So, my last couple posts have been primarily about the harsh realities we’ve experienced in Italy regarding the local churches. The first was relating to the Catholic church, and how most Italians are not involved deeply anymore. The second was about the evangelical church and how they have become very isolated and ineffective. These posts were certainly a generalization based on observation and extensive conversations with Italians. But we do have a hope for Italy, and here’s why.

They desire change. You can feel it when you’re there. God has put eternity in their hearts, and they want it. There is an embedded reverence in their society (both in and out of church), and we’re thankful that this reverence is pointing to the God of the Bible, and Jesus his son and our King. So many of our dearest friends are an exception to the norm. We know dozens of Catholics in Salerno who understand the gospel, study the Bible, and are living their lives to honor Christ. We know pastors of evangelical churches in and around Salerno who are tired of the “norm” for churches in Italy and desire to change. We know people that have come to Christ with a hunger to share the gospel with people around them because they’ve tasted what an intimate relationship with their creator can be like.

We firmly believe that God is beginning a culture-changing movement in Italy that will redefine what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Our hope in working there is to see Italians make an eternal difference as they seek to redefine what it means to walk with Jesus. We pray for, and desire to see revival take place in the churches so that the Gospel is made abundantly clear, and the teachings of the Bible are lived out in gratitude and not obligation or fear.

To all our Italian brothers and sisters, thank you. You have given us hope that Jesus is still at work in your beautiful country. We can’t wait to return and work together to see Jesus become famous again!

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?

I wanted to write about some of the realities we face serving in Italy. Probably one of the most significant is the reality of the local church. By far, the most influential and largest church is Roman Catholic. More than 80% of Italy affiliates with this church. But over the years, attendance has declined significantly. In large part because the church has lost its missionary spirit, and has lost its focus on Jesus. Also, because people don’t trust the church anymore. And now, with recent stories about corruption as high is the papal office, its no wonder. Now, a very small number of Italians are involved beyond Christmas, Easter, weddings and funerals.

What’s worse, is that the message of the gospel is difficult to find in these churches. It is dangerously clouded by misleading traditions and a misguided understanding of our justification (here’s a good, short book on the differences). In our 2 years of living in Italy, I have yet to meet a single Italian Catholic who has had an accurate understanding of the gospel, and knew that they are saved by faith alone (which is at the heart of the Biblical teaching on salvation). In my estimation, nearly 99% of the country have a false understanding of salvation, which means they would die separated from Christ. I am not speaking to whether or not the church has a false understanding at a foundational level, but I am certainly to pointing out that the people are not hearing it or understanding it. The church has lost its voice.

So, who can tell them? The evangelical church, right? In theory, that’s who should be telling them. But, they aren’t. I’ll give some insight why in a post later this week. So, hang on! Do you have any thoughts on this particular post? Please share in the comments section!