Information About Spain

Usually when folks think of Spain, what comes to mind are bullfights, Don Quixote, flamenco dancers, and “la siesta.” Spain is all this, to be sure, but there is much more. Characterized by a wide range of climates, landscapes, cultures, and even nationalities, Spain is a very diverse place.

But, at least we can say that Spain is “Christian,” right? Isn’t it part of Western Europe, where the Reformation began? Or, isn’t it at least Roman Catholic, a country where people in general believe in God and have some knowledge of the Bible? NO! Spain is secular. Most Spaniards are concerned only with the “here and now,” and believe that man is self-sufficient with great potential to solve all his problems without any sort of supernatural intervention or revelation.

There are approximately 40 million Spaniards. Only about 80,000 of them are evangelical church members (0.2 % of the population). There are as many or more active Jehovah’s Witnesses in Spain as there are Evangelicals. There are many more Muslims. To be sure, the largest religious group still are the Roman Catholics, but the majority of them are nominal. Only about 3 % of the population goes to mass on Sunday.

The Evangelical community in Spain is small, and not without its difficulties. Unfortunately, examples abound of doctrinal compromise resulting from the church bending to the influences of society. Moreover, there are limited resources to train up leaders to face the manifold challenges. The result is confusion in the churches, spiritually malnourished believers, youth with doubts who end up leaving the church, and the list goes on.

Please pray with us for the church in Spain.