If there ever was a time for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be preached urgently and boldly across Europe, it is right now. Spiritual darkness pervades Europe’s 57 nations and territories, with only about 2% of the population having a testimony of placing saving faith in Christ. Many millions of Europeans—including those born and raised there and many more who have migrated to Europe from across the globe—will face an eternity separated from God unless they respond to the Gospel in repentance and faith.
“Europe is dying spiritually. It’s basically dead already,” said Franklin Graham. “There are a few evangelical churches, but the big state-owned churches are empty. It’s been that way for a long time. We’re going to try to help ignite a flame in the hearts of the evangelicals who are there, to reach their continent, to reach Europe with the Gospel in the next 10 years.”
Today, in places like the United Kingdom and Germany, many churches are empty relics of a bygone age. In their place, secularism, postmodernism, materialism, New Age beliefs, Islam and a plethora of other worldviews have attempted to fill the void, leaving most Europeans in spiritual darkness. Hopelessness abounds in less affluent parts of Europe, especially among immigrant communities. And in some Eastern European nations like war-torn Ukraine, daily survival has eclipsed nearly every other concern.
To bring Gospel light to that darkness, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), along with a host of European evangelical leaders, is convening the European Congress on Evangelism, May 27-30, in Berlin, Germany. The city is where the first World Congress on Evangelism gathered in 1966 under the guidance of Billy Graham, Carl F.H. Henry and other evangelical leaders.
This year’s meeting will draw more than 1,000 Christian pastors and ministry leaders from those 57 countries and territories, representing 10 languages, all with an aim “to encourage believers to reignite the church with a passion for proclamation evangelism,” said Viktor Hamm, BGEA vice president of Crusades.
Over four days, some 20 speakers will lead in plenary sessions, Bible studies and preaching, imploring their hearers to pursue the calling of an evangelist with a renewed focus and intensity as the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ draws near. The messages will center around one theme: Romans 1:16—“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (ESV).
“Europe is in spiritual crisis and urgently needs the clear proclamation of the Gospel,” said Heinrich Derksen, president of the Bibelseminar [Bible Seminary] in Bonn, Germany. “A united effort across denominations and nations can serve as a wake-up call for the church and a beacon of hope to a lost continent. We need renewed passion for evangelism, theological clarity and a courageous witness to Christ in the public square.”
“My prayer,” Derksen said, “is that this Congress will reignite a Europe-wide movement of faithful, Spirit-empowered evangelism. I hope it will encourage pastors and laypeople alike to boldly share Christ, equip churches with Gospel-centered strategies, and foster unity among evangelical believers. May it also inspire the next generation to live missional lives in an increasingly dark world.”
21st Century Challenges
The Europe of yesterday was filled with ornate churches, and the culture largely held Christian ideals, even if the Gospel faced the barriers of works-based religion. In the last century, the rise of theological liberalism in the West and communism in the East created even more barriers.
One example is the U.K., which despite a rich Christian history has become increasingly pluralistic. But there are sectors of evangelical strength, especially among some migrant populations. Pastors and leaders there are praying that a spark becomes a flame for strong Gospel proclamation.
“One of the biggest challenges facing churches in the United Kingdom is the low church growth rate compared to other faiths in the country,” said Pastor Adeleke Sanusi of the Redeemed Christian Church of God Victory House in London.
The 2021 census revealed that Christianity became a minority religion in England and Wales for the first time (46.2%), with so-called “nones,” or no religion, representing the second-most common response (37.2%). Meanwhile, the number of adherents to Islam (6.5%) and Hinduism (1.7%)grew.
Nevertheless, Sanusi said, “we are trusting God for more souls to be saved. This Congress is needed to boost the fire of evangelism across Europe.”
Daniele Pasquale, president of the Italian Evangelical Bible Institute in Rome, says that in Italy, where Christianity went from a persecuted first-century movement to a state-sponsored religion under Constantine, the advance of the Gospel seems stagnant.
“The majority of the population is indifferent to religion or marginally involved,” Pasquale said. “While there are minorities that are more zealous, such as Islam or Jehovah’s Witnesses, in general Italians are disillusioned with religion, or inoculated to the Gospel by a false idea of what the Gospel is. Spiritism and occultism also play a role in the spiritual state of our country.”
Like in other Western European nations, Christianity is growing in Italy, notably among migrant populations. Still, evangelicals constitute only about 1% of Italians.
Pasquale is hopeful, though. “There are pockets of evangelicalism or individual churches that are more dynamic and growing, and there are signs of interdenominational cooperation that are hopeful for an increase in evangelism and maturing the church.”
Meanwhile, Victor Pavlovski, a Christian bishop in Moldova, which borders Ukraine and has seen the Russian-Ukraine war spill over onto its borders, is thankful that God has granted the Moldovan churches a peace and a freedom to do the work of the Gospel.
“People are open to the Gospel, and we try to redeem the time to preach the Gospel.”
Pavlovski says the biggest challenge for Moldovan Christians is migration from places like Ukraine. The opportunity for the Gospel is great, but resources and workers are scarce.
“I hope this Congress will unite Europeans from the West and the East to partnerships that will fulfill the Great Commission,” Pavlovski said. “When the first Congress was organized, the East European countries were under communist influence and the West was concentrated on how to bring the Gospel to the East. Praise God for the last 35 years—we enjoy freedom—and this Congress can reflect what happened in the East and will help to redefine the strategy on evangelism across Europe.”
And in Kosovo, where 95% of the nation of 2 million people is Muslim, the challenges to Gospel advancement are immense. The evangelical population is estimated at around 2,000 people.
On a given Sunday, said Pastor Artur Krasniqi, there are about 15 evangelical congregations gathered, and about 10 other evangelical works preparing the ground to plant a new church. They have a season of opportunity, he said, but the rise of “political Islam” is a threat to that freedom to proclaim the Gospel.
Krasniqi leads Fellowship of the Lord’s People Church in Pristina, the capital. Founded in 1985, it was the first Albanian-speaking evangelical church in the world after World War II. Even though their numbers are small, Krasniqi is praying each of those 15 existing churches would prioritize advancing God’s Kingdom in other parts of their country. He hopes the Congress helps serve as a catalyst for that.
“I pray and hope that everyone from Kosovo will be renewed with a fresh passion for evangelism,” Krasniqi said. “I also hope that the pastors and church leaders attending the Congress will be encouraged and strengthened in their calling.”
American theologian R. Albert Mohler Jr., who will be one of the Congress’ plenary speakers, says he is excited about BGEA convening such a meeting in Berlin.
“I think this would thrill Billy Graham, and it is a continuation of his own personal leadership and ministry in the expansion of the Gospel and the encouragement of Christian churches throughout Europe. … I pray the Lord will use this gathering just as powerfully as He used the first World Congress on Evangelism.” ©2025 BGEA