Emanuel Church
Emanuel Church in Tirana, Albania
University Student Ministry and the Albanian Leadership Forum
Pastor Zefjan Nikolla
Pastor Zefjan Nikolla and wife Edita of Emanuel Church in the capital city of Tirana. Zef is also the Albanian National Director of BSKSh.
The Rev. Zefjan Nikolla (ECO ordained and pastor member of our own Mission Presbytery) leads Emanuel Reformed Church in Tirana, the capital city of Albania. ERC celebrated 30 years as a church in October of 2022 and CPC has been a ministry partner for most of these years. Zef is also the General Secretary (Director) for BSKSh Albania - an outreach and discipleship ministry to university students (Part of the global IFES family of which InterVarsity Fellowship is a member). He also provides leadership to the Albania Leadership Forum which seeks to develop Christian business leaders.
Zef’s wife Edita serves as the Vice President for Administration of the Lincoln Centers of Albania. With a vision to “see the nation change [transformed] for the glory of God,” thiss organization exists to develop leaders through educational excellence for the well-being of the Albanian people.
Zef and Edita have two daughters, Greis and Emili.
Zef was asked to contribute a chapter to a book that will include the stories of Evangelicals in several Balkan capital cities. Zef’s chapter focuses on Tirana. You can read that chapter at the link below:
CHAPTER 3
Tirana’s Testimony: Tracing the Evangelical Journey in Albania
Zefjan Nikolla
On a Sunday morning in downtown Tirana, the capital of Albania, the sound of worship music spills from the open doors of a modest but vibrant Evangelical church tucked between a hotel and a hair salon. Inside, a diverse group of believers —young professionals, students, and families—raise their hands in praise, sing in Albanian, and listen intently to a message grounded in Scripture. The atmosphere is electric with hope and a sense of purpose. To the casual observer, this might look like any contemporary church in Western Europe or North America. But for those who know Albania’s history, this moment is nothing short of miraculous…
DURRES, ALBANIA
View of Durres, a beachtown on the Adriatic
TIRANA, ALBANIA
View of the City
