wfn.org | Mission in post-Christian Europe

[BethAH <BethAH@mbm.org>]

August 15, 2001
Beth Hawn
Mennonite Board of Missions
(219) 294-7523
<NEWS@MBM.org>
August 15, 2001

Mission in post-Christian Europe a unique challenge

BARCELONA, Spain (MBM)  Walking through the streets of any
European city, it is hard to miss the beauty of the churches:
the vaulting stone arches of the cathedrals, small chapels in
quaint mountain villages, the bells tolling across the hills and
plains.  But, say European Mennonites, if you walk inside, it is
hard to miss the fact that the churches are mostly empty.

In England, less than 10 percent of the population identify
themselves as active Christians.  Seventy-five percent of people
under age 25 have never stepped inside a church building.  In
Finland and Sweden, where official state churches have been the
norm for 400 years, the number of active Christians drops to 4
percent.

The church is in decline, says Tim Foley, an elder at Woodgreen
Mennonite Church in London.  For the average Brit, he says,
theres no advantage whatsoever in becoming part of the church.
Its one of those things that gets dropped off the list as things
get busy.

A number of people think they have a sense of what Christianity
is about, and think that its boring or worse, says Mark
Thiessen Nation, a Mennonite theologian and program director at
the London Mennonite Centre.

To illustrate his point, Thiessen Nation refers to a recent
European Newsweek article that states that in Europe today,
Christianity is perceived as being as weird and wacky as atheism
and vegetarianism were a generation ago.

Tom Rutschman, a Mennonite Board of Missions worker in the small
village of Jokkmokk, Sweden, says the challenge of being a
Christian witness in post-Christian Europe can especially be seen
in the lives of youth.  In 1980, when the small Free Church in
Jokkmokk began a youth outreach program, there were no active
Christian youth in the village.

Twenty-five years ago, if youd asked [kids in school] if they
knew a Christian, Rutschman says, theyd say no.  If you asked
what a Christian was like, they would tell you a person who has a
lot of rules and couldnt do a lot of things.

Over the years, the outreach program has brought several dozen
youth to faith, Rutschman says.  But another challenge awaits
them.

Imagine what it is to be the only one in your class who is a
Christian, to be made fun of [for years] because of that.

Even in Spain, where European Mennonites gathered for their
biennual colloquium from July 28-Aug. 4, a post-Christian culture
is a growing reality.

Spain has changed a lot in 20 years, says Jose Luis Suarez,
pastor of Barcelona Mennonite Church.  Despite being a bastion of
the Catholic Church for centuries, many Spaniards turned away
from the church in the late 1970s because of its support for the
repressive dictator Franco.

Now, Suarez says, The church means nothing to the people.  How
do we share the gospel in a secular world when people have no
reference points?

Despite the lack of interest in Christian churches, Rutschman
says, there is still a hunger for spirituality.  In the last 10
years, people are again talking about religious and spiritual
needs, but they assume that the church has nothing for them.
Its intelligent, educated people who are looking for answers in
stones and exercises, who are willing to believe whatever.

To respond to this need, Foley believes it is important for
churches in Europe to begin thinking in new ways that emphasize
Bible studies and small groups.

Some of us see [small congregations] as something to embrace,
he says.  We dont need the props, the large buildings to be
church.  Being a small church makes us depend more on God.

Thiessen Nation believes one answer to a post-Christian reality
is for Christians to be sensitive to the lack of trust created by
the traditional church methods, but also to clearly state how
their faith impacts their daily lives.

 We have to realize there is an apologetic task of convincing
others that Christians are not despicable, Thiessen Nation
says.  But we also need to be upfront with our discernibly
Christian convictions.  We arent interested in peace because
its a hobby of ours.  Were interested because its connected to
our life in Christ.

I think Anabaptists have something to offer in the midst of a
post-Christian society, he says. It can be a very strong witness
because we believe that Christian beliefs are connected to a way
of living.
* * *

Grant E. Rissler       PHOTO AVAILABLE