Who are you?

We are just disciples of Jesus Christ, serving the Protestant Churches in Europe. We are not a coalition of pastors nor a theological institution. We have a burden in our hearts for the crisis that our Protestant Churches are going through and want to stand up together to preserve them for Christ. We want to carry our cross and put it back in the centre of our churches—hence our name.

What is the crisis that the Protestant churches are going through?

Our churches are ageing and shrinking at an unprecedented pace. If this trend continues, they could cease to exist in a few decades. But this is just a symptom. The real crisis is that the Word of God is not being proclaimed and the Sacraments are being unduly administered. On the one hand, many of our brothers and sisters are starving and seeking for healthy pastures outside our churches; on the other hand, many people who were baptised at an early age are leaving massively, simply because they were never instructed in the Gospel and don’t see its beauty. 

How did we get to this point?

We ask ourselves the same question. Whether it was a lack of zeal in catechism, a lack of resolve to resist worldly thinking, or carelessness in prayer, we are concerned, not about the past, but about turning to God today. Although liberal theology has set foot on our seminaries and synods, a new generation of seminarians is arising that boldly proclaims ‘my conscience is bound to the Word of God’. Are you ready to help to rebuild our Churches?

Is it realistic to save the national Protestant churches in Europe?

‘With man it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God’. Isn’t the Bible full of such stories? With such an attitude there would have been no Reformation at all. Besides this, we are convinced that this rapid shrinking is a historic opportunity to retake our Churches for the Gospel. The congregations that hold on to Christ will flourish; the congregations that forsake Christ will simply vanish.

Is the national church really so important that we should fight for it?

Whether you’re sceptical of institutions or not, the officially recognised church of a country is the point of reference by which that country will understand Christianity. If the state church becomes totally corrupted, the countless heresies that are preached in the Name of Christ will be understood as the official Cristian doctrine in our countries. «Lord have mercy». If this happens, the independent churches will be seen as mere cults and may be even persecuted. For the sake of Christ’s Name, we must resist this tendency within the state church.

Doesn’t this crisis show that a national church is too prone to be influenced by politics?

This has indeed been a historical tendency, but we can learn from the past and set clear boundaries. Having an officially recognised Christian church in our countries is a miracle that cost the lives of many martyrs; let us not take that for granted. We need courage to resist any pressure from the state to alter our doctrine. Likewise, we have no right to elevate ourselves and exercise a religious rule. If the state has the duty of using the ‘sword’ to preserve law and order, then the Church has the duty of wielding the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, to speak into the conscience of the nation—not the other way around.

How do you plan to contribute to preserving these churches?

Firstly, by prayer and fasting. Secondly, by finding and supporting the faithful ministers that are still active. We want to encourage these orthodox ministers to report their churches to our database, so that we can direct people to them. Thirdly, by building and supporting networks where sound doctrine is being discussed and promoted. Fourthly, by preaching the gospel as loudly and faithfully as possible, so that our countries notice the difference between the Good News of Christ and the Fake News of the world.

Which Protestant denominations do you focus on and why?

We have limited our scope to the Lutheran, Reformed and Anglican traditions. These Churches have come into communion either through the Leuenberg or Porvoo agreements. They are the direct offspring of the Reformation. All of these count as the “Magisterial Reformation”. The National Protestant Churches in Europe are now of a mixed character and have congregations from these three historic backgrounds.

Do you have supporters among the clergy?

For now, just a few, but we’re working hard to contact pastors and existing confessional networks. Any help in this regard is appreciated. If you’re studying theology or are preparing to become a Protestant minister, we would value your support very much.

Isn’t it better to just abandon the mainline church and join an independent one?

Elijah did not retreat; Jesus did not retreat; Athanasius did not retreat; Luther did not retreat. We are ready to stay within and stay firm in our values, even if we are criticised and regarded as fools for Christ’s sake. If we flee from this battlefield, the wave of liberalism will sooner or later reach the independent churches anyways—this is, in fact, already happening. ‘Here we stand, we cannot do otherwise, God help us’.

What is the outcome that you desire for the Crossbearer campaign?

If our efforts are blessed, there should be no need for our organisation to exist in the next generation and our churches can invest more energy in world evangelism and serving the poor. Until then, we hope that a strong network of confessing Protestants will arise in the whole continent, putting the Cross of Christ back in its central place, being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and bringing glory to God the Father. 

What are you doing exactly toward this end?

Our activities include:

• Intercessory prayer and fasting
• Intentional study of the Holy Scriptures and the confessions of the Reformation
• Production of videos, articles, and other media to propagate the Gospel
• Constant search for confessional congregations within the mainline Protestant Churches
• Connecting orthodox theology graduates with orthodox congregations, so that they may lead them
• Connecting pastors and confessional networks across Europe
• Offering support to persecuted Protestant confessors in Europe
• A campaign to proclaim the gospel on Reformation Day in Wittenberg in 2025

Can I join?

If you’re a member of the Protestant national church and want to help to preserve it for Christ, please do join our discussion channel on Discord! If you’re a member of an independent Protestant church in Europe following the Lutheran, Reformed or Anglican tradition, you’re also most welcome to be part of our movement. If you’re a Christian from a different background and want to inquire about historic Protestantism, we are pleased to respond to your questions in our discussion channels.