Umbertide Initiative
The word: “partnership” best describes the Umbertide Ministry Initiative. There are two families serving with TEAM in the church planting…
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Italy
Italy is a romantically enchanting country famous for ancient history, magnificent architecture, unsurpassed cuisine, and world-class soccer players, yet it is spiritually dead. Less than 1,500 of its 30,000 cities and towns have a church that clearly preaches the Gospel. TEAM missionaries in Italy are working to establish biblically sound Italian churches in northeast Italy, an area with few evangelical churches. We have several church planting teams working in partnership with local and international organizations to spread the Gospel in key cities.
View OpportunitiesItaly, the "bel paese"
From antiquity until the late 16th century, Italy was considered the hub of Western culture, the starting point of worldwide phenomena such as the Roman Empire, the Roman Catholic Church, Humanism and the Renaissance. Italian painters, sculptors, composers, and architects also dominated the Baroque movement that began near the end of the Renaissance and ended in the 1700s. Both the internal and external facets of Western culture were born on the Italian peninsula, whether one looks at the history of the Christian faith, civil institutions (such as the Senate), education, philosophy, law, art, science, or social customs and culture.
Given the presence of the Catholic Church in Italy one would think that Italy does not need to hear the Gospel message. 80% of Italians consider themselves Christians. However, two-thirds do not go to church or follow the church’s teachings after age 12. Many have turned away from the church completely and chosen to follow other paths such as communism, new age or Islam. Recent statistics show that only 1.1% of Italians are born again and live a life of personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Although missionaries and mission agencies have worked in Italy for more than 40 years, TEAM did not have any ministry in Italy until 1981. In 1979 a team of three staff visited Italy and surveyed the country to determine which area had the greatest need for church planting personnel. As a result, in 1980 TEAM’s board of directors gave a green light and the first couple, Murray and Florence Carter, were sent to a city called Forli’ in the north-central part of Italy to establish the starting point of TEAM’s church planting effort. Other missionaries soon followed.
A radio station called Radio Luce (“Radio Light”) was launched in Forli’, and as a result a church was begun there and in its next door neighbor, Faenza. TEAM expanded further as more personnel arrived and a church was started in Bologna. Later a church was added in Ravenna, on the Adriatic coast. After a merger in 1994 with Bible Christian Union, churches were started in Mestre, Pordenone, Udine, and Trieste. At present two couples are working with a Brethren assembly in Citta’ di Castello to plant a church in a small city called Umbertide.
Opportunites to Serve in Italy
Opportunity Name
Area
Length
Ministry
Prayer Team
Italy
Short-term
Church Ministries, Diaspora, Disabled and Disadvantaged, Hindus, Indigenous and Tribal, Muslims, Post-Christian/Post-Modern, Professionals, University Students, Unreached People Groups, Urban Populations
University Workers
Italy
Long-term - Mid-term
Teaching and Education, University Students
Artist
Italy
Long-term - Mid-term
Creative Arts, Post-Christian/Post-Modern, Professionals
Sports Ministry
Italy
Long-term - Mid-term - Short-term
Sports and Recreation, Church Ministries, Youth and Children
Children's worker
Italy
Short-term
Sports and Recreation, Youth and Children
Evangelist (Faenza)
Italy
Long-term
Church Ministries
Children's day camp worker - Internship
Italy
Short-term
Sports and Recreation, Creative Arts, Teaching and Education, Church Ministries, Youth and Children
Director of Community-Based High School and University Ministry
Italy
Long-term
Teaching and Education, Church Ministries, Youth and Children, University Students
Director of Children’s Community and Church Ministry
Italy
Long-term
Church Ministries, Youth and Children
Prayer team
Italy
Short-term
Church Ministries
Music Team
Italy
Short-term
Church Ministries, Creative Arts
Italy Initiatives
Trieste Initiative
Ministry focus: Trieste is a city of 210,000 inhabitants and the capital of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy. It…
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Trieste (Tergeste) Initiative
Mission: Our team desires to see the formation of a new church in the city of Trieste – a church…
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Mestre Initiative
Mestre is considered the “guardian angel” of the treasures of Venice. Like a lighthouse with its watchful eye from the…
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Imola Initiative
Our mission We live in Imola to scatter our community with pockets of Gospel light. We do this through regular…
Learn MoreForli’ Initiative
When Stan & Annamaria Goertzen arrived in 1999 there were only a little over 1,500 foreigners living in the city.…
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Faenza Initiative
We see small communities of faith or house churches as primary expressions and agents for the expansion of God’s Kingdom…
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Bologna Initiative
Our Mission: The mission of the Bologna Ministry Initiative is to advance the kingdom of God in the city and province…
Learn MoreATR : Anti-Trafficking Ministry in Italy
Our name, ATR, stands for “Radiant Treasures Alliance” because we believe victims of commercial sexual exploitation are treasures. They are hidden in…
Learn MoreMeet TEAM Italy
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