Joel Pobłocki is a student at Warsaw Baptist Theological Seminary in Poland.
When did you trust Christ?
I was raised in a Christian home, but I grew up without a church, and my father was a lukewarm Christian. Fortunately, my mom helped develop my faith. I accepted Christ during my first youth conference. By the grace of God, I was baptised later that year.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
One of the most defining moments was my coming into evangelical Christianity. I was not involved initially with an evangelical sect of Christianity. I learned this through obtaining my MA in Applied Linguistics at the University of Warsaw. I developed an awareness of the unorthodox sect I grew up in. So, I joined a Baptist church. Now, I am trying to be even-handed and find the balance between the belief in God's providence in the continuing Christian tradition and our understanding of the Bible according to the rule of 'Sola Scriptura'.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
At the Forum, I have grown in my understanding of Evangelicalism and the Church as a whole. I have also acquired new connections within the Polish Church. The Bible Preachers and the Theologians Networks have been of great use during my Bible preparation and preaching. I am very excited about the Theologians Network this year, as this past year was my first time in that Network, and I think I barely scratched the surface of what I can learn and how I can connect with other theologians.
What is your ministry?
I am a men's group leader and a Bible study group leader in my church. In the men's group, we use the Bible and the history of the Church to inspire the brethren to serve as men of God in their households, build up the Body of Christ, and be zealous to preach the Gospel to the people outside.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
I was a song leader at my previous church and then virtually part of the 'elder' board. (It was a small church in terms of structure and number, about 15 people, and only a few brothers within that.)
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
I love theology, Bible studies, the original languages, and the Body of Christ. I would love to see the Gospel spread in my country of Poland through various means. I also want to be a better servant for my community and my church and see more people fall in love with the Bible and theology, which is so often misunderstood in the church. I want my brothers and sisters to be more aware of church history, the overall importance of Christian tradition in our spiritual walk with God, and the understanding of ourselves and the Church in God's plan of salvation.
