Population:
10.4 million
Evangelical population:
0.49%
People groups:
51
Unreached people groups:
10
Greece
Known as the cradle of Western civilization, ironically Greece has a population that is largely ignorant of the Bible. While only 3.6 percent of the people on the country’s mainland and 227 inhabited islands are non-religious, the vast majority of the population knows little about the gospel or biblical faith. More than 83 percent of the population identify as Christian, most in name only as they belong to traditional churches that give little attention to the Bible; 94.6 percent identifying as Christian belong to the Greek Orthodox Church, and 3.6 percent to the Roman Catholic Church. Nearly 8 percent of the population is Muslim.
When protests in Syria in 2011 grew into an armed rebellion that included various jihadist forces, the embattled country’s people began pouring out to other countries, including Greece. By 2015, 385,525 refugees had arrived in Greece by sea, with only 8 percent of them applying for asylum as they were in transit to other parts of Europe.
There are now more than 50,000 refugees in Greece, mostly Syrian, but also many from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and parts of Africa. Of those refugees, 40,000 are living in Greek reception centers built to accommodate only 6,000. They are also facing an increasingly hostile society.
Refugees often arrive with only the clothes on their back. The practical aid that local missionaries have provided has led many refugees to want to know about Christ. Local missionaries who provide aid offer Bible studies and, for those who accept Christ, intensive discipleship training. They also undertake visits to refugee camps for Bible studies with various groups twice a month.
An indigenous ministry provides food and other basic items, with local missionaries spending much of their days trying to meet urgent physical needs – from diapers and baby formula to securing interpreters to accompany refugees to doctors appointments and hospitals. Missionaries also help refugees get their children registered for school, obtain tax numbers and apply for asylum. Donations are sought for these efforts to bring the love of Christ to the physically and spiritually troubled.
Sources: Joshua Project, Wikipedia, Missions Insider
How to Pray for Greece
- Pray that refugees will not perish in transit on dangerous seas or from hostilities they encounter upon arrival but will receive the aid and orientation they need to begin their lives anew.
- Pray for workers trained as counselors, interpreters, and evangelists to be available for arriving refugees.
- Pray for Bible-believing churches to bring honor to Christ’s name as they make His salvation known to various ethnic groups.
More stories from Greece
Get the Gospel to the Young and Old in Greece
With many opportunities to share the gospel with refugees, native workers also bring the hope of Christ to nationals and their children. In a 10-week summer program for teenagers, workers presented Bible lessons using videos followed by interactive games of questions and answers. “There was a lot of laughter, sharing, games, snacks and the sowing of God’s seeds in the hearts of the children,” the ministry leader said.
Partner in Gospel Outreach in Greece
A refugee mother of three children who had fled her abusive husband received aid from a native ministry, including medical and legal assistance. Workers recently led her and her friend to faith in Christ. Refugees who have never heard the gospel learn about the Savior from workers amid the numerous opportunities that arise in the course of receiving aid.
Provide Aid for Refugees in Greece
Among refugees arriving in great need, native Christian workers often learn about women who have suffered abuse. A mother with a child was dependent for her survival on a relationship with a man who was so violent that workers feared he was trafficking her. Workers provided food for her and her son and arranged for them to live in a hostel.
Help Provide Aid to Refugees in Greece
A refugee mother who was jailed for lack of legal papers was separated from her young son, who was sent to a hospital. Native Christian workers assisted in obtaining her release, reunited her with her son and helped her locate her two other children who had traveled with another family.
Help Change Lives with the Gospel in Greece
An Iranian refugee who had received help from native workers three years ago and left the country recently returned on a visit to thank them for the help – and the gospel – that he and a friend received. Accepted as a refugee in Switzerland, he told workers that his Christian journey began with their assistance in getting him a Skype appointment with asylum officials.
Help Spread the Gospel in Greece
Refugees have learned of Christ’s love for the first time from native Christian workers who provided them aid. Sharing the gospel with refugees in ministry offices, weekly Bible studies, home visits and online calls, workers have seen Muslims who might otherwise never have heard about Christ come to saving faith.