Pray For…Spain

Stats
•Population – 44,729,000
•Percentage of Evangelicals – 0.4 %
•Total Number of People Groups – 53
•Number of Unreached People Groups – 6
•Language Spoken – Spanish
•Major Religion – Christianity
•Human Development Rank – 15

Located at the intersection of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Europe and Africa, Spain is one of the most richly diverse cultures in the world. Through exploration and conquest it became a world power in the 16th century and maintained its place as a powerful empire until the early 19th century. But refusal to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolution caused Spain to fall behind Britain, France and Germany in economic and political power. Although Spain remained neutral in both WWI and WWII, it suffered through a devastating 3 year civil war of its own in 1936. Following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, democracy was introduced and adopted by the people. Rapid economic modernization was the result. In fact after joining the EU in 1986, Spain’s economy grew rapidly and made it a global powerhouse of freedom and human rights. Until 2008, Spain’s economy was regarded as one of the most dynamic within the EU. However recently the country has suffered severely from the economic downturn and experienced a great recession which has led to over 19% unemployment of its people. The Evangelical Church in Spain has grown significantly over the past 50 years. During Franco’s dictatorial rule, the Catholic Church was the state religion. Non-Catholics were discriminated against and even suffered persecution. Not until recently in 1992 did the constitution guarantee equal rights for all religions. Discrimination is still evident today, but the church is growing and more and more are coming to know Christ.

•The Catholic Church is dwindling in Spain and is in serious crisis. The mistrust and disillusionment it created has caused many to be turned off by any religion and therefore the consideration of a more biblical Christianity is hindered. Pray for God to overcome the legacy of corruption and that people would be drawn to His grace and come to know Him.
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•Spain’s economic downturn has caused large percentages of people with job loss. The gap between the rich and poor is growing larger each day with very few in the middle. Pray for God to encourage the poor and for the Church to rise up and care for the needy as they should.
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•Over 13 million people live in towns, villages and districts where there is no evangelical Church. Pray for God to raise up Christians in Spain who will go and spread the Gospel to these forgotten places.
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•Spain’s society is plagued by Drug use. Hundreds of thousands are addicted to heroin and cocaine. The results of this on society have been significant. Pray for God to make his name known and for life transformation to take place in Spain’s people.