Local churches vary in appearance across the globe. This is often easy to notice that in our home countries but difficult to imagine overseas. In Europe alone, churches can vary in size, doctrine, music, culture, meeting space, teaching, etc. The mission of Pioneers is not to plant identical churches but to know and glorify God as we see new believers gather with other believers and grow as the body of Christ.
“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Ephesians 5:15-16
Today, we learn about the evangelical church in Tuscany. Italy is commonly known as a Roman Catholic country, home to the Vatican and a culture that has been dominated by Catholicism for over 1500 years. This Spiritual Climate Survey provides a fresh perspective from Stefano, an elder in a non-denominational church in Florence.
In this series, we have sought the opinions of local brothers and sisters to help us gain understanding of the spiritual context that surrounds us here in Europe. The views expressed belong to those being interviewed and as such do not necessarily represent any official stance of Pioneers in Europe. Please join us in seeking to better understand the experiences of others and respond in prayer to our heavenly Father who sees and understands all things clearly.
What are the demographics of the population you live and serve among?
We serve in a small church (by Italian standards) with about 30 adult members. Members and frequent attenders are mostly female, including widows, wives of non-believers, and single women. At the moment, we have seven children attending the Sunday school. The proportion of non-native Italians in the church is higher than in the general population with many people from Latin America, Russia, Albania, and the USA.
The community we are serving among has a mean age of 45 and the majority is nominally Catholic (less than 20% attending religious services regularly). There is a growing population from North Africa who are very difficult to reach with the Gospel.
How would you describe the health and spiritual practices of the local church in your area?
We have an evangelical population of about 1%, mainly from Pentecostal-charismatic churches. Other evangelicals (Reformed, Brethren, Baptist churches and others) are a minority in most areas. Italian evangelicals generally have a strong doctrinal identity, trying to be active in the service of the community and in evangelism, but have very limited human and economic resources. They often end up insulated from the surrounding community.
What geopolitical events have been affecting the people in your area and the rhythms of your local church recently?
The pandemic has strongly affected the life of the church during the last several years. Most of the churches transferred their services online for many months and once the situation normalized, many frequenters did not return. This was an especially big hit to the older population who struggled with the technology of the online format.
What portion of the population in your area has been the most and least open to God in recent years?
Foreigners (about 10% of the people residing in Italy), especially those from Christianized countries, seem to be the most sensitive to the preaching of the gospel. Among Italians, southern people are the most open to God. Among northern Italians, young people seem to be more open to at least having a conversation about spiritual issues.
What else are people trusting in in your area? What do people fear?
A good portion of the Catholic church attenders (a minority of the overall population) are traditionally devoted to the Virgin Mary and the Saints. Most of them know very little, if any, about the Bible. The general population is mainly concerned about enjoying life, going on vacation, eating in good restaurants. The birth rate is the lowest in history (and the lowest among western cultures). Married couples are concerned about working and saving money. People’s fears concern health and economic security. The average lifespan of an Italian is one of the longest in the world, but the greatest fear of the people is death. It is a sort of taboo topic people talk about as little as possible.
Apart from spiritual needs, what are the greatest needs in your area?
Houses for young couples, services for the families, accessible care for the elderly, quality education for the young people.
What patterns have you seen in ministry in your area?
Generally, Italian pastors take care of churches that cannot provide economic support for them because of the small number of church members. This has strong implications on the capacity of the church to reach the community and on the pastors to be prepared for a theologically sound service of their churches.
Do various evangelicals in your area work together? Is there unity in the church?
I have seen and participated in many commendable attempts to work together in evangelism at the local level. Denominational churches mainly participate in the activity of their own denomination, but non-denominational ones (probably the majority) seem more sensitive to the local attempts at collaboration. The small size of the Italian churches make it difficult to form critical movement in the evangelism and service of our community.
Where do you see room for the global church to serve in your area?
Although Italy has attracted a strong missionary effort for decades after the 2nd world war, it’s my opinion that this country has to still be considered a mission field. Numbers and needs are comparable or greater than those in Africa or western Europe. Overseas churches have to realize that our battle is cultural, not material. I mean that we do not need rice or bread, we need instruments to change the minds of the people. Christian schools, universities, social services, Missionaries with PHDs, quality education for our young pastors… these could be some of the instruments to make a difference for Italy in the current day.
There are many barriers to the Gospel in Europe. History and the church’s reputation often hinder conversation. Let’s join the Pioneers in Italy in praying that the cultural battle and history of the church would be gateways for the Gospel!
Thank you to Stefano and our local Pioneer in Italy for sharing your experience and stories!