Trends and Challenges in Mission and Missiology in "Post-Communist" Europe

Following the 'changes' of 1989, the churches in "Post-Communist" Europe are in search of a new identity. Some find it in their ethnicity, others in their religious background, their denomination, or in a combination of these factors. They often consider themselves as the 'guardians of national unity'. A gradual shift towards partnership and cooperation can be observed as the different Christian communities seek to overcome the "heritage" of distrust and division left by Communist government policy. A third trend encompasses two conflicting and paradoxical tendencies characteristic of Central and Eastern Europe: collectivism and individualism. It is the most significant challenge in mission work to be sensitive to "leveling" tendencies on the one hand and the strong individualistic ones on the other, and to constructively relating to both.