Why is Europe Important?
When you think of revival today, do you think of Europe? Find out why we should never give up on Europe from someone who just celebrated 30 years of being on the mission field!
Jim Memory, Director of International Partnerships for ECMI and Co-Regional Director for Lausanne Europe, has once again highlighted the importance of "re-evangelisation" in Europe by saying:
"Europe today is often spoken of as “the Secular Continent”. Mission mobilisation to Europe is predicated on the tiny percentage of Evangelical Christians. And conferences often include the unchallenged affirmation that Europe is post-Christian and in need of re-evangelisation.
"But have we ever stopped to consider if these presuppositions are actually true?
"Rather than holding to our eschatological hope demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, when it comes to Europe, we have internalised an eschatology of despair. Yet, out of the spotlight, an extraordinary re-evangelisation of Europe is underway."
The three primary dimensions of the re-evangelisation that Jim identified are: church planting movements, diaspora churches and next generation. More can be read about this in his Europe 2021 report and our latest magazine.
According to him, "in tomorrow’s Europe there will be more needy old people than in all its history. Lonely people, people who have lost hope, people living with fear, people who need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. What an opportunity God has set before us.
"God has not given up on Europe. It may be out of the spotlight but church planting is accelerating, diaspora churches are everywhere, and in the next generation, young and old will have unprecedented gospel opportunity. And we know how the story ends: with every nation represented before the throne (Revelation 7:9).
Why Europe? Because God is working in Europe. So let’s change the story we are telling about mission in Europe.
"Let’s stop talking about Europe being post-Christian. Europe is not post-Christian. It is pre-revival."
To find out more about Jim's ministry, click here.