For some time now, Europe has been ignored as a mission field. Part of this may have to do with the fact that it doesn’t seem, well, foreign enough to us. France? Spain? People go to Europe on vacation, how lost could European people be? Myanmar, Azerbaijan and any place ending in -stan -its the unpronounceable places that are mission fields.
Europe doesn’t have great physical need. It’s socialist governments insure food and shelter, medical care, and affordable education for its citizens and residents. It doesn’t have high crime (discounting, of course, pickpocketing, traffic violations, and vandalism) compared to most places. There’s a chapel or cathedral in every neighborhood.
What many folks don’t recognize, however, is that Europe is a model. Its postmodern, post-Christian
cultures are examples of what happens when wealth, education, and humanism are valued above all else. Despite being nominally Catholic, most Europeans consider themselves to be atheist or agnostic. According to a recent article by DAWN Ministries, between one and four percent of indigenous European people claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus.
By the way, significant numbers of people from those unpronounceable countries can be found in major European cities. Being displaced, they tend to be in greater need of friends and more open to new ideas. In Europe, there is open access to these people groups who would otherwise be inaccessible.
Most importantly, God is moving in the hearts of American believers to become more actively involved in missions in Europe. We think that the common global experience makes you especially prepared to share life with people in Europe.
