GLO Europe (Gospel Literature Outreach) is a significant international, interdenominational Christian enterprise, with a large base in the UK. The missions-based, church-planting organisation works with existing churches and helps to mobilise, train and resource Christians to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout Europe. Yet the muti-faceted work of this ministry remains little- or completely unknown to many believers in Britain.

In this article GLO Europe’s General Director, Stephen McQuoid, shares something of GLO’s fascinating story.

Beginnings down under

The story of GLO Europe began with a young man named Colin Tilsley, whose parents were missionaries in India. Colin was sent home to England for high school and university, where two events changed the course of his life. First, he met Cynthia, an Australian nurse who was on an extended trip Colin & Cynthia Tilsleyto the UK and they decided their future would be together. Second, he attended the 1954 Billy Graham Harringay Crusade which convinced him about the importance of mass evangelism.

Colin went to Australia to get married, but his passion for mission compelled him to begin a missions ministry so that he could mobilise people for evangelism. Thus, GLO was founded. The first GLO team consisted of ten people who went from Australia to Madras in India for two years, where they sold half a million gospel packets. Meanwhile Colin continued to recruit others and established a training centre in Australia to train prospective missionaries.

Having begun the work of GLO in Australia, Colin and Cynthia, along with their growing family, moved to New Zealand to establish the work of GLO there, and then, in 1971, they came to the UK for the same purpose. They stayed for three years before returning to Australia where, tragically, Colin developed motor neurone disease and died aged 46.

Growing GLO

GLO Europe was formally established as a charity in 1974 in the Lanarkshire town of Motherwell, south-east of Glasgow, where a disused Church of Scotland building became the base of operations. A Committee was set-up to oversee the work and a Christian bookshop and coffee shop were also established to link the centre with the local community.

Today GLO is a truly European work with only around half of GLO missionaries being from the UK.

In 1975 the GLO Training Centre, which today is called Tilsley College, was established in Motherwell to equip Christians for service. Another ministry that began was short term mission teams which were sent across Europe as well as the UK. In time, long term missionaries were trained and sent out to do pioneer evangelism and church planting. Initially most GLO missionaries came from the UK, but as GLO began to impact more European countries, national workers began to join GLO, and so the work grew. Today GLO is a truly European work with only around half of GLO missionaries being from the UK.

Resourcing the Church in Scotland and beyond also became a priority. The GLO Bookshop continued to grow and for a number of years GLO also ran a book depot on behalf of book distributer STL. The depot not only raised important finance for GLO, but it also connected GLO with around 120 other Christian bookshops across Scotland and the North of England.

Today the bookshop continues to serve the UK market and also provides help to missionaries and church leaders in many countries through online sales and advice on the latest resources.

Multicultural mission

Despite diversification, GLO Europe has continued to maintain its core purposes which are:

• Mobilising Christians for mission;
• Training and equipping them;
• Sending them to key locations and supporting them on the field.

The year 2008 was significant as the GLO Committee established an executive team with myself as General Director, and other Directors overseeing Mission, Finance and Training. The executive team was also tasked with developing a strategic plan to take the work forward.

Everyone in GLO has a heart to bring the gospel to people across Europe and that vision has remained a vital part of GLO’s DNA.

At its heart, GLO Europe is about the proclamation of the gospel and the planting of churches. From the moment someone joins a short-term mission team or begins a course of study at Tilsley College, this mission imperative is emphasised. Our whole ethos is to reach lost people, to share the good news of God’s love with them and encourage them to join us as followers of Jesus.

The work of GLO Europe has continued to grow and is now a multicultural mission family of around eighty people serving all over the UK as well as countries as diverse as France, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Albania and Hungary. Everyone in GLO has a heart to bring the gospel to people across Europe and that vision has remained a vital part of GLO’s DNA.

Changing emphasis

Since its inception GLO Europe has evolved in a number of different ways. Firstly, much more focus is now given to church planting rather than just mass evangelism. Church planting was always part of GLO’s vision, but today it takes centre stage and people join GLO not just to be evangelists, but also church planters.

Secondly, there has been a significant diversification throughout the ministry of GLO Europe. Many missionaries have got involved in a wide range of other ministries from book publishing to counselling, sports ministry, radio work and other specialities. Likewise, training has gone well beyond the confines of Tilsley College, and GLO Europe now offers church-based training, not just in the UK but right across Europe. Indeed, in large parts of central and Eastern Europe, GLO does not have resident church planting teams but offers church-based training, the mentoring of church leaders and helping churches to develop greater spiritual health.

Likewise, training has gone well beyond the confines of Tilsley College, and GLO Europe now offers church-based training, not just in the UK but right across Europe.

Organisational changes

Thirdly, administration at the GLO Centre in Motherwell has also evolved. With the development of our centre, we have been able to offer conferencing facilities which attract large numbers of people, both Christian and non-Christian. The bookshop has also become one of the largest independent Christian book shops in the UK and has now won multiple awards. Not only does it have a significant customer base but it also services missionaries and mission leaders in many countries both by updating them as to the latest books and resources on offer and sending resources out to them.

Another change is how GLO Europe organises itself. We have evolved into a structure inStephen & Debbie McQuoid which we have Trustees who oversee the legal and financial aspects of the work, a team of Directors who are responsible for the running of the organisation and a Mission Forum that incorporates members of both as well as key missionaries on the field, so that mission strategy is developed in countries by people on the front line.

What has never changed is that GLO Europe remains a faith-based ministry where everyone from the General Director to the newest missionary trusts God for their personal support.

Numerical expansion

The growth of GLO Europe over the years can also be expressed in numbers. The bookshop has sold approximately 800,000 Christian books. We have had a total of 591 people completing residential training at the college. More than 5,000 people have also attended our range of church-based training events and we have done evangelism and teaching in 32 countries across Europe.

What has never changed is that GLO Europe remains a faith-based ministry where everyone from the General Director to the newest missionary trust God for their personal support.

Short term mission teams have also been widespread and to date we have sent teams to 874 locations in 29 countries. A conservative estimate suggests that we have mobilised over 15,000 people for short term mission. When it comes to our full-time mission personnel, we have around 80 people serving in countries all over Europe.

Needy Europe

Europe continues to be one of the most challenging mission fields in the world. When we compare the Europe of 1974 to the Europe of today, we easily note that the challenge is greater than ever. Europe is larger by 75 million, more diverse, more secular, has a much larger population of Muslims and people from other world faiths, and it continues to be the continent where the Church is doing less well. To put things in perspective, Africa has 182 million evangelical Christians, Latin America has 91 million while Europe has only 18 million.

As you look back on the last fifty years, we give God thanks for His blessing and protection. GLO Europe has been able to reinvent itself and contextualise so that we can work appropriately in various contexts across Europe in our contemporary world.

We hold on to our values and we've never lost that original vision of recruiting people for mission, equipping them to serve, and sending them to places of great spiritual need.

Stephen McQuoid is the General Director of GLO Europe, and was formerly Principal of GLO's Tilsley College. He travels widely, in mission, preaching and lecturing, and writes extensively to encourage Christian life, work and practice.

The Story of GLO Europe (125pp) is available from the GLO bookshop for the reduced price of £5.00 (+ p&p).