About

Henry and Nemi Paasonen

Following his service as communications director at missions headquarters, and after their church planting and pastoral ministries, Henry and Nemi Paasonen served for over twenty years with The Christian and Missionary Alliance on mission fields in Europe. They were engaged in evangelism, church planting and leadership training in Paris and Strasbourg, France; and in Berlin, Germany.

They saw the Lord give birth to several churches during those years, draw many people to the Savior, and call young people to Bible school and seminary studies. A number of them are now in the church pastorate and in overseas missions.

Henry and Nemi, now in their 70’s, are officially “retired”. He continues to serve in pulpit and other speaking ministries — including occasional teaching in a theological seminary, in lay preacher training, and in church mission and mentoring conferences. Such seminar ministry aims to encourage and equip local churches to meet the so-called “post-modern challenge” (see New Church page). PAASonen@gmail.com

Henry and Nemi discovered a life changing sense of vocation while serving in The First Alliance Church of New York City, the historic original church of the Alliance movement. In the early 1970’s that congregation experienced a sustained spiritual revival and a city-wide impact of evangelism and multiplication of home Bible study groups.

Then began, for Henry, eight years of service at Alliance headquarters before they both received the call to the gospel ministry and to seminary, for him. His professional commitments in previous years — in three careers and with two graduate degrees – included work in geological engineering, in science and technology book publishing, in journalism and corporate communications. He also served three years in the U.S. Army.

Her tribal background in a Third World country, growing up in the hill country of northeast India, gave Nemi deep personal preparation to serve in cross-cultural ministries. (Her father was a pioneering medical doctor and the Bible translator for his tribe in Manipur, India.) Her professional work in nursing, including her ICU experience at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City and, before as director of nurses at a major hospital in London, equipped her very practically for urban church ministries.

Henry was born in Sweden (where his Hungarian mother and Finnish father found refuge during World War II), was raised in several European countries, and spoke six languages by his teen years. Henry and Nemi have two children, both active in church life and outreach.