Staszek Białecki is a pastor and runs training for Cru's Eastern Europe region in Poland.
When did you trust Christ?
As a sophomore student, I experienced deep dissatisfaction with my religious life as a devout Catholic and began to search for something that would give eternal security and meaning to my life. A few months later, I ran into some students involved with Campus Crusade for Christ. They invited me to their summer camp, where I, for the first time, understood and believed the Gospel about salvation by grace through faith in Jesus. It became the turning point in my life.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
My decision to trust and follow Christ was very conscious and solid, though it was just a starting point to see God through His self-revelation in Scripture. A key factor in what followed was the three years of being discipled by a full-time missionary and the community I had with other missionaries and students involved in spreading the Gospel at other universities. This experience led me to join Campus Crusade full-time. It was mostly the leaders of this organization that influenced me through the different stages of my missionary life.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I have heard a lot of good things about ELF from other participants. I also participated in the Rome Scholars Network conference in June 2016, which is an outgrowth of ELF, and found it extremely informative and useful.
What is your ministry?
Preparing focused, in-field, one-week-long courses and travelling to teach them in 22 countries of Campus Crusade's Eastern Europe and Russia Area of Affairs. The goal is to ensure at least minimum biblical and theological competencies among our full-time missionaries, who are typically graduates of universities but have no formal training in the Bible and theology.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
In university, I led and discipled other students. I then became a full-time missionary, eventually becoming training director and then a national leader.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
Building a sufficient foundation of biblical and theological competency is a key factor in the long-term success of Christian missions. My ministry is contributing to building this foundation in the lives of already committed missionaries. Well-taught, they will multiply this effort / investment for something eternally meaningful. Our training program is brought to the missionaries where they are serving.
