Equipping young evangelists to preach the Gospel
Many years ago, Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke spoke of a dream where he saw an army of young people preaching the Gospel on the streets of Europe. That dream has started to become reality, through CfaN’s recent Fire Camp 21 in Horn, Austria in July. Young people from all over Europe gathered to seek the face of Jesus, get fired up to preach the Gospel – and take the Good News to the streets of Vienna.
The Decade of Double Harvest is a vision with many facets. Fire Camp 21 fits right into that strategy: a 10-day retreat that would take a group of young evangelists (up to 35 years old) and equip them to take a giant leap forward as evangelists.
Led by Matt McCluskey, the Director for CfaN’s European events, the vision for this energizing, practical retreat was to create a deep sense of family and support for those with a heart for evangelism in Europe – and give them the tools to share the Gospel with maximum effectiveness.
From 1 – 11 July, 55 participants and the leadership team gathered together at Horn Campus in Horn, Austria. Each morning started with a time of mediation and prayer, followed by multiple teaching sessions that covered a wide range of topics. These were designed to give each young evangelist practical tools for preaching, and to expand their horizons spiritually. The speakers included Ben Fitzgerald, Matt McCluskey, Florian Furst and Michael Job. And most of the leaders were themselves Bootcamp graduates, who shared and taught what they’ve learnt and put into practice in evangelism over the past two years.
Who took part?
A wide range of people took part, young men and women from Germany, Austria and several other countries. Some were freshly-saved, while others have had evangelism ministries for years. It was on our hearts from the beginning to demystify leadership, setting each other free to minister from the Holy Spirit to one another.
Within hours, a beautiful family dynamic was created. There are no superstars in the body of Christ! We all have the responsibility and the ability to minister to each other. Sometimes the biggest barrier to leadership is the box we put ourselves in. We saw people set free from those limitations, stepping out in confidence and helping one another.
Fire Camp was an opportunity to inject some beautiful CfaN DNA into these young people – courage, boldness, no fear of man. And of course, there was the very practical side, learning simple sermon outlines and then practicing preaching on each other.
Over 50 salvations on the streets of Vienna
The Fire Camp group took those lessons learnt and put them into practice straight away with two days of outreaches in Vienna, hitting the best-known places like Karlsplatz, Stephansplatz and Maria Hilferstrasse – all the places where they knew there would be plenty of people. It was fantastic to see the confidence the teams were preaching with and to see people getting saved right there on the streets of Vienna. Over 50 people made a decision for Christ and are now being followed up by the local churches we were working with during the camp.
Session Topics
- The Father Heart of God
- Intimacy with God: Hearing God's Voice
- What is the Gospel?
- The Call of the Evangelist
- The 5 Smooth Stones: CfaN Preaching Style Methods
- 3 Gospel Outlines
- The Spirit-Led Altar Call
- Church Planting
- Q&A for Leaders
- Q&A on Starting Larger Evangelism Gatherings
- Sermon Preparation
Coming together as the family of God
The vision was to have a retreat that was family-hosted, not session-driven or speaker-driven. This was not about one person, one leader, or even many leaders. We wanted to come together as brothers and sisters, because in the Kingdom, you can start out as strangers, but when the Holy Spirit moves, the Lord knits us together as a dwelling place for the Lord. Every single one of us has a testimony, and the ability – through honor and humility – to draw the gold out of each other.
We really wanted to create a safe place where people can take new steps, break free, maybe preach for the very first time. We wanted to create that space and the place for the heart of the evangelist to arise in this season. God is raising up family.
I’ve had a heart for Europe since I was a child, and that led me to study German and Russian. For the last 11 years, I’ve been mentoring and encouraging evangelists, and my heart longs to see Europe swept by a wave of revival – starting with young people out on the streets, preaching the simple Gospel. And that’s exactly what we saw happen at Fire Camp.
Matt McCluskey
Young families in ministry
There were several families who came to Fire Camp together with their small children. That’s something that shouldn’t be unusual. If you’re married with kids, ministry is not a one-person thing. The whole family has to be involved. So, taking time like this as a family, to concentrate on the Lord and be obedient to His leading, is vital. For us, it was a special opportunity to have fellowship with other young families in ministry, to encourage each other and build each other up.
Lukas Repert (Germany)
I encountered Jesus
I am so happy that I came to Fire Camp. God spoke to my heart that I should go, and I’ve gained so much. At first, I thought I already knew who I was in Christ, but I learned so much more, things I had no idea about. The biggest thing is simply that I encountered Jesus in such a big way. On one of the worship nights, He touched my heart so deeply, and I’m feeling so much more encouraged in knowing who I am in Christ. Now it’s much easier to introduce others to Christ as well.
Theresa (Estonia)
“Hey, Jesus loves you!”
The one night, we were on our way to get food when we saw three Romanian girls. We opened the car window and said, “Hey, Jesus loves you!” and the next thing, we’re sharing the Gospel, and the three girls gave their lives to Jesus. Preaching the Gospel is easy when you do it in power and obedience. And that’s what we learned and practiced at Fire Camp – to be obedient, to preach the Gospel, to be the Gospel, revealing Christ here on this earth.
Saamuel (Estonia)
Europe shall be saved
It was a very powerful time. For me, I knew that I’ve been called to be an evangelist, but doubt and lies had crept in. At Fire Camp, I received a new, clear confirmation from the Holy Spirit and made a total commitment. I believe with all my heart that Europe shall be saved, and I’ve experienced a whole new freedom in the Holy Spirit.
Daniel (Germany)
Renewed passion for the Gospel
I am 23 years old and come from Vienna. It was a privilege to attend this Fire Camp right here in Austria. One the most moving moments for me was when Ben Fitzgerald spoke. I felt the wall I had built inside myself crumble, and space was created in my spirit for a renewed passion for the Gospel and for revival here in Austria. I am full of joy and excitement for the future, for how I’m going to use what I have learnt here in my life and my ministry.
Tobi (Austria)
An incredible sense of family
It was amazing to get together with people from all these different countries in Europe who share the same passion for God and for people. There was an incredible sense of family – we’re not alone anymore. We stand together, carrying out our calling together. It’s not only about doing outreaches as a team, but about being able to share with and encourage each other afterwards.
Sunny (Austria)
Preaching without fear
It is so beautiful what God accomplished in us during Fire Camp. I was originally only a participant, but then I had the opportunity and privilege to serve others. And I got to do that here in my home city! It was especially amazing to me see how we young women were preaching without fear, without any worries about what people might think. And then to see people, young people, saying, “Yes, yes, yes!” to Jesus… It was incredible. I know this is only the start. I believe we will see it more and more, all over Europe.
Daniela (Austria)
Inspired for the future
For many of the participants, Fire Camp 21 was a turning point for them. Those who came with doubts in their hearts about their calling found themselves energized and excited for the future, with a new commitment to spreading the Gospel. Several have already applied to attend a CfaN Evangelism Bootcamp, and others have begun outreach initiatives in their hometowns.
An important part of Fire Camp only happens when it’s over… As Matt McCluskey says, “We are building a permanent ‘family’ of evangelists who communicate with each other regularly, pray for each other, and support one another. So often, evangelists have felt like ‘lone wolves’, but that’s not God’s way of doing things. He wants us to be in a family relationship with each other. That’s how we stay strong, we stay focused on Jesus, and we keep on doing what Jesus called us to do – to preach the Good News to everybody.”
More Fire Camps in 2022!
We’re thrilled to tell you that this was only the first of many Fire Camps to come in Europe. In 2022, we are planning at least four more in various countries. If you feel called to evangelism, if you feel the fire of God on your life, specifically when it relates to having a heart for the lost, then we invite you to come. We invite you to come into a family of evangelists, and together, we will see Europe shaken with the Gospel.
If you are between 18 and 35 years old, and this invitation speaks to your heart, you can apply to come to the next Fire Camp. You’ll find updates on dates and locations on our website in the coming months, or you can email us at info(at)cfan.eu for more information.
Europe shall be saved!
