Berlin, Germany is a multicultural, vibrant, large urban center, rich in history, highly secular, tolerant, and diverse. For the past few years, our team has wrestled with how to kickstart a gospel movement in Berlin’s complex urban environment. Normally, complex problems require complex solutions. But the Kingdom of God is an upside-down Kingdom. In Christ, the first are last and the weak are strong. What if God’s answer to the complexity of a city like Berlin was something radically simple?
Last autumn I joined Prime Strategic—a Novo team focused on prayer—because of my growing conviction that the radically simple solution to the complexity of Berlin was the simplicity of prayer. On the Prime Strategic Team, I found myself surrounded by others who believe God already has the best strategies for our ministry locations. Our responsibility is to discern those strategies by listening to the Father.
Shortly after joining, I volunteered Berlin as the focus of a unique prayer experiment which we called the Berlin Experiment Tank (BET). The BET committed to 90 days of prayer specifically asking God for the components needed for a breakthrough in Berlin. There were six of us to start—five Novo staff serving in different countries around the world, and Fred, my key German partner here.
We prayed together for Berlin via video call and on our own. On our calls, we listened to God as a group and shared what we were hearing. We worshiped, cried, and laughed together. As an act of worship, one of the BET members wrote poetry for the city. At the end of the 90 days we reached a consensus on five recurring themes: prepare for battle and care for the wounded, mourn for the city, bless the city, tell stories, and meaningfully involve women in the mission of Jesus. The other consensus was that we needed a second 90-day experiment to see if God might make these five things more concrete.
The unexpected highlight of phase two, which concluded earlier this year, was the impact it had on my German partner, Fred. Fred is a prayer warrior, so I didn’t expect he’d experience anything new or enriching during this prayer experiment—but it profoundly affected him. This is what he shared about his time with the Experiment Tank:
The Berlin Experiment Tank was very special for me. It really has accelerated my prayer life. I’ve done listening prayer for half an hour at special events, but never with such a big group over a longer timeframe. That was worth investing in. The group knew things they could not have known because no one had ever told them. For example, they didn’t know that I was one of the very few story advocates in Germany (I’d learned the importance of orality in missions in Bible school), and one of the five strategies for Berlin they heard from God was the use of story!
Of course, one fruit of prayer should be that our relationship with Jesus gets deeper and our understanding of Jesus grows. I would say this was true. But another important fruit of prayer is that Jesus is listening. I’m part of a network that prays that 10% of all Muslims accept Jesus as their savior. When some of the BET team visited us in Berlin we were praying at special locations, and afterward, for the first time ever in Berlin, I was able to start a Bible study with an Imam (Islamic leader) at an English-speaking mosque. It’s very seldom that you get such an opportunity with an Imam. This is a result of people praying for us and is very special for me.
When we had our very last prayer session, I had the clear feeling we should go on. I want to repeat this prayer experiment and train others in Germany in this model. “Let’s sit together for 90 days, three times do a video call, and listen together for what God is telling us and what the next steps should be.” I think this is something we should do and train others in to get perspective for ministry.
On our last BET call, Fred caught me off guard when he told the team, “Berlin Christians need something like the Experiment Tank.” I had no idea how deeply the posture of listening prayer that drove our mission strategy had blessed him.
Three months have come and gone since the end of the BET phase two. A long, dreary Berlin winter is soon to set in. We have yet to see the breakthrough we’re looking for, but we wholeheartedly reject the lie that Europe is hard soil. God is preparing to do something amazing here. We continue to trust that the Lord of the Harvest will soon pour out his Spirit on Berlin, kickstarting a movement that impacts all of Europe. In the meantime, I can say that I’ve relearned something really important: The work we’re called to is prayer! Effectiveness in ministry is dependent upon the time spent on our knees in passionate dialogue with God.
Will you join us in praying for Berlin?
A Prayer for Berlin
Berlin, we touch your earth in Jesus Name,
with our knees, with our hands,
our foreheads.
We bow with you to the only one
that can reach back
and touch with healing, destiny,
and purpose.
We love you in Jesus name,
beyond our own loving,
beyond our ability to understand,
we love you
as we were loved, undeserving
and hostile.
You are a great city, powerful in the world, but your
real power lies in the souls and spirits within you—
the endless promise of God's highest creations
that flow in your paths and breathe your air,
travel your streets, eat your bread.
God loves you and values each of your dwellers infinitely.
We bless you with strength and potential in Jesus' name.
You will be the epicenter of a healing wave over Europe,
a healing wave over the nations of every person
living in you. You can bring life and unity.
We are your friends—the people whose lives
are dedicated to fulfilling this blessing within
your borders. Our hearts are dedicated to the work
of Jesus your savior from the depths of the city
to the heights.
Amen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eric Hesse co-leads the Novo team in Berlin and co-founded MultiplyBerlin, a multi-organizational team working to catalyze Disciple Making Movements in Berlin and beyond. He and his family have lived in the city since 2015. His life mission is to see every believer living as a missionary, resulting in a Holy Spirit-directed, spontaneous expansion of the Church. He is a member of the Prime Strategic team.
The poem at the end of this article was written by Berlin Experiment Tank and Prime Worship member Dan Erickson.