“Spark Europe", a missional network of Christians started 10 years ago, has launched a cash prize award to recognize innovative and impactful mission projects throughout mainland Europe. The Spark Award, intended to be held every four years, was inspired by technology awards in California rewarding innovators for their pioneering spirit and shedding light on their endeavors to inspire others to do the same and more.
The winner will be announced at a special ceremony in a coworking event space in East Baden, Germany, receiving a prize of 20,000 Euros ($21,600 USD).
An official statement for the award says that judging criteria includes “balancing leading measures (input and design) with lagging measures (results and outcomes).”
Key areas of assessment include: “impact beyond church walls with Kingdom-minded goals; initiatives rooted in innovative listening to culture, God, and people; and innovative approaches to faith engagement.”
The award also considers a project's “inspirational quality and scalability, its ability to reach broad audiences and unique stakeholders, and its positive reception in secular contexts. This multifaceted approach ensures that recognized projects truly exemplify cutting-edge, impactful missional work in the European context,” adds the statement.
“We believe that while the message of Jesus remains unchanging, the methods of embodying and communicating that message must evolve to meet the challenges of post-Christian Europe. By highlighting projects that offer a foretaste of God's kingdom on earth, we aim to inspire and catalyze a movement of creative, missional engagement across the continent.”
Marlin Watling, overseer of Spark Europe and the related Spark Award, told Christian Daily International that the award focused on projects advancing the Great Commission with fresh and groundbreaking methods, which are different to predictable “Sunday morning” church models.
Based in Heidelberg, Germany, Watling is a psychologist by trade and worked as a human resources director for several multinational companies, from SAP [Software] to Roche pharmaceuticals, where he says he carried responsibility for the welfare of 4,000 workers. He now works as a consultant for strategy and organizational change throughout Germany and southern Europe.
Watling began planting churches 20 years ago and for 15 years had a “tentmaking” role as the non professional pastor of a 250-member Vineyard network church in Heidelberg. The church moved away from Vineyard about 10 years ago because he and others had a vision for realizing a need to build a missional network in Germany and central Europe. Watling sums up the vision as “not inviting people to church but bringing the church to people.”
He defines “missional” as bringing the church to people’s needs. For a mentee of Spark Europe, the project leaders who have joined the network, that means being culturally engaged whilst motivated by faith and wanting to see change from their worldview of following Jesus.
A business leader, for example, may have a vision to bring gospel values to their occupational setting and Spark Europe doesn’t “define that, but we help them and there needs to be a push to leave something of substance in that setting,” says Watling.
Spark Europe involves 30 groups of Christians spread across Europe, including 20 groups in Germany, three in Switzerland, one in Austria, two in Portugal, one in Spain and two in France. All are involved in a lifecycle where church meetings are a part, but not the whole, of kingdom living, he says.
A third of the groups utilize a type of church formality but in some cultural contexts it may take different shapes. In Lisbon, Portugal, for example, Spark Europe supports a Christian missionary who belongs to a local church but for ministry, they have created a coworking business space, which has an expression of faith but it’s not “church.”
“This is more driven by a Kingdom of God mindset, and the Kingdom is the main theme and ‘church’ is one of the instances. So we are involved in businesses, social spaces and creative endeavors. Wherever we are, the kingdom of God happens, and that sometimes leans to forms of church or church collaborations, and sometimes it is spiritual communities and those setting in and of themselves,” he says.
Watling leads Spark Europe alongside five other leaders, some with ongoing Vineyard connections or membership of Protestant churches. As a network, and less as a denomination, these leaders aim to resource, support and mentor anyone with a leadership gift, who are entrepreneurial by nature but with a view for the kingdom of God, whether that be church planting or other activities, and with the aim of connecting them to kindred leaders.
During the last five years, the Spark leaders ran innovation strategies looking at where in mainland Europe they could find projects that are finding new ways to generate impact, which means fresh expressions of faith: good relationships with local newspapers or cultural venues, for example and “typically not only Sunday morning based.”
“Their goal is not just to gather people but to embody presence,” says Watling.
Living communities are a key tenet for Spark Europe, being expressions in local towns of community and friendship, and social dimensions living together, often connected to a business. Watling recalls a particular group of 14 people who came together in such a way, and went on to also set up a hospitality business.
“It’s not a cafe, more an events space where weddings happen and so forth but the combination with the Christian living community that’s overtly stated is a distinct flavor from a church cafe where you try to offer hospitality,” explains Watling. “It’s more holistic and they also put their values front and center.”
The last five years has been about moving from scaling the network to finding the pioneers and innovative projects in Europe to support, “and I think we were successful in that, as an internal strategy identifying some we can nominate for the prize.” This means 20 projects that were nominated for the award in November, which Watling terms a “pleasant surprise.”
Watling says there is a “regular ranking system” evaluating the maturity of the projects, with three to four ultimately recommended to show people that in regards to missional focus, “it works.” He emphasizes that the network didn’t create these projects: “We just found them and support them.”
There has been some impact with conversions, baptisms and growth from those supported by Spark Europe but Watling admits the outcome is relatively slow and defining a long-term measurement of success is not yet so appropriate, considering the network is still maturing.
Spark Europe is looking for maturity in Kingdom projects where Christians seek the best for their neighborhood, and to play their own part as mere “tools” for the transformation of towns through innovation in their cultural environment. “They want to see towns succeed,” adds Watling.
The Spark Award Jury
Tobias Faix, a German Protestant theologian and author, specializing in practical theology at the YMCA University of Applied Sciences in Kassel
Evi Rodemann, a German theologian and event professional with expertise in European missions and leadership development
Christian Kuhn, Secretary-General of the Swiss Evangelical Alliance in Switzerland, bringing pastoral, church planting, and leadership training experience
Martin Robinson, experienced in cross-cultural mission, church planting, and theological education, offering insights on missional challenges in various contexts
Christian Nowatzky, Co-founder of Berlinprojekt and organizational consultant, with experience in growing innovative urban ministries in post-Christian settings
Duncan McFadzean, Investment banker and co-founder of Creo, offering perspective on the intersection of faith, business, and social impact.
Spark Award serves three key purposes:
1. To showcase inspirational projects that further God's mission in mainland Europe, demonstrating how the Gospel can be lived out in culturally relevant and transformative ways.
2. To applaud initiatives and innovation outside of mainstream models, recognizing that in our rapidly changing European context, new approaches to faith engagement are crucial.
3. To encourage a new generation of leaders to step forward with bold, Spirit-led ideas for reaching their communities with the love of Christ. The Spark Award stems from a conviction that our current time calls for initiatives and innovation in how we express and share our faith.
