Spain is a Graveyard for Preachers?

Juan Carlos Escobar, the general superintendent of the Assemblies of God announced that the denomination plans to plant a total of 1,000 churches by the year 2020 while preaching at their 100th anniversary celebration that took place at Springfield, Missouri. The pastor declared that while it is true that Spain and other European countries are viewed as cemeteries for preachers and missionaries, they can be “breeding grounds for the Gospel”.

According to statistics from 2013, over 70 percent of Spain’s population have expressed that they identify themselves as believers in Catholicism. On the other hand, only 1 percent of the population stated that they are Evangelical Christians. The rest of Spain’s 50 million people stated that they are non-religious.

Despite the extremely small number of Evangelicals in this country, Pastor Escobar maintained a very positive attitude towards the grand operation of church planting. He told his congregation in Missouri, "The power of the resurrection has activated itself in what some have called a dry and thirsty land in Spain over the last 25 years. We have seen an incredible growth, it hasn't been explosive, but it has sustained. Something tells me that Spain is in the heart of God."

He added that the Assemblies of God has already made preparations to for planting churches in Spain have begun ever since the year 2010. Since then until now, 850 missionaries have been trained and are currently capable of pioneering and planting 300 congregations.

At this point, in order to reach Escobar’s goal of 1,000 churches, the denomination must see a 350 percent growth rate. The pastor noted that if this revival is to be seen then Spanish churches must be ready to work together with larger ministries to construct a more systematic and structured plan to expand their network.

Escobar also added that the huge influx of foreign immigrants into Spain have also contributed to the recent spiritual growth in Spain. The pastor noted that around 12 percent of the 50 million Spanish people are immigrants. He expressed that these immigrants have sparked positive change in the Spanish culture. Most importantly though, Escobar thanked God for building up the Assemblies of God and providing this opportunity to see revival in the nation that was so often referred to as the cemetery for missionaries.