A Pastor’s Perspective

by Scott MacLean, pastor of Milan Bible Church

Living in another country and culture is not without challenges. Often there is a tendency to grab on to anything familiar — like expats from your own country who share your language and cultural values. Yet as Christ-followers in Italy, we have the opportunity to make disciples in a spiritually dark world. And that opportunity should push us out of our comfort zone and into cross-cultural relationships where people can see the difference Jesus makes in our lives.
 
My wife and I embraced this challenge when we moved to Italy in 2000. We sought, and struggled at times, to find ways into the lives of those around us.
 
When I became the pastor of Milan Bible Church in 2015, we saw my role as a way to multiply the work that we had been doing in Italy. We now encourage and prepare a whole church of believers to take up the challenge. God has placed each of them in a circle of neighbors, coworkers, and friends that need to know the love of Jesus. It’s an amazing opportunity, and we long to help them see how they can be a strategic part of God’s plan to make disciples here in Milan.
 
Being expats ourselves, we can identify with many of the struggles our members face. As we go out and evangelize together, they learn how to better explain the gospel in Italian. As we spend time together, we encourage them — and they encourage us — in prayer and with stories of how God has opened doors.

• One young man shared how his new apartment building offered a meal together for all the residents. He saw it as a great way to start building relationships. We thought so too, and plan to start a shared meal in our own apartment!
   
• Some church members meet to talk and pray about intentionally being salt and light. We’ve shared frustrations at the apathy we see, as well as the encouraging signs that God is softening hearts.
   
• Another young lady brought an unbelieving friend, and over coffee, we spoke of Jesus. She was not ready to follow Him, but she is one more Italian being drawn closer to Jesus through this circle of believers God has brought to Milan.

As an international church pastor, I get to equip these believers for God’s purposes, and I have a front row seat to see how He uses them to draw others to Himself.