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HOTSPOT NATION: GERMANY

By Isolde Doubell

26 June 2025

Germany as a country has had a huge impact on the world in the past. Martin Luther introduced Protestantism, Beethoven and Bach enriched the world with their music, the world’s first production car – the forerunner of Mercedes-Benz – was manufactured in Germany, Johannes Gutenberg revolutionised communication with his printing press and the first Gutenberg Bible, and the scientist Albert Einstein developed the theories of relativity. Germany also played a central role in the World Wars, to name a few examples. 

Today, Germany is one of the most powerful countries in the European Union, with the largest population – more than 83 million people. However, a three-year recession has taken its toll on both the citizens and the economy of the country. An election in February and the subsequent formation of a new coalition government have moved the country from a centre-left to a centre-right government. The strongest party in the coalition, the Christian Democratic Union, has promised stricter migration policies. 

What Is the State of Christianity Today in Germany?

Germany, like many countries in Europe, was a majority Christian nation from which missionaries were sent out to spread the Gospel. However, over the past few decades, Christianity has been in decline. The Joshua Project estimates the percentage of Christians in the country at just over 60% (with 2% evangelical), adherents to Islam at 7%, and a rising figure of non-religious at almost 30%. In many cases, the Church has become a religious institution characterised by tradition, an unwelcome church tax, and a list of do’s and don’ts. The legacy of the intertwining of politics and religion, Communism, intellectualism, as well as sex scandals connected to the Church over the years, are all factors that have contributed to the decline of Christianity. Many impressive church buildings that were once used to glorify God are now tourist sites, convention centres, or even skate parks. In Hamburg, a Lutheran church building was converted into an Islamic centre. Where there is no living, personal relationship with Jesus Christ, people–especially young people–will not be interested.

Sydney Witbooi, a long-time missionary and former director of OMF International and an associate of the German European Mission (GEM) – an organisation which has founded some key Bible colleges in Germany and across Europe–comments on some issues from GEM’s annual meeting in May this year: 

“German society is now mainly a secular one due to a breakdown in trust in religious institutions. Secularism ultimately has no message of hope, purpose or direction. It leads to fear and insecurity. Many people are lonely because the strong sense of individualism leads to a lack of community, which isolates people. There is, however, a strong search for truth and a hunger for something meaningful. This is, in essence, a spiritual hunger, even though it may not be recognised as such.”

Sydney tells of a friend and former colleague who bought a Catholic church that had closed down in Berlin. It is now a vibrant church for Jesus. “Just last week, he told me that two statements he hears often from people who come to know Jesus are: ‘Now my hunger is satisfied,’ and ‘Now I feel that I have found a home.’”

Sydney stresses: “Above all, Germany needs prayer. People in Germany are tired of religion, so we need workers who are ‘on fire’ for Jesus, and who emphasise a living relationship with Him, who are bold and willing to build relationships with lonely people, who are willing to experiment and who don’t mind facing rejection by some. We actually need disciple-makers who will help people learn how to live out the Word of God in our context today.”

Matthias Lohmann is the lead pastor of the Free Evangelical Church in Munich and the chairman of the German gospel partnership Evangelium21. He wrote in an article on the Desiring God website in December 2024: “Formal church membership in Germany is not a good measure for the spiritual state of the nation, especially given the fact that Germany has so-called ‘state’ churches. I myself was born and baptised into the Lutheran state church, but I never attended except for an annual visit on Christmas Eve.” He says God, in His great mercy, used a faithful couple from a “free church” to lead him to Christ when he was 26 years old. The so-called “free churches” are churches outside of the Protestant and Roman Catholic state-church system–for example Baptist, Evangelical Free, Brethren, and Pentecostal churches. According to Matthias, many Germans think these churches are sects.

Matthias writes how he moved to Washington DC shortly afterwards for work, where he attended a Baptist church and met his wife. On returning to Germany, he realised just how spiritually dead his home country was and felt God placed a burden on his heart to see Christianity revived. He returned to Washington for three years, where he studied and became equipped, before returning again to Germany in 2008, where he now pastors the Free Evangelical Church in Munich (FEG München-Mitte).

“In 2009, John Piper met with a group of German pastors and theologians in Munich, roughly about 15 of us… He encouraged us to preach the Word and to form partnerships in order to encourage other like-minded men. Since 2011, this group has gathered annually under the name ‘Evangelium21’ for a conference in Hamburg. It has now grown to well over a thousand attendees, most of whom are under the age of thirty.”

Matthias says their church started a pastoral trainee programme. Most of the graduates have moved into pastoral positions, often with the aim of revitalising struggling churches or planting new ones. “Church planting remains vital to this work. Our own church has planted four churches in the last few years. While the movement remains small, a growing number of young men are eager to be trained and to invest their lives so that more people in Germany and beyond will hear the gospel clearly proclaimed… While the numbers are still unimpressive, the clear ring of the gospel is provoking a fresh stirring for true Christianity in post-Christian Germany.”

He concludes: “Although the situation in Germany is bleak, we still have hope. This hope is based both on my knowledge of God and on what I see happening in our own church and in other places around the country. Clearly, Christians can always be hopeful. We stand on the side of the One who has conquered the grave and defeated death, sin, and Satan. Since Jesus Christ died and rose again, victory is certain for all who trust and follow Him. One day, He will return and gather His elect from every tribe and language and people and nation. Praise be to our victorious King!”

A Thousand Christians in Berlin

On 27 May, a thousand Christians from all over Europe (even from Ukraine and Russia) gathered in Berlin for the opening night of the European Congress on Evangelism. The event was hosted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and was focused on reigniting, unifying, and strengthening the Church in Europe with a passion to proclaim the Gospel.  The first Congress took place in Berlin in 1966 when Billy Graham started his global ministry. Franklin Graham and his son, William, were among the speakers at the event this year. 

Franklin Graham said one of their objectives was to encourage the European Church not to grow weary and to stand strong amidst a culture that opposes everything Christianity stands for. “All of us here are under orders from the King of kings and Lord of lords. We are not to surrender. We are not to give up. Preach the Gospel—all of it. And pray that God will anoint you with Holy Spirit power in your ministry—pray, pray, and pray!” 

Josia, a young evangelist attending the Congress, shared his thoughts: “A problem prevalent throughout Europe is that many churches are simply not preaching God’s Word. They are no longer talking about Jesus Christ. Sometimes, the church is so boring—no joy, no vision, no hope for the future. We need to stir it up and bring the Gospel back. People want to follow a master who is worthy to die for.” 

Another guest from Germany, David Schnitter, was encouraged during a message from Greg Laurie, an American evangelist. Laurie shared spiritual analogies he had drawn from his childhood as a paperboy. “My job was not to make the news; my job was to deliver the news. Similarly, when we share the Gospel, the results are in the hands of God. When you stand before Jesus on that final day, He’s not going to say, ‘Well done, good and successful servant.’ He’s going to say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’,” Laurie said. 

Schnitter, who has been a pastor in Berlin for 13 years, says Laurie’s challenge to remain steadfast in the simple truth of the Gospel was just what he needed to hear. “God schedules encouragement just when we need it,” he noted. He also enjoyed the fellowship with other believers. He ran into an old friend whom he had not seen in over twenty years. The two first met while sharing the Gospel on the streets of Italy as young men, but they lost touch over the years. “To see that he’s still going for it, still involved in a local church, and still evangelising years later—it was so encouraging.”  

Opportunities

There are many opportunities in Germany for the Church to share the Gospel. German universities are highly rated, and Germany is now one of the countries with the most international students in Europe. According to the 2023/2024 edition of Wissenschaft Weltoffen, there are more than 460,000 students in the country–many from countries where the Gospel is not known. 

The most obvious opportunity, however, is the refugees and migrants who have flocked to Germany over recent years because of war and unrest. Just over a quarter of the people in Germany have some kind of migration background. An estimated 21 million people have either come to Germany themselves since 1950 or have parents who did. More than 6 million people have come since 2015 alone. The largest groups among them are Syrians and Ukrainians. These people fulfil an important role in German society, where there is a huge shortage of workers in certain sectors. 

According to the news website Deutsche Welle (17 June), there were around 1.4 million unfilled positions in German companies nationwide at the end of 2024, even though foreign employees had doubled since 2010 and have reached just over 16% of the workforce. However, a survey of 50,000 immigrants conducted between December 2024 and April 2025 found that 26% were considering leaving Germany or already had concrete plans to leave. High taxes or better career opportunities elsewhere were cited as some of the reasons. More than a quarter said they had experienced discrimination, and 3% said they did not feel welcome – factors that contribute to emigration.

The Church also does not want to miss the opportunity to share the Gospel to immigrants. Although many churches have been very active in helping refugees settle in, the global Church can pray for Christians in Germany to have wisdom and boldness, for open hearts to the Word, for the Holy Spirit to work and build His Church. The mission field is on their doorstep. In some cases, immigrants have been the ones bringing the Gospel to their host country. We can only pray that they will not keep their treasure to themselves but share it and resist conforming to the culture in which they settle.

Please join us in prayer:

  • Pray that Christians in Germany will be strengthened to keep their eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of their faith (Hebrews 12:2), and that they will be an abundant source of Jesus’ joy, peace and love to draw people to Him. 
  • Pray that the Church will not be discouraged in the face of opposition or deceived by the enemy, but that they will encourage one another to live lives worthy of the Gospel (Philippians 1:27).
  • Pray for wisdom for the Church in bringing the Gospel to immigrants, refugees, and international scholars. May they have a godly passion to see these people come into the Kingdom. 
  • Pray also for immigrant churches to reach out cross-culturally to their host country and to other migrants.

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