Ján Máhrik is a pastor, author, and church planter in Slovakia.
When did you trust Christ?
I was born into a Christian family, and my dad became the pastor when I was five. I understood that the most crucial thing was to trust God and walk in His ways. Since childhood, I have respected God, prayed to Him, trusted Him, and knew that when I die, I will stand face-to-face with Him. As a teenager, I realised the power of sin in my life. As hard as I tried to behave well, I could see that I couldn't stop myself from making mistakes and bad decisions. However, all my failures were points where I could, again and again, rely on God's mercy and grace. I was 17 when I fully understood and experienced the meaning of Jesus' death and blood.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
Since childhood, my parents led me to God, and they clearly expressed that He should be the priority in life. I understood the most crucial thing for me to grow is to trust God and walk in His ways. When I was 15-18 years old, my youth leaders were crucial in my joining different ministries and taught me how important it is to devote your life to ministry to God.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I believe not much of my ministry would be possible without ELF. I have been attending ELF for over a decade, and it has been one of the most significant resources in my ministry. At ELF, I have met people who helped shape my understanding of the cultural impact and taught me how to engage with secular post-Christian culture. Thanks to the seminars, books, and mentoring, I developed my apologetic arguments and passion for persuasive evangelism, and thanks to my experience in the Church Planting Network, I have supported and maintained my ministry.
What is your ministry?
I am leading a church plant, which was planted in 2016. I am also involved in various church planting networks and serve as a board member of our denomination. One of my church planting strategies is an intensive online publishing presence, including writing books, publishing YouTube videos, and publishing a podcast. Our podcast was recently awarded the number one evangelistic podcast in the Czech and Slovak Republics, which has leveraged our ministry to the unchurched. I also co-wrote two books based on the podcast content. One of them deconstructs cultural assumptions about Christianity and explains the Gospel's take on it. The book sold out and is being reprinted and translated into Czech.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
I have been involved in leadership positions since I was 17. I have been a webmaster, multimedia assistant, youth leader, and worship leader before being a pastor, church planter, and author.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
About 10,000 people will be served through our local church ministry, publishing ministry, and networking in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Our ministry is intensely missional; we equip Christians from all backgrounds to everyday Gospel living and sharing and reach the unchurched people with persuasive Gospel presentations.
