Northern Europe

Northern Europe comprises 11 countries and territories around the Baltic Sea and the Arctic, from the Nordic countries, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, to the Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as territories such as the Åland Islands, the Faroe Islands, and Svalbard and Jan Mayen. It is a region with a strong Lutheran tradition, where the church was directly linked to the state for centuries.

Today, the same Lutheranism that shaped these nations’ national identity coexists with one of the world’s most secular societies. Historic churches still stand in every city, but regular attendance is low, and the Christian faith, though still part of culture and celebrations, is rarely central to people’s lives.

The figures show a relatively better picture than the European average: 6.2% of the population is evangelical, the highest rate among the continent’s major blocs. Yet of the 113 peoples living in the region, 45 are unreached. There are already 215 languages with some cataloged biblical translation, but 48 still have no part of Scripture.

Pray for this cold and prosperous region, that its historic Christian witness may be renewed in living faith, able to reach both those raised in the Lutheran tradition and the unreached peoples now living there.