Reaching out through Language Teaching

The Czech Republic is known as one of the most atheistic countries on the planet. The population is not necessarily anti-Christian, but rather is more apathetic towards spiritual things. It has been said that Czechs seek above all else pohodlí, or comfort. In their quest for material satisfaction, spiritual matters have little relevance.

The southwest corner of the Czech Republic is the most atheist region of the country, with only a few small evangelical churches in existence. The largest city in the region is České Budějovice, also known as Budweis in German, after the Budweiser beer brewed here. The small OM Czech Republic team is also based in this city.

Finding a way to reach out to this apathetical population is an enormous challenge, as most traditional forms of outreach are greeted with collective indifference. A Mormon missionary can occasionally be seen standing on one of the main pedestrian thoroughfares, and it can be amusing to see how the Czechs go out of their way to avoid this obvious outsider. Czechs are not an open people, and are highly suspicious and distrustful of outsiders. The question for the OM Czech Republic team is “How do you break down the barrier of distrust?”

One of the ways that OM Czech Republic seeks to break down this barrier is through their "English Classes for Czechs Language School" (ECC). This school operates jointly with OM, providing high-quality English language teaching by native English speakers. The setting is OM’s modern coffee house and classrooms, which were remodelled a few years ago into a spacious, quiet and comfortable teaching centre. Classes are held in the evenings, and are mainly attended by working Czechs, who seek to improve their English either for work or travel purposes. About 40 students attend the weekly classes. The school has operated for over 5 years now, and has developed a reputation for high-quality teaching at a moderate price. 

Michael*, a businessman who has been attending for several years, said he used to attend the “professional” language school, but found the teaching to be much more fun and effective at the OM school. He recommended the school to Libor*, a fellow businessman and former classmate at the “professional” language school, and Libor concurred that ECC offers the best English teaching in the city.

The goal of ECC is not only to provide the highest quality English teaching to Czechs, but also to provide an environment to build deeper relationships with the students. Ultimately, their goal is to build the trust required to share the Gospel with these students. To further this goal, ECC also offers extra social nights, where the students can come to the school for games, cooking classes, conversation or movies. In addition, an English-language home Bible study is offered to the students, and several students now attend this as well, including a few outspoken atheists. 

Although we currently only have one person handling all teaching and administrative duties of the school, we are praying that students will become more open to attending the social nights and Bible studies. Marushka*, a single mother with two young girls saw the small “ECC” sign on our gate, and began attending classes two years ago. She recently visited our home Bible study for the first time. Our hope is that through the ECC ministry, we will continue to break down the barriers and build deep roots in our community.    

*Names changed

OM’s role in the Church is to mobilise people to share the knowledge of Jesus and His love with every generation in every nation. OM pioneers and leads initiatives to redeem lives, rebuild communities and restore hope in over 110 countries.