Learn more about our work in Finland
“So, why Finland?”
Without a doubt, this is the most common question that we get. For some people, it’s confusing, because Finland is a wealthy country that has the Bible in its own language and a Lutheran heritage. In fact, more than 60% of Finns are members of the national church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. So why would our church send us there as Gospel Workers? There are two big reasons.
1. “Christianity” in Finland is a Veneer
Though most Finns are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, very few Finns actually consider church to be an important part of their lives. Only about 2% of Finns attend church at least once a month. Here in the US, about 40% of American Protestants claim to attend a church service at least monthly.
Even more critically than attendance, though, is that the ELCF is sadly failing to guard the deposit of truth and uphold the faith once delivered to all the saints. Many ELCF pastors outright deny critical doctrines such as the literal resurrection of Christ or the inerrancy of the Bible, and pastors with a commitment to the Bible’s authority are sadly few and far between. One fact that demonstrates this is, despite nearly two-thirds of Finns being members of the ELCF, only about a third of Finns claim to believe that there is a God. To contrast again with numbers from the US, about 80–90% of Americans claim to believe in God.
If you look beneath the surface, Finland is a thoroughly secularized nation. Despite most Finns having heard the name of Jesus, they have been inoculated against the true gospel by the ELCF, and they need someone to share with them the true Jesus.
2. Finns have asked us to come help them
By God’s grace, there are a handful of faithful, Bible-teaching churches in Finland, led by Finnish Nationals. One of these churches, Grace Baptist Church of Tampere, has asked us to come help them establish a Bible Institute. This church and its pastor, Miska Wilhelmsson, share our desire to see more churches in Finland, they think that our family is a good fit for ministry in that context, and they asked our church to please come send us to help. Our church heard the call and is doing so!
We aren’t headed to Finland to try to “Americanize” the Finns or to try and take charge of their efforts. We intend to go serve as accelerators, helping the work that God is already doing in Finland continue to grow.
Our Ministry Intentions
We’ve been advised to make flexible plans, hold them loosely, and expect them to change. Here’s what we have so far 🙂
Priorities for our first 2–3 years
- Language & Cultural Acquisition
- Engage in Local Church Ministry at Grace Baptist Church
- Help Miska start up Bible Institute
Priorities for the next 2–3 years after that
- Continue service at Grace Baptist Church / Bible Institute
- Identify church planting target area
- Begin evangelistic efforts in target area
Finland needs you, too!
Believers in Finland need believers from other nations to uphold them in prayer as they strive to be salt and light among the lost people around them. Would you please commit to pray for believers and churches in Finland?
We also need prayer and financial support. We are willing to go, and our church is willing to send us, but the work involved in crossing a culture for the gospel requires many people working together for the truth (3 John 8). Would you please consider partnering with us as we go to Finland?
