Avi Snyder and James Lauderdale
The Right Time, the Right Place
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, mission agencies and Christian initiatives looked to Budapest as the place to establish their headquarters for Central and Eastern Europe. Many of the reasons for choosing Budapest were stated in Barbara Kertai’s article, “Budapest as a Missions Headquarters,” which appeared in the Fall 1999 East-West Church & Ministry Report. Those reasons included: the geographical centrality of Budapest; a reasonable tax system; a modern airport, along with good roads and an excellent railway system; a low cost of living and reasonable housing options; and the establishment of the International Christian School of Budapest, which offered an English-based education to the children of missionaries from the West.1 Add to all these favorable circumstances the fact that people across the region were ready to listen to what missionaries had to say, and an even more promising picture emerges. Attila Kapocs of Operation Mobilization states, “There was an openness for the Gospel in the early 90s, plus it was attractive for Western churches and missionaries to come and serve.”2
Good, but Not Perfect
Of course, challenges did exist, even amidst such encouraging developments. Good communications in Hungary were only as good as the country with which the Hungarian regional office wished to speak. Some indigenous churches that had for so long focused on survival looked with understandable apprehension upon foreign missionaries who advocated reaching out. As for transportation, even as recently as 2012, travel glitches could take place which now seem absurdly comical, but which were no laughing matter at the time -- such as when Malev Hungarian Airlines permanently closed up shop, virtually in a single day, with no forewarning to passengers who had their tickets in hand but no planes to board.
Nevertheless, regional offices experienced successes that at times looked too good to be true. Mark van Bebber, based with Entrust (formerly Biblical Education by Extension) in the Budapest suburb of Diosd, comments upon the region-wide fruitfulness that their workers observed as they saw a new generation of pastors come to maturity. According to van Bebber, reports of the work in villages among the Roma populations were especially encouraging.3 Todd Hiltibran of ReachGlobal (Evangelical Free Church of America) cites the way in which Budapest became a resource location for regional missions as well – a gathering point where leaders from different countries and different ministries could come together for fellowship, encouragement, and the exchange of ideas.4
Two Decades Later
Today, over 20 different mission organizations make Budapest and the surrounding vicinity their base of operations for Central and Eastern Europe. The variety of ministries matches the number of organizations coordinating outreach throughout the region. In addition to more generalized missionary work, CRU (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) and OM focus heavily on campus work and youth camps. Additionally, YWAM, ReachGlobal, ABWE, Pioneers, SEND, Greater Europe Mission, and United World Mission are working regionally in areas such as mission mobilization, pastoral development, spiritual formation, and ministry to Roma. More recently, Jews for Jesus and Ariel Ministries have established offices in Budapest from which they oversee their ministries’ efforts to evangelize the Jewish people, from Central Europe to the former USSR. In short, Budapest continues to serve as a hub for fruitful ministry throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
New Challenges
However, events are taking place in Hungary that may not only affect the course of local ministry, but may impact Budapest in her role as the coordination point for ministry on a regional level. Genuine concerns are being expressed about growing xenophobia in Hungary, as evidenced by the rise of far-right political influence. Similarly, alarms are being sounded about the future of free speech since the passage of a law in 2010 that places restraints upon media reportage.5 A far-right political drift and restrictions on free press are serious matters, and they raise questions about the impact that these trends may have on local Gospel proclamation. However, it is difficult to assess what affect xenophobia and censorship may have on a regional level. Of more immediate and measurable concern is the impact that may be felt by laws that affect church/mission status, as well as new tax legislation.
In January 2012, the Hungarian government passed a new Church Act which gave Parliament the right to decide via a two-thirds majority vote whether or not a religious body may receive official status as a church and thereby receive state subsidies.6 This immediately affected the legal standing of many non-mainline church bodies. But missions that had been legally incorporated as churches also lost their status and had to go through the process of re-registering as foundations or associations in order to continue in a legal fashion. The new status, however, did not carry with it the tax advantages that came with being a church. As a result, mission agencies faced new challenges in the area of providing support for their workers. That, in turn, presented challenges to the ongoing “international” administrative work of the regional offices located in Budapest. In September 2014, the European Court of Human Rights overturned the Church Act, but how this will impact affected churches and mission agencies is not yet clear.7
The initial loss of subsidies most immediately affected indigenous workers in mission agencies. However, another law threatens foreign workers who live in Budapest but who minister on a regional level. The Hungarian government determined that starting in 2012, foreign workers who remained in Hungary after a two-year period would be required to pay a 47 percent tax on their worldwide income, regardless of whatever other taxes they paid to their home governments. This tax law does not apply to foreign workers from countries that had an understanding of reciprocity with Hungary. But since a majority of the foreign mission workers are from the United States, and since no such reciprocity exists between the U.S. and Hungary, the ability of these workers to continue living in Budapest is now called into question. Whether or not the International Christian School of Budapest should consider relocating to another country became the subject of informal conversations. Should that occur, it would bring about the departure of a number of workers in regional offices whose children attend the school.8
In 2015, the matter seems to have settled a bit; on 3 February 2015, the U.S. and Hungary signed a “totalization” agreement.9 Although the exact parameters of the agreement are not yet known, its signing does bring a large sense of relief – at least to the many American missionaries located in Hungary.
In the Foreseeable Future
At the present time, nearly 200 foreign Christian workers serve in regional offices that operate out of Budapest or one of its suburbs, and there are no indications that any of these offices plan to relocate or close. A quarter of a century after the demise of Communist regimes in the region, Budapest remains a hub for missions in Hungary and throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
Notes:
- Barbara Kertai, “Budapest as Mission Headquarters,” East West Church & Ministry Report 7 (Fall 1999), 3-4.
- Interview with Attila Kapocs.
- Interview with Mark van Bebber.
- Interview with Todd Hiltibran, 1 March 2015.
- “Hungary, Freedom of the Press, 2012,” Freedom House, 2012; https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2012/ hungary#.VPNJt890zmQ.
- Veronika Gulyas, “European Court of Human Rights: Hungary Breached Freedom of Religion,” Wall Street Journal, 8 April 2014; http://blogs.wsj.com/ emergingeurope/2014/04/08/european-court-of-humanrights-hungary-breached-freedom-of-religion/.
- “European Court Rules Hungarian Church Act Violates Freedom of Religion,” IFEX, 11 September 2014; https:// www.ifex.org/hungary/2014/09/11/church_act/.
- Avi Snyder interview with unnamed source.
- “U.S. – Hungary Sign Totalization Agreement,” XparLoop, 3 March 2015; http://www.xpatloop.com/news/us-hungary_ sign_totalization_agreement.
Avi Snyder is European Director of Jews for Jesus. James Lauderdale serves on the Europe Division Leadership Team of ReachGlobal (EFCA). Both live in the greater Budapest area.