportunities for experience and training in pastoral work including one period of practical training in an Austrian congregation, and for preaching and taking part in church events
Offers learning in group leadership and team work
Is six semesters in length
The Programme is completed with final examinations and dissertation. The students receive a State approved diploma. They can then apply for admission to the Conference of their home church for ordination.
Further study is possible at the Roman Catholic Faculty of Graz University, at the Institute for Ecumenical Studies or at the Institute for Orthodox Theology combined with a practical year in the Methodist Church in Graz.
The Programme is held at the Martin Luther College in Waiern, Feldkirchen in Carinthia. This is a part of the Lutheran Diaconal Institute for Social Welfare.
The Study Programme works with small numbers. Currently there are seven students including two from Albania and two from Serbia. Usually two arrive each year from different parts of the Balkans. The first year is spent learning German at the University in Graz as all the theological studies are in this language. This is a challenge in itself!
The costs of the programme are partially underwritten by a grant from GBGM, currently €100,000 per annum. The four-year support will end this year and it is not yet known what future support will be received.
A further joint idea is to develop a 5-day mission conference or training event to be held in Austria sometime in 2005. This could give the current students, pastors from the Balkans and other church leaders opportunities to develop mission thinking and ideas. Mission Studies are not part of the current curriculum. We could include a few ministers in training from Britain and provide some of the staff appropriate for the event. It would require some financial input from us but it would be an appropriate use of money from the Fund for Mission in Europe. I think a Conference for around 50 or 60 people would be appropriate.
The Methodist Church in Austria
The work began in 1870 when German missionaries came to Vienna.[2] The Church was persecuted under the Nazis and a complete re-establishment of the Church was necessary after 1945. Many members were no longer alive, pastors were in prison and much property had been destroyed. At this time over 1 million people in Austria were from eastern European countries and work among these migrants characterised the work of the Austria UMC. In 1978 the US Virginia Annual Conference agreed co-operative steps to begin a new international ministry. Now the Church has around 1000 members, 6 ministers and 8 congregations. They include two international congregations (in Graz and Vienna) and have many people from other cultures and languages in membership. In Graz the Sunday service is normally in German with English simultaneous translation. In addition there are Chinese and Korean congregations worshipping in there own languages. In Vienna, there are German speaking and English speaking congregations. Each has a minister. We had been asked if we could find a minister for the English-speaking congregation. The Revd Robert Hunt (GBGM missionary) returns to the USA this summer. However a minister has now been appointed, also from the USA but not through GBGM.
During my time in Vienna, I not only met with Revd Lothar Pöll but also with Mr Roland Siegrist (President of the Board of Austrian Diakonie) and Revd Frieder Weinhold from Germany. In 1991/92 Frieder, together with his congregation, began some humanitarian work in Pogradec near Lake Ohrid, Albania. One of the consequences has been the development of a congregation. The 1st service was held in 1997 and the 1st baptism in 1998. This year an Albanian – Austrian Cultural treaty was signed and they are hoping to use the good offices of the Treaty to help develop a UMC Foundation and thus give legal status to the new congregation. Now there are two Albanian students, Landi Lushka and Rigels Kasmollari, learning German for one year before going on to the study programme.
Also we had conversations about developments in Romania and conflicts among the Korean Methodists about the correctness of Wesleyan Theological training! There are two theological schools, and one has asked the UMC to take over – including the financial responsibility that has accrued!
Reflections
The visit emphasised further the complexity of modern Europe, and that this complexity is going to grow and deepen. Much of it comes from both historic and new migrations. The Methodist message of God’s inclusive grace is very apposite at the moment. The series of acted parables that Methodism continues to perform is a small but significant contribution to the development of the new European life. Some countries, like Austria and many others in central Europe, have been the continual recipients of many cultures and nationalities. The collaborative work developed through the Central Conferences is very important. The Study Programme in Graz is one good example.
Work among migrants, many who have great physical, emotional and spiritual needs, provides the churches with new opportunities for mission. The sharing of mission developments and understandings is one reason why we need to support opportunities for cross-cultural learning, for confidence building and therefore Gospel experience. This is as true in Britain, even though we live on the edge of Europe, as it is for elsewhere.
Migrant Story
The Chinese work in Graz began some 15 years ago when a Swiss couple were trying to find the Methodist Church for Sunday worship. They stopped a young Chinese man to ask the way. He said he had never heard of such a thing as church. So they invited him to go along with them. Eventually they found the Church. He was baptised four months later. Now many of the Chinese restaurant owners are Methodist (that’s why we went to one for lunch!)
Colin Ride
Area Secretary, Europe
29th April 2004
[1] Source: Study Programme literature
[2] GBGM web-site; Mission profile on Austria