Biography

Joel and Sara Mullen currently serve as Field Strategy Coordinator for Southeastern Europe where the Church of the Nazarene ministers in seven nations: Albania, Bulgaria, Italy, Kosovo, Macedonia, Romania, and Slovenia. This field also includes the nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro and Serbia. Joel and Sara are in the process of adopting a baby girl from China. She will join their family in the spring of 2008. The Mullens currently live in Büsingen, Switzerland.

They feel privileged to encourage, support, and lead the work on this diverse field, which is a kaleidoscope of languages, cultures, and religions. God is moving among a generation of youth with immense potential. From Bucharest to Tirana, from Sofia to Skopje, and from Catania to Kosovo, the churches and ministries are vibrant and filled with the faces of youth who are committed to Christ and who also have a vision to make Him known to their nations.

Joel is a graduate of Southern Nazarene University and Sara is a graduate of Mount Vernon Nazarene University. They share a call to missions that has been a central element of their relationship from the very beginning. They first met on a Youth in Mission trip to Papua New Guinea in the summer of 1995. Then, following their marriage in 1996, they served for two years as volunteers with the Church of the Nazarene in Catania, Italy as pastoral assistants and ministers of youth and music.

From 1998 to 2001 they studied at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. Joel graduated with the Master of Divinity degree (Missiology) and Sara received the Certificate in Cross-Cultural Ministries. During this time, they both worked at Nazarene Headquarters. Joel served as Editorial Assistant for Nazarene Youth International and Sara as Deputation Secretary for World Mission.

In their first assigment, from 2001 to 2004, the Mullens served in Italy where their primary ministry was church planting in the city of Palermo. They launched a Christian youth center with activities designed to meet the needs of young adults and university students in their neighborhood and to invite them into a relationship with God.