Zefjan Nikolla is a pastor and the General Secretary of IFES in Albania. He is also the Executive Director of the Albania Leadership Forum.
When did you trust Christ?
I decided to trust and follow Jesus in October of 1991 as a freshman at university. I joined an International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) group that was studying the Gospel of Mark. I had many questions about the existence of God, pain, suffering, and more. It was not until I found satisfactory answers to my most profound life questions that I trusted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. My life has not been the same since.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
Some defining moments have been my participation in the IFES student group in Albania, my involvement in the local church that I pastor, my Bible reading and study, many Christian brothers and sisters in my life, and good Christian literature.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
As a result of attending the Forum, I have been better equipped and trained to be effective in my ministry leadership roles. I have received great resources. Attending the Forum has also given me a lot of encouragement, partnerships, and a greater vision of God's work in Europe. I hope to continue learning, growing, and serving as much as I can with the Leadership Foundations Network.
What is your ministry?
I am the General Secretary of IFES Albania, a student ministry present in nine cities nationwide. I am also the senior pastor of Emanuel Evangelical Church Tirana, one of the first churches that started in Albania after the fall of communism in 1991. I am also the Executive Director of the Albania Leadership Forum, an ELF initiative that began in 2019. I am involved in national and regional initiatives to train university evangelists and preachers.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
I have served on staff with BSKSH, been involved in youth and pastoral ministry, and worked as an interpreter/translator for various Christian events and books. I have also been a board member for several major Christian organisations, such as the European Evangelical Alliance, the European Youth Network, and the Wilberforce Foundation.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
Someone should invest in my ministry because I believe it's strategic. The ministry God has entrusted me with includes working with students who are the leaders of tomorrow. The local church ministry context is very challenging as we mostly evangelise and disciple people from a Muslim background. The other aspect of my ministry has to do with leadership development, and this is a real need in our country.
