Recently, a couple of American pastors in the Pillar Network visited our local church in Sweden. Their interest in the spread of the good news of the gospel in Northern Europe is a huge encouragement for our church and me personally. While walking through the city of Gothenburg, on our way to a restaurant for lunch, one of these brothers suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, said something along these lines: “Nobody looks glad! Everybody looks grumpy!”
The Swedish people have all the reasons to be a happy people. So, what’s the problem?
The more time that you spend around the Swedes, the clearer it becomes that our people aren’t particularly happy. The normal disposition of an ordinary Swede is not to smile. To be honest, the Swedes are not well.
Now, why is that? Sweden is a rich country that enjoys privileges that many countries in the world don’t have. We enjoy freedom of speech, we get paid to study, and we haven’t been in a war for over 200 years.
Outwardly, the Swedish people have all the reasons to be a happy people. So, what’s the problem?
The Problem of Individualism
The problem, of course, is sin and the fallen nature of mankind. But more specifically, the reason for depression in Northern Europe is the incomparable individualism that haunts my nation and our region. This is then combined with widespread secularism and all its natural consequences.
Sweden has more single households than any other country in Europe. Despite all of his or her privileges, the Swede is very, very lonely. To be a pastor and church planter in Sweden comes, therefore, with specific challenges, especially if you are traditionally evangelical and even more so if you’re reformed and complementarian.
Individualism, the despise of all authority, the right to choose, and theological pragmatism have come to dominate in the established church landscape in our region. The biblical emphasis on, well, the Bible, is looked upon with skepticism in best case scenario, or as dangerous, fundamentalist, sectarianism.
The church that I serve, Gothenburg 8:e Baptist Church, and the church that I’m planting this autumn, Jönköping Berean Baptist Church, are viewed as very extreme, even though our theological profile is traditionally evangelical. This is what happens when orthodox evangelicalism has more or less died.
In Northern Europe, we live in a post-Christian culture where even the so-called conservative churches and denominations are driven by pragmatism rather than theology. What used to be matters of first grade—like the gospel or biblical marriage—has now, in many cases, become tertiary matters on which church members can disagree without any consequences whatsoever.
How Can Churches in Northern Europe Uphold the Gospel?
In light of this, our dedication is to preach the Word of God and without compromise (Acts 20:20, 27; 2 Timothy 4:1–5). Also, we aim to plant and establish healthy churches with biblical ecclesiology (Acts 2:40–42). Lastly, we pray that God would send revival and reformation to our region (Psalms 85:6–7; Matthew 9:37–38).
Not only is it our conviction that the Lord wants to do something new in Sweden, but it is also our constant experience.
This is slow and hard work. And, because of our context, it is lonely work. There are only a few like-minded Christians.
However, Scripture says that we are not to despise the day of small things (Zechariah 4:10). Not only is it our conviction that the Lord wants to do something new in Sweden, but it is also our constant experience.
Time after time God is sending us young servants from the most unexpected places, who share our longing and are willing to pay the price to see the growth of healthy churches in our nation and in our region through the consistent preaching of the true gospel and sound doctrine.
How to Pray for Northern Europe
1. Pray for Unity
Pray that the faithful churches around here are united (1 Corinthians 1:10) and attentive to the cunning designs of the devil. He wants nothing more than our disunity, and herein lies a constant spiritual struggle (Romans 16:17; 2 Corinthians 2:11).
2. Pray for Pastors to be Committed to Godly Character
Pray that we who preach the Word and lead would be men after God’s heart, walking in integrity, humility, wisdom, and the fear of God. Pray that we would shepherd the flock of God in a way that pleases him and build them up (1 Peter 5:1–4).
3. Pray that Christ would be Central to Our Ministry
Pray that Jesus Christ and his glorious gospel would be the center of all the preaching, teaching, and ministry we do and that we would be quick to notice whenever we shift from focusing on the gospel to other things. The day we stop being gospel-centered is the day we lose our raison d’être.
4. Pray for Financial Support
Pray that God would support us financially. Most pastors and church planters have side jobs since our churches are too small to support us financially.
5. Pray for Godly Missionaries to Join the Work
Pray that God would keep sending us workers. We need more qualified elders. We need, called, anointed, passionate preachers who are not pragmatic when it comes to the Word of God, but will preach it boldly and lovingly. We need men and women who love the gospel and the glory of Christ more than the approval of society or the liberal established church (Galatians 1:10).
6. Pray for the Holy Spirit to Open the Eyes of the Lost
Pray for souls, and that the Holy Spirit would draw sinners in Northern Europe to Jesus Christ, convict them of their sins, open their eyes to his unspeakable beauty, and grant them new hearts. This is our primary mission: seeing people come to know and grow in Christ together.
The Need for the Gospel in Every Region of the World
When my American brother pointed out that the people on the streets looked miserable, I couldn’t avoid seeing it. He was right. They did and they do. But we also know that even though it might not seem like it, this is true of every person in every culture who is a stranger to Christ.
Only in him can real joy and satisfaction be found. So, we struggle on and run our race in the hope that more men and women throughout Northern Europe would get to know him. Then, they will get a smile on their face that will never fade away, but last for eternity.
Nima Motallebzadeh (BA in theological studies, ALT) is a Swedish-born preacher pastoring at Gothenburg 8th Baptist Church and planning for a church plant in his hometown of Jönköping. He is married to Sofia. He serves TGC Norden as a council member and overseeing editor.
