Spyros Bileros & Jennifer Pang
Greece | 32695
Our Story
As missionaries with Greater Europe Mission (GEM), we desire to “reach Europe by multiplying disciples and growing Christ's church.” Our journey to this point has been years in the making; after helping plant two churches in Athens and completing our graduate studies at Reformed Theological Seminary to be further trained and equipped for ministry, we joined GEM in 2023 and plan to return to Greece in 2026.
Our hope is to establish a gospel centered church in the neighborhood of Nea Smyrni in Athens, creating a community of faith, healing, and belonging. We pray that through this community, Christ would saturate every aspect of believers’ lives and empower them to glorify God in their home, workplace, and city.
Our Ministry
Spiritual Climate
Greece prides itself on being an Orthodox country where Christian symbols, aesthetics, and buildings are abundant. Through centuries of Ottoman and Islamic occupation, Greek Orthodoxy has been the ark that preserved the Greek ethnic identity; to be Greek means to be Greek Orthodox.
Unfortunately, many Greeks today see the Orthodox church merely as an ethnic identity and cultural distinction, devoid of spiritual meaning or a community of faith connected through the salvific work of Christ. In Greek Orthodoxy, the lack of a liturgy in the modern Greek language, the discouragement of personal Scripture study, the emphasis on mediatorial prayers to the Virgin Mary and the saints, the view of spirituality as
transactional, and the teachings of a works-based theology all highlight the need for Greeks to have a clear understanding of the gospel.
Lack of Hope
Increasing prices and gentrification have forced many families to move out of their homes. Inflation, low income, increase in rent, and high-level government corruption have left locals in Greece with a feeling of despair. A significant dilemma for local churches is how to adapt to changing demographics. While they have traditionally invested in and been able to provide community support for local families, they are now seeing an influx of tourists and digital nomads who are often disengaged from community life. Mature believers and ministry workers are desperately needed who will commit to and invest in the local church.
Nea Smyrni
Nea Smyrni is a neighborhood in southern Athens and has important history. It was originally settled by refugee Greek families forcefully displaced from Asia Minor during the 1922 Greco-Turkish war. Today, the area has a large population of closely-knit young families searching for stability, authentic care and connection, and a compelling reason for where they can place their hope.
In Nea Smyrni, an area that has once again become a refuge for families in Athens, we desire to build up a faith community that responds to the area’s spiritual, mental, and physical needs and embodies the living and transformative hope of the gospel.