Pray for Germany

The impact that Germany has had on the world is astounding. It is the birthplace of people such as Martin Luther, Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, and Beethoven, as well as for the reformation, the printing press, and the automobile. But its history is tainted by the atrocities of the Holocaust and two world wars. Yet even so, it has remarkably rebounded from devastation and defeat. Leading the twenty-first century energy revolution, Germany seeks to become the world’s leading user of wind and solar power by 2050. It is this type of forward thinking that has enabled this nation to arise as Europe’s most industrialized country, the continent’s economic giant, co-leader of the European Union, and influential NATO member.

Germany boasts Europe’s largest economy – the fifth largest in the world. This success is built on export industries, fiscal discipline, a highly skilled workforce, and a history of consensus-driven economic policies. When Europe recently faced its largest refugee crisis in years, Germany opened its borders to roughly one million asylum-seekers, quickly becoming their primary European destination. Low fertility rates, an aging population, and increased immigration are taxing the social welfare safety net. This has only increased social and political tensions on how to integrate immigrants into society while maintaining economic stability and German identity.

Sixty-four percent of Germany claims Christianity. However, many believe that religion is irrelevant. Humanism, secularism, and skepticism are pervasive. Only fourteen percent of Germans actually attend church, and only about two percent claim Jesus as Savior. Due to the enormous influx of immigrants, Germany and France now have the largest Muslim populations in Europe, with roughly five million Muslims in Germany alone. Most come from nations where they had little to no access to the Gospel; the opportunities are unprecedented. Growing grassroots prayer movements, house churches, and evangelical initiatives have the potential to reach not only the majority of Germans who are spiritually lost, but the growing Muslim population as well.