Europe Needs the Gospel
Does Europe really need missionaries?
Europe is often called "post-Christian." Churches are empty, cross-topped skylines hide quiet sanctuaries, and many assume the continent has simply moved on. Yet beneath the surface, Europe is not so much disenchanted as it is differently enchanted—restless, searching, and haunted by the God it thinks it has left behind.
The numbers tell a sobering story: although Christianity has been present throughout Europe for over a millennium, today only 2.9% of Europeans are evangelical Christians.* The Christian heritage across Europe has largely given way to secularism or mere cultural religiosity. Even in Europe's most religious countries, many people practice faith as tradition rather than as a life-transforming relationship with Christ through the gospel.
And the impact reaches far beyond Europe itself. Because European cities influence global culture, educate and employ the nations (including those from restricted-access countries), and export unbelief, missions in Europe impacts not only Europeans but also the whole world.
A continent caught in crisis
On one hand, Europe is deeply secular. Church attendance has declined, especially among the young. In many cities, Christianity is seen as old news—tried, found wanting, and put aside. For others, it’s unknown news, something they’ve never really encountered beyond history books or stereotypes.
On the other hand, spiritual hunger has not disappeared. Many Europeans who don’t believe in God still believe in “something”: fate, energy, manifesting, karma, horoscopes, or vague spirituality. As one novelist put it: “I don’t believe in God, but I miss Him.” Europe hasn’t stopped longing—it has simply stopped looking to Jesus.
When we lose God, we lose our story
Over centuries, Europe gave the world ideas shaped by the Gospel: human dignity, equality, compassion for the weak, the value of each person, and a vision of justice. As belief in God has faded, that moral structure is wobbling.
Without a larger story, many live with:
Crisis of meaning: Young adults across Europe report feeling aimless and without purpose.
Fragile identity: We are told to invent ourselves, yet that self feels unstable and easily shattered.
New legalisms: Secular “virtue” cultures can be harsh, unforgiving, and full of shame, with no real path to grace.
The Gospel speaks directly into this: in Christ, our identity is received, not achieved; our worth is anchored, not fragile; our failures are met with real forgiveness, not cancellation.
Why Europe still matters to the world
Europe is not just another mission field; it is a strategic one.
Europe shapes global culture. From philosophy and politics to art, technology, and media, European ideas still circle the globe. The doubts, “defeater beliefs,” and secular assumptions formed here are exported everywhere.
Europe educates the nations. Universities across Europe train future leaders from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and beyond. Reach students in Europe, and you touch boardrooms, governments, and churches worldwide.
Europe exports unbelief. The skepticism formed in European lecture halls and cafés doesn’t stay in Europe. It quietly shapes how the world thinks about God, truth, and morality.
If we care about the cities of tomorrow—whether in Beijing, Bogotá, or Baku—we cannot ignore the spiritual battle in Berlin, Paris, London, or Prague today.
The tide may be turning
The loud, confident atheism of the early 2000s has lost much of its shine. Some secular thinkers now openly admit that tearing down Christianity has left a vacuum: moral confusion, loneliness, and cultural fragmentation. Others are re-examining Christianity’s role in shaping the very values they cherish.
At the same time, God is quietly at work:
New churches are being planted in hard soil.
Immigrant and minority churches are growing and revitalizing cities.
Creative ministries are engaging skeptics with thoughtful, generous Gospel conversations.
A small but significant number are reconsidering Jesus—not as a relic of the past, but as hope for the future.
Europe may be the least evangelical continent (with around 2.5% of evangelical believers), but it is not beyond God's reach. It is not simply post-Christian; it may be pre-revival.
Why Europe needs the gospel
Europe needs the Gospel because:
Its spiritual hunger cannot be satisfied by vague spirituality or self-made identities.
Its deep questions about suffering, justice, and meaning find their truest answers in the cross and resurrection of Jesus.
Its culture-shaping influence means that renewing the church in Europe will bless the global church and the world.
Its history with Christianity makes the rediscovery of the Gospel not a step backward into superstition, but a step forward into the source of its best values.
In short:
Cheer up! Europe is darker than we imagined—and the Gospel is more powerful than we ever dared hope.
An invitation
God is not finished with Europe. He is calling Christians to pray, to send, to go, and to serve: planting churches, loving cities, engaging universities, discipling the next generation, and offering a clear, beautiful, compelling vision of Jesus.
Europe needs the Gospel. And perhaps, in God’s kindness, the Gospel’s next great chapter in Europe will be written through people like you.
Do you believe God may be leading you to serve in Europe? Fill out the form for long-term (2+ years) or short-term (summer and 1-11 months), and an MTW mobilization team member will follow up with you soon!
