About This Partner

Europe is changing rapidly. Many Europeans know nothing about Christianity. We meet people who long for fulfilment and peace, who seek truth and meaning in all places, but never consider the Church. That is a lost opportunity, because we know that there is wisdom to be found in the ancient practices of previous generations.

The purpose of Emmaus Europe is to be a bridge between the past and future. We do this by organizing retreats in which people experience silence and develop a rule of life. We do this in historical places, such as monasteries. We also participate in a Church Planting network of a group of Anglican Churches across England, Germany and Croatia. Jelle is finishing his PhD in missiology looking at contextualization and Bible Translation. The question is, how do we communicate the gospel clearly to people who do not share our background?

Two major challenges are:

Time: we develop new forms of ministry based on old principles and we network with people who share our goals, but this work takes time.

Patience: we prefer the 'slow' work in a retreat, because it goes deeper and has more long-term impact. Yet, this foundational work requires patience and wisdom.