Room for Nuance The International Church Planting Interview
Apr 21, 2026
Andy Johnson, a pastor and church planter in Ankara with Ekklesia International, shares his journey from U.S. pastor to leading English-language churches overseas. He discusses why English congregations matter in key cities. He covers training pipelines, student and study-abroad opportunities, visa and turnover challenges, and how English ministries mentor local pastors and support missionaries.
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Uprooting To Plant An English Language Church
- Andy Johnson moved his family from Washington, D.C. to Ankara, Turkey in 2020 to plant an English language church.
- He and his elders discerned a need after missionaries in Ankara asked their church to plant because incoming expats lacked a healthy congregation to join.
Problem With Traditional International Churches
- Many international English churches have become lowest-common-denominator gatherings that avoid doctrinal distinctives.
- About 20 years ago church leaders began planting biblically ordered English churches in select cities to provide deeper teaching and conscience-respecting membership.
English Churches Accelerate Missionary Language Learning
- English language churches help missionaries spiritually survive and actually learn the local language faster.
- Johnson observed missionaries who join a church in a known language prosper and transition into local-language congregations, sometimes planting new ones.
