Being a Christian anywhere on this earth is hard. We are made for a different home and we have been called to a difficult task. Yet we do not carry out that task alone—we follow One who meets us in those difficulties wherever we are. In Europe, those difficulties and closed doors look less like the garbage slums of India or the handmade homes of Sub-Saharan Africa. The doors are old and thick and fastened shut in ways we don’t recognize. They stand in front of millions who are familiar with the cultural concept of Christianity, but remain closed to the Gospel. In Europe, we seek the Lord’s help in opening doors that most don’t realize are shut.
Throughout this series, we'll share stories of how God has equipped His people with unique tools and experiences to open those doors and bring the good news of Jesus to spiritually closed places.
In many areas of Europe, the appearance of churches and remnants of Christian culture cause the illusion of open doors. In much of Western Europe, Pioneers are surrounded by neighbors with Full Lives and Empty Souls. Friends have their daily needs met and a multitude of opportunities ahead of them. It is easy to assume this is an open environment for missionaries to share the Gospel. The difficulty is people with “all” their needs met have no place to consider Christ at all.
“This is a country where the people have literally everything. And if something happens to them or goes wrong, they almost always have a huge social net to catch them, and if that fails, the government will catch them through social programs and aid.”
Like many Western cultures, people are busy. These societies appear to be “the dream”. They are full of vintage and modern beauty, opportunity, comfort, freedom. The dream always could become a reality, so their minds and hearts become filled with endless possibilities and distractions.
“One of my closest friends here is someone who has it all, at least from the outside. She started out with a successful corporate career making good money, then she quit and took a risk to start her own business. Now she is the owner of a successful and well-known small business with 3 thriving locations, a company where people want to be hired. She has the loving relationship, the beautiful Parisian apartment, and now a new baby. From the outside she has it all, yet over the years I have journeyed alongside her as she wrestles with discontentment and disappointment, looking to various spiritual practices and ideas to fill a void. We talk often about the Gospel, and even after 10 years of friendship, she still has not come to a place of recognizing that only Jesus can fill the void and give her the meaning she's looking for.” — A Pioneer in Paris
A Pioneer in Germany shared, “I often think that one of the challenges in Germany is not that people have no questions, but that their questions are buried beneath comfort, routine, and self-sufficiency.” Modern culture applauds self-sufficiency. In environments where every life path and personal resource is readily available, there seems to be little reason to look beyond oneself. People make lists, conduct research, watch a TED Talk, and walk away inspired to solve the next problem on their own. Life offers countless ways to care for yourself, often closing the door to conversations about the hope offered in Christ.
“…you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
“In Germany, I have often seen people living very full and well-ordered lives. Life can appear calm, responsible, and successful. Yet beneath that fullness, there is often a quiet spiritual emptiness. People may not see it as a longing for God, but it appears in loneliness, anxiety, relational brokenness, fear of the future, or the sense that life is somehow busy but not meaningful.” — A Pioneer in Germany
Desperation for God persists, though the willingness to consider that desperation for what it truly is seems to be decreasing. The majority of missionaries in Europe have learned over time — this work is one of patience and trust.
“Ministering in a spiritually comfortable culture has made me more aware that only God can awaken spiritual hunger. In a place where people often do not feel obvious need, clever arguments or good programs are not enough. We need the Spirit of God to open hearts, create holy dissatisfaction, and reveal the beauty and necessity of Christ.” — A Pioneer in Germany
Interestingly, many missionaries find that conversations about spiritual matters are a regular occurrence. Some European cultures value intellectual dialogue and debate. It’s common to discuss spiritual beliefs and practices over a shared beverage.
“The French enjoy a lively philosophical debate, which means that it's not necessarily difficult to bring up spiritual matters from time to time. However, for many of them it remains merely an intellectual stimulation, not a genuine hunger for deeper spiritual truths. It can be challenging to go further.” — A Pioneer in Paris
Some missionaries’ greatest discouragements come from these moments. A discussion has occurred, you’ve shared all the great theological reasoning you prepared, your friend acknowledges a need for something more, and you realize your whole discourse has only proven their point. You have just described something that is great “for you” but doesn’t affect them in any way.
“Despite the physical comforts, the spiritual climate is very dark. God has used this to sharpen my sense of dependence on Him. If the Lord doesn’t build the house, we labor in vain. I’ve seen very clearly my inability to affect change in people's hearts, and while I still struggle with thinking I can maybe do something, my journey over the last few years has been one of increasing reliance and dependence on God to act. And the thing is, He does. He brings people just out of the blue sometimes who are spiritually hungry and whom He is drawing to himself.” — A Pioneer in Iceland
An undeniable theme amongst missionaries is that the difficulty of the work shows our own inability, God’s great ability, and the beautiful reality that we can depend on Him to work. Any follower of Christ who has walked out of their own comfort zone in this great, difficult task has learned this more than once. It unites the body of Christ everywhere we go.
“Europe has taught me that ‘hard’ does not always look like persecution or poverty. Sometimes hard is comfort, indifference, and the illusion that life can be complete without God. It has also reminded me that Jesus is not only good news for the desperate. He is good news for the successful, the secure, the distracted, and the quietly empty.” — A Pioneer in Germany
Join us in praying for Pioneers throughout Europe whose friends have full lives and empty souls. Let’s pray for their endurance, their joy in this difficult task, and for God to move in softening the hearts of their friends.