Europe: the prodigal continent

The shocking truth about Europe

Over two millennia, Europe's 'Christian' identity has been forged by apostolic bands, wandering monks, scholars, reformers, revivalists, social reformers and countless anonymous witnesses to the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

Today, at the dawn of the third millennium, this 'Christian' identity is becoming obsolete. In short, Europe is increasingly becoming a mission field of neo-pagans, baptised and unbaptised. In France today there are more spiritist healers than doctors, lawyers and priests combined! Bookstores across the continent carry huge ranges of titles on occult, witchcraft, mysticism, eastern religions and esoteric spirituality on shelves where once 'Christian religion' books dominated.

The centre of gravity of the worldwide church has in fact moved from Europe and the West over the past two decades to the Two-Thirds World.

Did you know...

• that believers in China outnumber the whole population of Germany?! (80 million)
• that there are more Anglicans in Nigeria than in the UK and the US combined?!
• that one church in Korea has a membership equal to the whole population of Amsterdam?!
• that there are more members of the Assemblies of God denomination in Brazil than there are evangelicals in the whole of Europe?!

Europe has become the prodigal continent, squandering its Judeo-Christian heritage.

Europe must "come to its senses" and decide to return to the Father.

Europe's New "Unreached Tribes"

"Upheavals

in Europe's politics and society over the past decade have created large new social "tribes" alienated from the gospel. New strategies and paradigms are needed for the mission field of 21st century Europe. "

YWAMers are working among four social groupings in Europe:

Post-Christian Europeans -- reject the Christian worldview and its values as old-fashioned, irrelevant and inhibiting. Modernity (the summation of those forces shaping today's society like urbanisation, science, technology and industrialistion) has marginalised faith in many European minds. Traditional churches are losing members rapidly in both Catholic and Protestant lands.

Initiatives from renewed traditional churches, like the Alpha Course are proving to be effective tools for introducing post-Christian Europeans to the gospel message.

Post-Communist Europeans -- have rejected the Marxist gospel that science and the state are the saviours of the human race. Communism's collapse left a great spiritual, psychological and ideological vacuum. From gun-toting Albanian rebels to Moscow's nouveau-rich, post-Communists share a common mistrust for authority figures, an aversion to accepting responsibility or to think for oneself, and a generally hopeless outlook on the future.

Openings abound for ministry among the millions of Post-Communist Europeans, but strategies need to be long-term and impacting the whole person. See: YWAM Central Europe and YWAM Eastern Europe.

Post-Modern Europeans -- mainly under 30 years -- reject the Modern (scientific, rationalist) worldview and all '-isms' and rational attempts to create a better future, in favour of hopelessness, cynicism and nihilism. Post-modernity is a chaos of irrational and contradictory beliefs in which there is no ultimate meaning or direction. The goal of this Generation X is simply survival -- and fun -- in a godless, mindless universe.

Post-modern Europeans are open to spirituality and even to the Spirit. They reject the materialism of their post-Christian parents, and are in search of authentic community.

Post-Migrant Europeans -- are the children of (mainly Muslim) immigrants to Europe's cities, who reject their parents' national identity and faith in favour of European youth culture. They comprise a significant proportion of many urban populations. In Amsterdam [link to YWAM Amsterdam], 60% of those under 20 years are post-migrants. They have no Christian heritage, but will greatly influence the city's future for better or for worse.

A new breed of missionary is needed to engage in friendship evangelism among post-migrants, with such strategies as street sports, social centres and job creation.

And After the 'Post'?

Anything named 'post-' is temporary. Because it has no clear identity of its own yet, it is defined by what preceded it. The terms post-Christian, post-communist, post-modern and post-migrant describe many of today's Europeans. But what will follow in ten years? or twenty?

"When Roman order collapsed across Europe, chaos and fragmentation reigned, until messengers of the Gospel came telling their Story. The communities they established in time became the building blocks of the new order, western civilisation."

With the current rejection of the modern order, today's messengers of the Gospel may have a new opportunity to lay fresh foundations for tomorrow's Europe.

YWAM Europe  offers many openings for training and ministry to reach Europe's new 'unreached tribes'.

Other ministries are also active in a kaleidoscope of possibilities for engagement with the mission field of Europe. Networks of ministries are also spreading across Europe under the umbrella of Hope for Europe. 

Click here for further information and articles about Europe today.