When did you trust Christ?
I turned to Christ at a youth conference when I was 16 years old.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
My pastor encouraged me to study Theology, and I took a summer internship at a Lutheran church in Reading, Pennsylvania, in the United States in 2003. I was also affected by reading Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Church.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
Every leader needs to grow in their ministry, faith, skills, abilities, and relationships. The Forum prepares me to confront contemporary challenges and provides me with accountability. The Forum is a great opportunity for spiritual and personal growth. It is a place to grow spiritually, connect with other leaders, gain a deeper understanding of our faith, and receive encouragement. It is the best tool available to me to improve my leadership skills. It is a great place to network with other believers and form new relationships with other Christian leaders. Every year, I invite other leaders from my church and my area to attend the Forum so that they can receive excellent training.
What is your ministry?
I am a Lutheran pastor in Zilina, Slovakia, in a congregation of more than 2,000 people. My responsibilities include preaching, teaching, pastoral care, and more. I am also the vice bishop for our denomination in the East district. I oversee 22 local congregations—almost 30,000 people. In May of 2018, I finished my Ph.D. studies at the Lutheran Seminary Bratislava on the topic of "Planting New Churches as a Challenge for Lutheran Missiology." Finally, I am the Vice Bishop for the East District Lutheran Church in Slovakia.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
I am a pastor in a local congregation and a regional leader. I am focusing on church revitalization in both contexts. Our local congregation has 2,000 members. Many of them are nominal Christians, but it is an active church. The core of the church is healthy and open for fresh renewing. Our local church is pioneering in some things for the current Lutheran context in Slovakia. We are renewing worship services, using media, focusing on discipleship and small groups, and so on. I have also started discussions with 22 local pastors about church revitalization. I can facilitate this discussion because of my leadership role.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
The revitalisation of churches is a great need in my country and Europe. As mentioned above, I pastor a congregation of more than 2,000 people. I am also our denomination's bishop, overseeing 22 local congregations—almost 30,000 people. So someone's investment will go a long way with God's blessing.
