CRM - Empowering Leaders
The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal independent Communist state. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, often bitter, fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands.
Before the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the Republic of Croatia was the most prosperous and industrialized area after Slovenia, with a per capita output perhaps one-third above the Yugoslav average. Today, the economic situation of Croatia is weighed down by a high unemployment rate.
During the school year, CRM staff minister with the local theological seminary in Osijek - from teaching, to helping students improve their practical ministry skills and preparing them for full-time ministry. Students come from Croatia and neighboring countries.
The country is 87% Roman Catholic, 4% Orthodox Christian, and 1% Muslim, but through the influence of CRM staff, this politically turbulent Balkan region is being infused with trained Christian laborers. Even the Muslim populations are being penetrated as these laborers are being sent out.
CRM staff also work with a local church in its outreach efforts. During the summer, they host several international teams who run camps for English, sports, and music. Because evangelical churches are generally looked upon as sects in Croatia, people would normally never set foot in a church building, but when English classes are held there, the church building is viewed differently. And the classes provide environments where Christ is presented.
Staff are also involved in an economic development project that helps the developing ministries support themselves.