How 1% Changes Everything by Ben Birdsong

For two weeks this summer, the world’s eyes were on Paris for the Olympic Games. Viewers cheered for their countries and stood in amazement at the skills of some of the best athletes in the world. Through the media we were connected to an important city in the middle of the European continent—a place that needs Jesus more than we often realize.

The Reality of Post-Christian Europe

For every 100 French faces you may have seen on your screen, only 1 of those people was a committed Christian. France, like most of Europe, is a post-Christian culture. To be post-Christian means that a group has moved beyond Christianity and lost the gospel message. The biblical images we frequently encounter, such as the story of David and Goliath, the Golden Rule, and the 10 Commandments, have been forgotten. 

More critical than biblical imagery, the gospel has been forgotten. The church has failed to reach the next generation, leading to a culture and continent where churches have become museums, and the movement of God through His church has vastly been reduced to stories from history.

The continent where Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the Whittenburg Chapel and the places where the Wesley brothers ignited the Methodist movement was a place where the gospel’s message was proclaimed to the broader world. This place of God’s past movement needs to be reignited with the Holy Spirit and move of God again. With a total of 2.9% committed Christians for the European continent, the need is on a continental scale. 

We face another missional challenge as the global church rushes to unreached places. Post-Christian places must be reignited with the flame of gospel movement, where the passage of time and cultural shifts have caused them to decline. We must set our hearts, prayers, and mission resources again in places like Europe.

A Personal Call to Action

God used these numbers to rock my own life and change my direction. After 3.5 years of serving as a missions pastor in a Methodist Church, God led me to step away from the comfort and safety of local church ministry into the world of Europe. 

In the spring of 2024, these figures first introduced me to the depth of the need in Europe. I had been to Europe several times, and on each trip, I found myself standing in an ornate cathedral, wondering where the church was and what impact this building actually had on the world. But through the simple numbers, God began to lead me to see how I could leverage my life to help see a gospel movement begin in Europe again.

Seeing a gospel movement and revival in the local churches of Europe became my hope. The global church could come together in prayer seeking the Holy Spirit to stir His church to engage the continent of Europe once again. My own prayers for Europe led me to take my own step of faith into one crucial place for ministry – the next generation.

Since post-Christianity is ultimately due to a failure to reach the next generation with the gospel and to see them come to live their faith and share Jesus with others, I knew that helping the church engage the next generation would be essential to see gospel movements begin again. God led me to the ministry of First Priority Global to be my place of engagement with the great gospel need of Europe. I knew that I had to leverage my own life to engage as a full time missionary to see change come to the European continent.

A Challenge to the Global Church

Looking back on the journey of the last few months, God used simple statistics to change my direction. When we think about mission needs, it is easy for our eyes to glaze over, but needs are meant to call us to action. 

The world engaged with France and Europe for the two weeks of the Olympic Games. What would it look like if the church was willing to engage with Europe? Could we see statistics reversed? Could we see post-Christianity become the story of past history? Could we see the next generation engage with a gospel movement that changes Europe and the world again?