Redefining Hard: A Series for PioneersinEurope.com
One of the greatest barriers to Gospel work in Europe is the ongoing question of how "unreached" it really is. Over the last 35 years, missions has increasingly focused on the 10/40 Window as the global church has sought to take the good news to every tribe and tongue. Over the last 35 years, the world has also changed—and with it, the spiritual climate of Europe. Once considered a cradle of Christianity, much of the continent is now known as post-Christian, leaving many to wonder where Europe fits in the conversation about the world's unreached.
This question isn't only asked outside of Europe. It also shapes how missionaries serving there are perceived. For many Christians, Europe is a place of cathedrals, church history, and family vacations—not a place that still needs pioneering missionaries. As a result, those serving across the continent often find themselves explaining not only the gospel to their neighbors but also the legitimacy of their calling to fellow believers.
"Our sending churches have always been so supportive, but in recent years we have noticed how the church continues to plan encouragement visits to partners in South Asia and the Middle East. They visit the same missionaries each year. We see they are on vacation nearby and don't reach out to us. We talked to the pastor recently and suggested he come for a visit. He said that he may tack it onto a personal Europe trip planned for next summer. It's discouraging to see how they make time and effort for missionaries in 'rougher' parts of the world but can't for us. I wish we could better explain the spiritual darkness that is at play here as well. We need encouragement too." — A Pioneer in Italy
Much of European society has moved away from the need for religion to make sense of the world. Many are aware of the impact the Church has had on local history, or even in their own families of origin, but they have no personal interaction with it. The point of this article—and this series—is not to prove that Europe needs missionaries. Rather, it is to share a different perspective on how God is moving among the unreached in Europe. It is difficult to keep knocking on doors with the gospel when other parts of the Body of Christ question whether those doors are worth knocking on at all.
For many missionaries now serving in Europe, that perspective was once their own. Stories of Jim Elliot, Amy Carmichael, and countless others inspired us to picture missions in remote villages without supermarkets or traffic lights. There is nothing wrong with that vision. Those places still need the gospel. But the world has changed, and our understanding of where pioneer missions happen must expand along with it.
What Counts as Strategic?
Many missionaries long to serve where the need is greatest. They want an objective answer to the most strategic place to serve. Yet for those serving in Europe, "strategic" often requires perspective and explanation.
"I see unawareness of the statistics concerning the decline of believers, unawareness of the status of Christians (for example, Evangelicals being seen as a cult in France), and still clinging to the belief that Europe— especially certain countries —are the ones who 'should' be doing missions. It is much easier to talk about missions to refugees in Greece than to Greeks. People understand that, even though both are valid and necessary." — A Pioneer in Greece
“Less than 1/4 of a percent of the population of the Czech Republic are estimated to be evangelical Christians. This is not simply because of communism. Communism appears to have been the final nail in the coffin for many people, but it seems that the real reason for such a low number of Biblical Christians is perhaps the religious and cultural wars that started hundreds of years ago. These lands were once full of people who were devoted to Christ. Jan Hus carried a reforming message about 100 years before Martin Luther did. The Moravians came out of these lands and began a 100-year prayer meeting, sending missionaries and starting churches all over the world. But religious movements that seemed to care more about power than salvation took their toll. Most Czechs today have been inoculated against the gospel. They think they know what Christianity is about and they aren’t interested in it. They actually have no idea about the claims of Christ. There are churches and groups of believers around the country who are genuinely working to reach the lost around them, but there are still too few of them to effectively evangelize their own people group.”
This perspective can also affect how European believers approach ministry within their local communities. Small evangelical churches across the continent often struggle to recognize the mission field in their own neighborhoods. Reaching immigrant communities from Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist backgrounds feels like missions because the cultural differences are obvious. Reaching secular neighbors, nominal Christians, or long-overlooked minority groups often feels different—even though these communities are often just as unreached with the gospel.
"In large part, locals do not see their Roma neighbors as having a separate culture. Their first reaction is simply to see the Roma as 'bad' Albanians. It takes intentionality not to judge the differences that are noticed, but to extend grace and curiosity. When you're walking down the street in your own neighborhood, the expectation is that people should generally act and think like you." — A Pioneer in Albania
Europe is Pre-Revival
The gospel doesn’t spread because the need is obvious. It spreads because of God's grace in His people’s willingness to go and knock on doors.
“…it is good to remind ourselves of how the story ends. Revelation 7 is a postcard from the future, an image of a great multitude drawn “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (v9) and that will include believers from all the peoples and nations of Europe.
Yet that is not only a statement of faith. It is something that, out of the spotlight, is happening right now. An extraordinary re-evangelization of Europe is underway.”
God is moving among the unreached people of Europe. Though man seeks to be post-Christian, God is showing us Europe is pre-revival. As He continues to raise up disciples across Europe, may we learn to recognize the mission field next door—and join Him in what He is already doing!