1954–1963: The Decade of Beginnings
The name “Velberter Mission” (VM) is connected to the small town of Velbert in the Rhineland. In the beginning, it was simply a mission of the people of Velbert, as the Pentecostal church founded there in 1908 had been a missionary church from the start, already supporting its own missionaries in China at that time. Eventually, however, it also became a mission of the Association of Christian Churches in Germany (ACD), which had formed as an umbrella organization in 1947. In 1952, the ACD board decided to establish a foreign mission. An agreement with the Christian Community Velbert (CGV) led to the founding of Velberter Mission e.V. in 1954. The first mission director was Gottfried Starr, a long-time missionary to China and at the time pastor of the CGV. The early years in the post-war period were not easy. German missionaries were not in high demand, and local churches were too occupied with rebuilding to send out their limited workers into foreign missions. Nevertheless, the mission did not remain inactive. Through connections in India, local evangelists were initially supported financially. In 1958, the search for mission fields was finally successful. In cooperation with the local church movement “Apostolic Faith Mission,” the first German VM missionary was sent to Namibia in Africa. In the following years, more missionaries were sent to southern Africa. In 1962, doors also opened to India. The beginning had been made. During this period, Velberter Mission sent out a total of seven missionaries.
1964–1973: The Decade of Expansion
In Germany, more and more churches began to recognize the need for world mission. The annual Easter mission conferences, held alternately in Velbert and Duisburg, were attended by up to 1,800 mission supporters. The strong cooperation between the ACD and VM proved to be a great blessing for the further development of the mission. There was a spirit of new beginnings and momentum. The prayer to the Lord of the harvest for more workers was answered. In the following ten years, many new missionaries were sent out. Depending on their calling and the needs, they preached in tent evangelism campaigns, planted new churches, taught in Bible schools, cared for the sick in clinics, built church buildings, supported local pioneer workers, worked with youth in children’s homes, provided famine relief, and more. During this period, Velberter Mission sent out a total of 24 missionaries.
1974–1983: The Decade of Stabilization
In the following years, the first change in leadership of Velberter Mission took place. In 1976, Alfred Koschorrek became the new mission director. The board, made up of volunteer workers and full-time pastors, carried the main responsibility for the steadily growing work. Mission fields had to be visited, crises managed, pastoral care provided, and misunderstandings between missionaries and local people resolved. Support came through the so-called regional representatives. Following the regional restructuring of the ACD in 1981—which in 1982 adopted the name “Federation of Free Pentecostal Churches” (BFP)—they became key contact persons between the churches, the missionaries, and the mission leadership. As the work in both mission and administration continued to grow, dedicated office space became necessary. With the help of mission supporters, a property was acquired on Kollwitzstraße, and this mission center initially met all the needs of the now stabilizing work. By this time, VM had gained significant trust in Germany, so much so that it was also entrusted with a senior and nursing home in Heilbronn. During this period, a total of 36 missionaries with Velberter Mission.
1984–1993: The Decade of Partnerships
In 1984, a commemorative publication was released to mark the 30th anniversary of VM. It reflected a strong sense of expectation and a forward-looking vision. In 1985, Helmut Timm, a former VM missionary to India, became the new mission director. While some missionaries completed their service, others were sent out. Africa continued to be the main focus of the work. The supporting network consisted primarily of BFP churches, and formal partnerships were now established with some of them. Cooperation with the Pentecostal “Free Christian Churches” in Austria had already begun in 1969. In 1977, VM became a partner organization within the umbrella body “Evangelisches Missionswerk” (EMW). In 1992, the BFP national conference was jointly organized with the “Volksmission” (VMeC) under the theme “Our Responsibility in World Mission.” There were also strong fraternal ties with the “Association of Evangelical Missions” (AEM). During this period, Velberter Mission had a total of 35 missionaries.
1994–2003: The Decade of Unreached People Groups
Through its connection with the Lausanne Movement and participation in the International Congress on World Evangelization in Manila, new perspectives emerged. VM began to focus more intensively on the topic of “unreached people groups.” Together with its missionaries, it explored which unreached peoples they could reach. As early as the BFP conference in 1992, the theme “Mission in the Muslim world” had come into focus, and the burden to reach these unreached people grew even stronger. From that point on, developments progressed rapidly. Several missionaries were sent to unreached people groups. In 2002, another leadership transition took place within VM: Siegfried Bongartz, a long-time missionary in Africa, succeeded Helmut Timm. During this period, a total of 57 missionaries were active.
2004–2013: The Decade of Change
In May 2004, Velberter Mission celebrated its 50th anniversary, marked by a week of vibrant events. The BFP leadership especially highlighted the perseverance with which VM had carried out its mission over half a century. With the rise of new media, missionaries were able to stay in much closer and more frequent contact with their home base and the mission office. As a result, support became faster but also more intensive. Many trips were made to the countries where missionaries served, in order to better understand their living conditions and cultures and to help address various challenges. After 37 years of service, four of our so-called “veteran” missionaries returned to their home country. Due to societal changes, the duration of missionary assignments began to shorten. Many missionaries returned to Germany, while others were newly sent out. Europe also came more into focus. In 2011, the senior care home in Heilbronn was sold and a property in Velbert was acquired. Short-term assignments gained increasing appeal: more and more young people wanted to “experience mission” for a few months and were placed with VM missionaries, for example through voluntary service programs such as FSJ or IJFD. In 2013, Thomas Halstenberg, a long-time missionary to South America and Africa, was entrusted with the leadership of VM, succeeding Siegfried Bongartz. During this period, Velberter Mission had a total of 66 missionaries.
2014 – …: Das Jahrzehnt der neuen Herausforderungen
According to various studies, there are over 7,000 unreached people groups. Many are scattered around the world, and due to increasing waves of refugees and migrants, they are now also coming to Germany in growing numbers. This has led VM to involve former overseas workers in intercultural ministry within Germany. The first migrant missionary began serving in Velbert, soon followed by two additional couples. VM-Alive, the youth ministry of VM, was also established. In the midst of the pandemic (August 2020), Reinhard Leistner, a long-time missionary in Indonesia, was appointed as the new mission director to lead VM into the next era.