![\"Familja](\"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Familja-Andrade-2-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Familja")
<\/span>![\"Sadiku](\"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Sadiku-Family-12.jpg\" "\\"Sadiku")
<\/span><\/p>\nOur Story<\/span><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/mkmkm-edited.jpg\" "\\"mkmkm-edited\\"")
<\/span><\/p>\nOur story began in the hearts of Elton (Tony) and his wife Gresilda (Ida) Llapushi. Both are Albanians raised in Muslim families, Jesus saved them when they were still teenagers. Since the first steps on their walk with Jesus, God placed a desire in their hearts to reach the lost for Christ. In 2010 they got involved in church-planting ministry, since then Church-Planting have been their main ministry. By the grace of God they have been able to plant and help planting 6 churches, and now they oversee 5 those churches in Balkan region, (Kosovo & Albania). Now that the network of churches is growing, Elton and Gresilda believe that God have called them to leading Impact Churches Movement. Elton and Gresilda will be focusing on caring for the pastors and the leaders that are currently leading our churches in Albania and Kosovo. Their role will also be to identify, train, equip, support and send indigenes church-planters who have a call to plant new churches among unreached people groups. Their heart is to see hearts and lives transformed by the power of the GOSPEL through Church Planting ministry among unreached people groups in the balkans. <\/p>\n
What We Believe<\/span><\/h2>\nValues:<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\nMULTIPLICATION<\/span><\/p>\nFaithful churches plant faithful churches, and gospel-shaped disciples make gospel-shaped disciples. (2 Timothy 2:2)<\/span><\/p>\nGOSPEL-CENTERED<\/span><\/p>\nSalvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God\u2019s glory alone. (Romans 5:1-2)<\/span><\/p>\nRELATIONSHIP<\/span><\/p>\nWe bear one another\u2019s burdens and rejoice in each other\u2019s growth, reflecting the unity of the body of Christ. (Acts 2:42-47)<\/span><\/p>\nSERVANT LEADERSHIP<\/span><\/p>\nWe follow Christ\u2019s example\u2014serving humbly, leading faithfully, and loving sacrificially. (Matthew 20:28)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
FAITHFUL SCRIPTURE<\/span><\/p>\nWe uphold the authority of God\u2019s Word as our guide for faith, life, and mission. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)<\/span><\/p>\nMeet Our Board of Directors<\/span><\/h2>\nPaul Linzmeier<\/h3>\nBoard Member<\/em><\/h3>\nPaul is currently pastoring at New Life Christian Community Church in small town Dresser WI. Married to his best friend Amy and a home of 4 energetic children keeps him busy. Paul seeks to be a faithful servant in the body of Christ and has a deep desire to serve and equip the saints through the Word for the work of ministry each has been called to by God in order that the body of Christ would grow up in greater maturity. He seeks to labor to this end so that all members of the body \u201cwhen each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.\u201d (Ephesians 4:16). Healthy churches are in the best position to plant new churches and for this reason Paul is excited to be a part of the Impact Church Planting Movement to see more healthy church plants begin, grow, and continue the work of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus to the ends of the Earth.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Paul-Linzmeier.png\" "\\"Paul")
<\/span><\/p>\nRick Amos<\/h3>\nBoard Member & Co-Founder<\/em><\/h3>\nRick is a professional leadership coach specializing in nonprofit leadership development across Central Europe, Russia, and Central Asia. He is also the founder and director of two nonprofit organizations as well as a real estate development company. Rick graduated from Duke University in 1983 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and holds a Master\u2019s degree in Organizational Behavior and Executive Coaching from the UT-Dallas School of Business. He has been married for 40 years and has four children who are young adults.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Rick-Amos-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Rick")
<\/span><\/p>\nPeter Rimmereid<\/h3>\nBoard Member<\/em><\/h3>\nPeter Rimmereid has served as the pastor of Bethesda Lutheran Church for over twelve years. He lives in Dresser, WI with his wife, Janelle, and their four children. Adelle, Micah, Ellsie, and Isaac. Peter is deeply passionate about discipleship, mentoring youth and young men, and helping people grow in their faith and apply it in their daily lives. When not in ministry, Peter enjoys road trips with his family, following Minnesota sports, playing basketball, water skiing, board games, and reading fiction.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Peter-Rimmereid.png\" "\\"Peter")
<\/span><\/p>\nElton Llapushi<\/h3>\nExecutive Director<\/em><\/h3>\nElton was born and raised in a traditional Muslim family in Albania. Jesus saved him when he was fourteen years old. From the very beginning of his walk with Christ, God placed a deep desire in his heart to reach the lost for Jesus. He served in a small local church in his homeland, growing in faith and commitment. Elton married Gresilda in 2010, and together they have two children. After completing his theological studies, Elton has been fully engaged in church planting ministry since 2010. He now oversees multiple churches across the Balkan region. Elton mentors, coaches, and supports pastors and church planters, equipping and sending new leaders to establish churches. Elton and Gresilda believe God has called them to lead the Impact Churches Movement.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Elton-Llapushi.png\" "\\"Elton")
<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"About Us Impact Churches Movement is a network of churches bound together by relationship, shared theology, and a common vision to see Christ glorified through faithful church planting and the spread of the gospel to the unreached. Why We Exist? Impact Churches Movement exists to advance Christ\u2019s kingdom by partnering with local churches to develop, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_surecart_dashboard_logo_width":"180px","_surecart_dashboard_show_logo":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_orders":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_invoices":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_subscriptions":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_downloads":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_billing":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_account":true,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-663","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=663"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":682,"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/663\/revisions\/682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/span><\/p>\nOur story began in the hearts of Elton (Tony) and his wife Gresilda (Ida) Llapushi. Both are Albanians raised in Muslim families, Jesus saved them when they were still teenagers. Since the first steps on their walk with Jesus, God placed a desire in their hearts to reach the lost for Christ. In 2010 they got involved in church-planting ministry, since then Church-Planting have been their main ministry. By the grace of God they have been able to plant and help planting 6 churches, and now they oversee 5 those churches in Balkan region, (Kosovo & Albania). Now that the network of churches is growing, Elton and Gresilda believe that God have called them to leading Impact Churches Movement. Elton and Gresilda will be focusing on caring for the pastors and the leaders that are currently leading our churches in Albania and Kosovo. Their role will also be to identify, train, equip, support and send indigenes church-planters who have a call to plant new churches among unreached people groups. Their heart is to see hearts and lives transformed by the power of the GOSPEL through Church Planting ministry among unreached people groups in the balkans. <\/p>\n
What We Believe<\/span><\/h2>\nValues:<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\nMULTIPLICATION<\/span><\/p>\nFaithful churches plant faithful churches, and gospel-shaped disciples make gospel-shaped disciples. (2 Timothy 2:2)<\/span><\/p>\nGOSPEL-CENTERED<\/span><\/p>\nSalvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God\u2019s glory alone. (Romans 5:1-2)<\/span><\/p>\nRELATIONSHIP<\/span><\/p>\nWe bear one another\u2019s burdens and rejoice in each other\u2019s growth, reflecting the unity of the body of Christ. (Acts 2:42-47)<\/span><\/p>\nSERVANT LEADERSHIP<\/span><\/p>\nWe follow Christ\u2019s example\u2014serving humbly, leading faithfully, and loving sacrificially. (Matthew 20:28)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
FAITHFUL SCRIPTURE<\/span><\/p>\nWe uphold the authority of God\u2019s Word as our guide for faith, life, and mission. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)<\/span><\/p>\nMeet Our Board of Directors<\/span><\/h2>\nPaul Linzmeier<\/h3>\nBoard Member<\/em><\/h3>\nPaul is currently pastoring at New Life Christian Community Church in small town Dresser WI. Married to his best friend Amy and a home of 4 energetic children keeps him busy. Paul seeks to be a faithful servant in the body of Christ and has a deep desire to serve and equip the saints through the Word for the work of ministry each has been called to by God in order that the body of Christ would grow up in greater maturity. He seeks to labor to this end so that all members of the body \u201cwhen each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.\u201d (Ephesians 4:16). Healthy churches are in the best position to plant new churches and for this reason Paul is excited to be a part of the Impact Church Planting Movement to see more healthy church plants begin, grow, and continue the work of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus to the ends of the Earth.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\nRick Amos<\/h3>\nBoard Member & Co-Founder<\/em><\/h3>\nRick is a professional leadership coach specializing in nonprofit leadership development across Central Europe, Russia, and Central Asia. He is also the founder and director of two nonprofit organizations as well as a real estate development company. Rick graduated from Duke University in 1983 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and holds a Master\u2019s degree in Organizational Behavior and Executive Coaching from the UT-Dallas School of Business. He has been married for 40 years and has four children who are young adults.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\nPeter Rimmereid<\/h3>\nBoard Member<\/em><\/h3>\nPeter Rimmereid has served as the pastor of Bethesda Lutheran Church for over twelve years. He lives in Dresser, WI with his wife, Janelle, and their four children. Adelle, Micah, Ellsie, and Isaac. Peter is deeply passionate about discipleship, mentoring youth and young men, and helping people grow in their faith and apply it in their daily lives. When not in ministry, Peter enjoys road trips with his family, following Minnesota sports, playing basketball, water skiing, board games, and reading fiction.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\nElton Llapushi<\/h3>\nExecutive Director<\/em><\/h3>\nElton was born and raised in a traditional Muslim family in Albania. Jesus saved him when he was fourteen years old. From the very beginning of his walk with Christ, God placed a deep desire in his heart to reach the lost for Jesus. He served in a small local church in his homeland, growing in faith and commitment. Elton married Gresilda in 2010, and together they have two children. After completing his theological studies, Elton has been fully engaged in church planting ministry since 2010. He now oversees multiple churches across the Balkan region. Elton mentors, coaches, and supports pastors and church planters, equipping and sending new leaders to establish churches. Elton and Gresilda believe God has called them to lead the Impact Churches Movement.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"About Us Impact Churches Movement is a network of churches bound together by relationship, shared theology, and a common vision to see Christ glorified through faithful church planting and the spread of the gospel to the unreached. Why We Exist? Impact Churches Movement exists to advance Christ\u2019s kingdom by partnering with local churches to develop, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_surecart_dashboard_logo_width":"180px","_surecart_dashboard_show_logo":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_orders":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_invoices":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_subscriptions":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_downloads":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_billing":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_account":true,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-663","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=663"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":682,"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/663\/revisions\/682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
MULTIPLICATION<\/span><\/p>\n Faithful churches plant faithful churches, and gospel-shaped disciples make gospel-shaped disciples. (2 Timothy 2:2)<\/span><\/p>\n GOSPEL-CENTERED<\/span><\/p>\n Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God\u2019s glory alone. (Romans 5:1-2)<\/span><\/p>\n RELATIONSHIP<\/span><\/p>\n We bear one another\u2019s burdens and rejoice in each other\u2019s growth, reflecting the unity of the body of Christ. (Acts 2:42-47)<\/span><\/p>\n SERVANT LEADERSHIP<\/span><\/p>\n We follow Christ\u2019s example\u2014serving humbly, leading faithfully, and loving sacrificially. (Matthew 20:28)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n FAITHFUL SCRIPTURE<\/span><\/p>\n We uphold the authority of God\u2019s Word as our guide for faith, life, and mission. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)<\/span><\/p>\n Paul is currently pastoring at New Life Christian Community Church in small town Dresser WI. Married to his best friend Amy and a home of 4 energetic children keeps him busy. Paul seeks to be a faithful servant in the body of Christ and has a deep desire to serve and equip the saints through the Word for the work of ministry each has been called to by God in order that the body of Christ would grow up in greater maturity. He seeks to labor to this end so that all members of the body \u201cwhen each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.\u201d (Ephesians 4:16). Healthy churches are in the best position to plant new churches and for this reason Paul is excited to be a part of the Impact Church Planting Movement to see more healthy church plants begin, grow, and continue the work of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus to the ends of the Earth.<\/p>\n Rick is a professional leadership coach specializing in nonprofit leadership development across Central Europe, Russia, and Central Asia. He is also the founder and director of two nonprofit organizations as well as a real estate development company. Rick graduated from Duke University in 1983 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and holds a Master\u2019s degree in Organizational Behavior and Executive Coaching from the UT-Dallas School of Business. He has been married for 40 years and has four children who are young adults.<\/p>\n Peter Rimmereid has served as the pastor of Bethesda Lutheran Church for over twelve years. He lives in Dresser, WI with his wife, Janelle, and their four children. Adelle, Micah, Ellsie, and Isaac. Peter is deeply passionate about discipleship, mentoring youth and young men, and helping people grow in their faith and apply it in their daily lives. When not in ministry, Peter enjoys road trips with his family, following Minnesota sports, playing basketball, water skiing, board games, and reading fiction.<\/p>\n Elton was born and raised in a traditional Muslim family in Albania. Jesus saved him when he was fourteen years old. From the very beginning of his walk with Christ, God placed a deep desire in his heart to reach the lost for Jesus. He served in a small local church in his homeland, growing in faith and commitment. Elton married Gresilda in 2010, and together they have two children. After completing his theological studies, Elton has been fully engaged in church planting ministry since 2010. He now oversees multiple churches across the Balkan region. Elton mentors, coaches, and supports pastors and church planters, equipping and sending new leaders to establish churches. Elton and Gresilda believe God has called them to lead the Impact Churches Movement.<\/p>\n About Us Impact Churches Movement is a network of churches bound together by relationship, shared theology, and a common vision to see Christ glorified through faithful church planting and the spread of the gospel to the unreached. Why We Exist? Impact Churches Movement exists to advance Christ\u2019s kingdom by partnering with local churches to develop, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_surecart_dashboard_logo_width":"180px","_surecart_dashboard_show_logo":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_orders":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_invoices":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_subscriptions":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_downloads":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_billing":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_account":true,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-663","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=663"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":682,"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/663\/revisions\/682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/impactchurchesmovement.org\/sq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Meet Our Board of Directors<\/span><\/h2>\n
Paul Linzmeier<\/h3>\n
Board Member<\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/span><\/p>\nRick Amos<\/h3>\n
Board Member & Co-Founder<\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/span><\/p>\nPeter Rimmereid<\/h3>\n
Board Member<\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/span><\/p>\nElton Llapushi<\/h3>\n
Executive Director<\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"