In my previous post, I explained the reality we face in Italy regarding the Roman Catholic Church. Ultimately few Italians are attending these churches regularly. The majority still consider themselves Catholic, but they aren’t going. Over time, the message of the Gospel has been confused and lost.
So, where does the evangelical church fit in? Some statistics might help. First off, there are few of them. In an estimated 33,500 communities throughout Italy, only 1,500 have an established evangelical presence. That’s that less than 5% of the entire country (contrasting the Catholic Church in nearly every city and community)! To narrow this down further, this only represents 1 small (sometimes 50 people or less) community within an entire city. When you widdle this down, less than 1% of Italy would consider themselves a born again, evangelical Christian. To be fair, that is a good start. IF these believers realized the potential influence they could have on the people around them, amazing things could happen. But, history has proven otherwise.
A King and his Kingdom. That is how an Italian friend and pastor has described the average evangelical community. In other words, many pastors are very protective of their “flock” from outside influence. Often with little to no theological training, a pastor can walk dangerous lines in his teaching (ranging from heavy legalism to extreme pentecostal experiences), and even exercises prophetic authority over his church. By calling himself a prophet, you can’t question his teaching. If you do, you’ll be removed from the body. This is why outsiders are a danger, as they might be able to challenge the theology of the pastor and corrupt his kingdom. This also means that most churches are very divided with each other. They believe they do it better, and don’t need to learn from others.
So, what is the result? Very few churches, in very few cities, with very little to no influence. There are a few shining examples (one of which we are very close with) that have a healthy presence, but it isn’t many. What Italy needs is a new movement, redefining what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and a church committed to fulfilling the Great Commission. More on this in the next post! Have any thoughts?
Disclaimer: Most of my thoughts on this post are from personal observation. But, my observations are certainly informed by speaking with other missionaries throughout Italy, Italian pastors, and the general public over the past 2 years. If you have an informed opinion that is different, please share it in the comments as it will help us in our learning process.
