Bio

Realizing their need for Christ as Savior, both John and Maria Kenney trusted Him at an early age. John came to Christ under the ministry of a missionary visiting from Alaska. Maria was led to salvation through the influence of her Sunday school teacher and her mother. She later received assurance of salvation as a teenager.

As a youth, John attempted to serve God on his own terms, but in the summer of 1980, he responded to God’s call to make disciples in Germany. Maria did not yet know the specific role God had for her, but she was convinced she needed to follow His leading and surrendered herself to His direction in the spring of 1979. After completing their education, the Kenneys began full‑time deputation with GFA in 1986 for ministry in Germany. In May 1990, they arrived in Frankfurt with their two children and later moved to Murnau to begin learning disciple‑making “auf Deutsch.”

The missionary with whom they were serving resigned in 1992, and the church asked John to take on the responsibility of pastoring the church plant in Murnau. Since then, John and Maria have worked to strengthen the church and guide it toward full indigenization. In 2008, the Lord opened the door to begin a second church plant in Schongau. That work was later handed over to another missionary, who was subsequently forced to leave the field, leaving John and Maria to resume ministry there. A German man in the church carried much of the preaching and teaching responsibility during that time.

The church in Murnau continued to grow. In 2022, the Lord clearly opened the door to relocate the Murnau church to Peissenberg and merge it with the church in Schongau. The unified church continues to grow with a broader outreach than before.

Through tract distribution, personal contacts, and special outreaches, John and Maria continue to spread the Gospel. Nationals who have come to Christ are being discipled, trained, and mentored. The Kenneys are also working to identify and train male leadership with a view toward future independence. Two men expressed interest in leading the church, but the Lord directed otherwise in both cases. To help identify future leaders, the church now offers internships through select Bible schools.

To view John and Maria Kenney's photo gallery, click the picture below.