Bernd Winkelstraeter is a professional consultant, trainer, and coach in Germany.
When did you trust Christ?
I was raised in the Protestant Reformed Church, so I knew about the Bible and Jesus. However, in October 1980, at an evangelistic youth group event in a German Baptist church, I learned that Jesus wanted to have a personal relationship with me, and I gave my life to Christ.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
After giving my life to Christ, I joined the youth group and got baptized a year later. Since then, I have served in various churches, and I have a couple of evangelistic outreaches to Germany, Austria, Thailand, and Bolivia.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I would like to grow my spiritual gifts of teaching and leadership. I believe sermons are major opportunities to lead a congregation toward a united spiritual vision. I hope to lead more effectively by becoming a better preacher.
What is your ministry?
I have served on the leadership team of our local International Baptist Church for about 12 years. As a leadership team member, my focus is on vision, strategy, and networking. For example, with the local Evangelical Alliance or missions and justice projects. As a member of our church's preaching team, I preach up to six times a year. I also coach eight German Baptist churches in revitalisation, and preach for them from time to time.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
I have been an elder and on the leadership team in a previous church. Altogether, I have over 20 years in church leadership. I have also learned a lot from other churches and denominations and through traveling to other countries.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
I have attended Year-Round Mentorings (YRM) for Organizational Leadership, Revitalisation, and Disciple Making Leaders, and have become more professional in my preaching ministry. However, I still do many things intuitively. By attending this new YRM, I hope to have my preaching become more scholarly and intellectually grounded.
