There is perhaps no country in Europe that captures the imagination like Italy. Think of Rome and you think of history. Think of Florence and you think of art. Think of Milan and you think of fashion. From the breathtaking Dolomites to the rolling hills of the Tuscan landscape; as the home of ice-cream, espresso and pizza, Italy really does capture the imagination.

Like much of Europe however Italy is mainly unreached, with numerous towns and cities lacking any biblical witness. Most Italians would consider themselves Roman Catholic, but are increasingly disillusioned with the church. Sadly, the perceived choice before them is either Catholicism or secularism, leaving no real option. Moreover Protestantism tends to be weak and divided, and congregations lack trained, funded and mature under-shepherds. There are very few written resources for the broader church.

It is estimated that only 0.8% of the population is evangelical in the broadest sense. Within that grouping there is a small presence of Brethren, Baptists, and Pentecostals, and increasingly churches coming from immigrants who have settled in Italy.

Mantova

Coram Deo Ministries was formed in 2007 with a vision to take the gospel to the Italian people. Preaching is central in this vision, a commitment to proclaim the historic Christian faith and to plant churches in areas of Italy where at present no gospel witness exists. Coram Deo is a Latin expression that means ‘in the presence of God’, and by implication honouring God, a life open before God, held captive by the word of God.

CDM works in the city of Mantova, thirty kilometres south of Verona. The founder of CDM, Andrea Artioli, returned to Mantova after his studies at London Theological Seminary to establish a publishing house. He knew that his country did not possess the range of theological books that was available in the UK and so began a work of translating books from English to Italian, by authors such as Richard Baxter, Martyn Lloyd-Jones and John Piper. Publishing literature is an integral part of the work of Coram Deo, because it is so important that Italian churches are strengthened in the faith by having in their native tongue the wealth of evangelical literature found in the English speaking world.

In 2008 the first CDM church was established in the outskirts of Mantova in Porto Mantovano. Other opportunities for establishing churches will materialise in the coming years as we meet with small groups to study God’s word. There are many opportunities to share the gospel with Italians. There is much work to be done in patiently coming alongside men and women and presenting the gospel. We experience the same challenges as all missionaries working in Italy – a culture that has become indifferent and sceptical to all forms of religion, a ground that is hard to break to sow the seed.

Ian McElhinny
Find out more at: www.coramdeo.it

Turin

‘Don’t move to Italy because it’s beautiful – take a holiday here. Move here if God is calling you’ was the blunt but wise advice we received from missionary friends in Italy two years ago. Those few words summarise so neatly the situation for ministry in Italy; a country of stunning beauty, rich culture and amazing food is also regarded as something of a ‘missionaries’ graveyard’, with recent statistics stating that the average ministry-time of a missionary to Italy as lasting just four years. The answer to why gospel work in the country is so hard is complex, and reflects many of the challenges to gospel ministry across Western Europe, albeit often in more acute forms. The short answer is that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

We believe that over the last couple years the Lord has given us a clear call to Italy, culminating in a call last February for Huw to pastor the International Church of Torino. Nestling in the foot of the Alps, Turin is an industrial city in the North-West of the country, famous for Fiat cars, Juventus football club, the Turin Shroud, The Italian Job movie and winter sports.

The International Church of Torino (ICT) is a congregation of around 100 people meeting in the centre of Turin every Sunday. It is truly international, with (at the last count) people from thirty different home countries spread over five continents. Services are conducted in English and the primary mission field of the church is to the city’s large international community; in a population of around one million (doubled in the surrounding Greater Torino area) the international community accounts for around 13% of the city’s inhabitants. Many come to Turin to work or in the search of work, while many others come to study in one of the city’s two large universities. As a result, a large proportion of the congregation is rather transient with people staying in the city for a year or two before moving home or moving on to other situations. This brings its own challenges and opportunities; an ever-changing congregation can be unsettling and there are always plenty of goodbyes to be said to friends, while there is also the opportunity of investing in brothers and sisters for a year or so before God moves them on to new situations.

Italy has never seen a large-scale movement of the gospel, remaining largely untouched even by the Reformation. Please join us in praying for the country as a whole and for the city of Turin in particular. Please pray that the ICT would be equipped to reach out into the various communities it represents, as well as to the Italian communities of the city. Finally, please pray for us too, that we would love and serve the church with the love of Christ Jesus and make Him and His great love known.

Huw and Alison Williams

Bologna

‘Bologna is a lot of things, my friend. It’s always been the centre of free thought and intellectual activity in Italy, thus its first nickname, la dotta, which means “the learned”. Then it became the home of the political left and received its second nickname, la rossa, “the red”. And the Bolognesi have always been serious about their food. They believe, and they’re probably right, that this is the stomach of Italy. Thus, the third nickname of la grassa, “the fat” (John Grisham, The Broker).’

Under the auspices of UK agency Crosslinks John Paul and Sue Arunzulla have been invited by Italian Christians to work long-term in Italy in planting and establishing a church in Bologna, and researching, publishing and lecturing in biblical studies within the Institute for Evangelical Training and Documentation, a theological institute committed to equipping and raising up indigenous gospel workers and church leaders for this needy nation.

It was here that Stefano Mariotti, a native of Bologna, began to train for the ministry. In 2003, the elders of his church, San Lazzaro, encouraged him to study at the EMF school in the UK. The church then encouraged him to complete a BA and MA programme at the Wales Evangelical School of Theology (WEST). There he met Jenny and in 2006 they married, later returning as a couple to serve the Lord in Bologna.

‘Our passion is to reach the 30,000 people of San Lazzaro with the gospel of our Saviour. Our vision is also to establish a strong fellowship with other evangelical churches in the area in order to reach the half a million people living, working and studying in Bologna.’

John Paul and Sue Arunzulla

Compiled and edited by Tim Curnow.