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Getting To Know Our New Missionary (Part 7)

Scott Maxwell September 2, 2010

We’re getting close to the end of this series – just a few more posts! Thanks for reading thus far! Here’s the next installment of our interview with Massimo Mollica!

Question: Tell us about your ministry partner, Lucio Stanisci. How will you guys work together?

Answer: Lucio Stanisci is an Italian national, born and raised in Rome, whom I’ve know since 2005. We attended seminary together and our hearts beat for the same things. I respect Lucio because he is not only an expositor and evangelist, but also a man of integrity and discernment who wants to please Jesus in everyway. Lucio will be the first Italian pastor of Centro Evangelico Battista (Evangelical Baptist Center). Lucio will carry the main preaching load of the church which will permit me to focus on discipling men, training leaders, and starting a ministry to university students.

Question: Where will you be ministering in Italy? What are the benefits of being there?

Answer: We will be ministering in the city of Perugia which is in central Italy, in the region called Umbria. Its about 2.5 hours north of Rome (by car). The exciting part of ministering in Perugia is that we get to build on an excellent foundation. The Lord has been building the church there for over 35 years through the work of a faithful missionary. The people are hungry for the word of God, people are being saved, and the church is young. This all provides a great starting point to reach the region of Umbria and beyond. The city is well connected and is a gold mine of university students as nearly 1/3 of Perugia’s 165,000 attend the university.

Question: What will your first year look like in Perugia?

Answer: We’ll spend the first month or so getting set up to live. Our first year and beyond will primarily be spent on language learning. One of the reasons missionaries often don’t last on the field is because the wife or both the husband and wife do not get comfortable with the language and/or culture. So, it is critical that we invest in our future by being studious and faithful language learners. We will use a combination of private tutors and language school. Perugia has a university for foreigners which is one of the best places in Italy to learn Italian. While one of us is studying the other will be taking care of our children. Also, my wife is pregnant with twins, so come March time frame, Lord willing, we’ll have four kids under four.