Becoming a missional church - a mission worker’s story from Greece

As narrated by Rev. Son, Young Sam, a member of the SIM Korea board

Rather than discussing theoretical ideas about mission and the church, I want to share e everyday mission and church life that I believed I was called to and actually attempted to live out.  

From 1987, I served for 23 years in Greece, planting churches and ministering among the Roma community. Three years ago, after leaving my role at a ministry centre in Athens, I left the mission field and was serving in church ministry when I received this new invitation.  

Mission, in its truest sense, is “the act of making worship happen where there is no worship.” With this missional conviction, we taught that missionaries are not merely “preparing for worship” but preparing for ministry itself.  

At that time, about 50 scattered believers were gathering to worship together. A mission team visited, and as we worshipped and got to know each other, I found myself stepping into the central pastoral role. We held a service to formally join the denomination and mission organisation.  

Music played a powerful role in the ministry. The Roma people love music, so we often held worship outdoors with guitars, tambourines, and simple sound equipment. People would gather naturally, listening to the songs and testimonies, and many came to faith through these gatherings.  

We built churches in several locations; sometimes simple wooden structures, sometimes tent-like buildings because the community was constantly on the move. Even if the buildings were humble, the people filled them with joy, dancing and singing during worship.  

The church grew not because of impressive programmes or facilities, but because the gospel touched their hearts in the midst of their daily lives. We simply lived among them, sharing meals, listening to their stories, and walking with them through their struggles. 

During the week, we visited Roma villages, often centred around farmland, seeking out families and sharing the gospel with them. Because of their housing patterns and frequent movement, we built simple churches wherever they settled and held worship there.   

That was the essence of becoming a missional church: being present, being available, and letting Christ’s love take root in ordinary moments. 

On Sunday mornings, we preached the gospel to the Roma community; on Sunday afternoons, we served a Korean congregation that met in a rented space.  

As leaders, we emphasised that the church and denomination must guard the faith carefully and serve the Korean diaspora church with a thoroughly missional posture.  

We are Christians. Our citizenship is in heaven. On this earth, we live to carry out the Lord’s one and only Great Commission.