Church-Planting Central Europe

Stoner Family 2013 small

Doug, Tricia, Ryan & Megan Stoner Missionaries to Central Europe

From Doug Stoner:

Tricia and I have been missionaries serving in Slovakia since 1994. Our main ministry has been assisting the evangelical denominations in planting churches so every person is within reach of a witnessing fellowship. The Lord has been so good in working through us, and now the Slovak churches are taking over the ministries we have helped with. As a result the Lord is leading us now to be full-time area leaders for Pioneers to oversee the Central Europe region. Central Europe, consisting of Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia, is a post-Christian and practically, a very secular area. All together far less than 1% of the population has trusted in Christ alone for eternal life. Our role is to facilitate the Pioneers families in our region as they equip and empower the local churches in their outreach and starting new churches. We also will work with the denominations to help in whatever way we can to see the Lord’s Kingdom grow.

Looking back and seeing God’s faithfulness as a church planting facilitator, I have had the privilege of helping and encouraging the Slovak churches in their efforts to start new churches.

Here are some of the ways the Lord has allowed us to be a part of the growth in Central Europe.

• The Slovak church planter team, of which we were a part, started about 20 years ago and continues to encourage and equip church planters. Over 140 graduates from seven different denominations have planted most of the 80 new churches since 1997. The team is now expanding into working among the Gypsy population, which is seeing phenomenal growth in people coming to the Lord.

• Natural Church Development (NCD) encourages healthy churches to grow and multiply. We have translated a number of books into Slovak and through conferences and training with the Slovak Evangelical Alliance many churches and even denominations are intergrating NCD into their plans. 

• Denominational leaders in Slovakia have been coming together regularly to discuss how to fill the country with vibrant churches. Just last year I helped facilitate the first-ever meeting of the boards of the various denominations to share and pray for one another. The boards plan to meet again this year.

Looking ahead to the Lord’s calling, one of the things I like most about my work is the variety. As a facilitator I have the privilege of helping and encouraging my area teams and the region’s churches in their efforts to start new churches.

Here are some examples we anticipate:

• A team leader leads each Pioneers team, and I am responsible to assist them in developing their teams, refining their strategy, and implementing the plans they have from the Lord. Through Skype calls, conferences, and visits we keep in contact and pray for one another. We need more teams in Central Europe and are recruiting teams to creatively reach out and assist the churches.

• Local church and denominational support continues to be on our heart. I hope to meet with church leaders in our Central Europe region and see how we can work together better to see His Kingdom expand. We also look for opportunities to share our faith on a day-to-day basis as doors open.

• Tricia hopes to help more in Megan’s school and may help teach English to the many international children attending there. Ryan is studying geology at the University of Colorado. Megan is a junior at the International Christian School in Vienna.

Please prayerfully consider how to be involved in the Lord's work through us:

• Receive our newsletters we send four times a year. These give a good overview of what we are doing along with pictures.

• Receive our monthly prayer updates. For those who regularly pray for us, we send additional monthly prayer requests and praises.

• Become a financial partner. Many individuals and churches give tax-deductible gifts to our ministry through Pioneers. With our new living situation, we need more monthly financial support.

If you have any questions, please contact us. Thanks for your interest in the Lord's work in Central Europe.

Doug, Tricia, Ryan, and Megan

Stoner's Addresses:
Arnikaweg 14/4 
1220 Wien                                                                       10123 William Carey Drive
Austria                                                                             Orlando, FL 32832-6931

E-Mail: DTStoner@gmail.com
Phone: 407-382-6000
Web page: http://stoner.easr.sk 
​Web page: www.pioneers.org