Evangelical Christians in the region that suffered deep armed conflicts around the dissolution of Yugoslavia are now speaking of a collaboration between new generations that has never been seen before.

1,300 church members from different backgrounds travelled to Šibenik, Croatia, in June to foster fellowship, worship God, have fun and receive good training. They came from Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Croatia itself.

It was a key moment of “unity in Christ”, believes Jasmin Avdagić, who directs the Srcokret festival and serves as national coordinator for STEP (the IFES student movement in Croatia).

Not only was there diversity in the origin of the participants (the festival programme was translated into five languages), but most evangelical church denominations and organisations were represented.

“The generation of mothers and fathers served the generation of sons and daughters, worshipped together and evangelised together”, he explained to Evangelical Focus.

The summer gathering by the sea also sought to have a missional impact, making “a bold proclamation of the gospel to the city of Šibenik and the whole region, including a big evangelistic event in the main square of the city with praise and worship, preaching, testimonies and one-on-one witnessing”.

 

 

 

 

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‘A strong breakthrough’

Such collaboration between Christians across borders is taking place in an area of Europe with such a difficult recent past.

The Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia dissolved in 1990 after arduous conflicts that caused at least 100,000 deaths.

Local churches are central to this slow work, while Christian organisations use their flexibility and international connections to work together to create a “Kingdom culture and atmosphere in which young leaders are emerging”.

Prayer amidst emergence of new divisive narratives

But it is not all plain sailing. In a political and social media context where ultra-nationalist rhetoric is re-emerging and reopening the wounds of war, churches have an important role to play in promoting long-term peace.

“We have to be sober and alert and prayerfully watch over our nations”. The fact that there are young people who “claim Christian heritage with a mixture of nationalism shows both a hunger for real Christian values in the postmodern liberal society and the danger of manipulating that hunger into politics and conflicts”.

For Jasmin Avdagić and other Christians, the “prayer and hope is that we will not go back to conflict but rather proclaim peace and mutual values in this region”.