The Birth of Our Movement in Central Europe

The Charis movement originated in Germany when Alexander Mack formed a house church in 1708. That group migrated to the United States in 1720 to flee persecution, settling first in Pennsylvania and beginning the Brethren movement in North America. From that movement and over the course of three centuries, God grew them into the network of Charis churches we have today.  

As our network of churches grew in the US, they formed a missionary-sending agency (now Encompass World Partners). In the 1950s, missionaries were sent to Europe, first to France and later to other countries. In 1969, Roger and Nancy Peugh became the first Charis missionaries sent back to Germany. They went to Stuttgart where they joined and eventually started leading a pre-existing prayer group associated with the German Missionary Fellowship. The Peughs intended to develop that group into a church, but met resistance, because in German culture the only credible denominations were Protestant and Catholic—everything else was feared to be a cult.   

Despite that challenge, the church did incorporate in 1976 and was turned over to German leadership in 1987. This congregation still exists as a Charis church today. Rainer and Susanne Ehmann were early members of this church, who became Charis Ministry Partners and were vital to the church’s longevity. 

The Growth of Our Movement in Central Europe  

In the late 1970s early 1980’s, God sent a wave of missionaries to join what He was doing in Germany. John and Becky Pappas went to the Stuttgart church where they served in youth ministry. Edna Haak also joined, serving in evangelism, discipleship, women’s ministry, and refugee ministry.  In the mid-1980s, these workers left the church in Stuttgart to plant a church in Aalen.  

Dave and Kathy Manduka went to Leonberg with the intention of planting a church, and in the fall of 1983, God connected them with a pre-existing Bible study group that wanted to form a church. Dan and Denise Ramsey also joined the work in Leonberg during that time. The church formalized and still meets today, but they have not joined the Charis Alliance. As one of the founding members of this church, Frank Puhl would go on to serve the Charis Alliance in various ways.  

Since then, we’ve sent a number of other missionaries to Germany such as Dan and Rachel Jackson, Roger Stover, Steve and Celeste*, Jim and Fran Frederick, James and Sibylle Belton, Kip and Mary Cone, and Mike and Letitia Yoder. Most of those missionaries served in southern Germany, while the Cones, Yoders, and (later) Ramseys served in the capital city, Berlin. For 40 years the western and eastern regions of Germany existed as separate countries, but in the 1990s, they pursued official and practical reunification. Church planting efforts encountered significant fruit, but also the challenges of cultural religiosity and atheistic secularism. The birthplace of the Reformation remains full of spiritual need.   

In 2015 our movement also expanded to Poland when Vance and Jenn* joined Encompass after already working in Łódź. Since joining our movement, they spent 10 years there, ministering in several ways including working with Ukrainian refugees, providing sleeping bags for the homeless, and even successfully planting the only Charis church in the country. 

*Last name excluded for security 

A Call to Prayer and Support 

• Pray for our church movement in Germany to grow. They need skilled musicians who can lead worship as well as additional elders, and they desire for their families, young people, and men to all find meaningful fellowship within the church.  Collaboration between existing churches is a strong need, as is church planting vision. 

• By some estimates, less than one out of 3,000 people who live in Poland are evangelical. Ask God to use our church there to make an impact on their community, and to have vision for multiplication. 

• Ask God to sprout new churches in Central Europe so our churches there can have peers to collaborate with and support each other.