The Need
The Catholic Church is troubled, finding itself in crisis. From once being regarded as the jewel in the crown of the Catholic church, Spain is fast becoming one of the most secular countries. 71% of the Spanish population identify as Roman Catholic, 24% as atheistic or agnostic, 4% as another faith, with only 2% of the total population being considered as evangelical Christians. Only 7.1% of the Catholic population reports going to mass every Sunday or multiple times a week. In a 2008 survey of European values, only 3% of the population questioned reported that religion was one of their top three values.
Morality and values in general have suffered in Spain. Decadent behavior and hedonistic lifestyles, combined with increased coveting of material possessions have led to greater rates of depression, addiction, debt and lost direction. Drugs are a blight on Spain, one of the world’s heaviest users of cocaine, heroin and marijuana. Around two million use “recreational” drugs regularly, most of them being young people. Gambling addiction remains a problem for the nation as well. It is estimated that 15% of net household income is spent on betting, possibly one of the highest proportions of any nation in the world. The younger generation rejects the idea of absolute truth.
Spiritual confusion is rampant in Spain. False beliefs are quickly multiplying – a natural consequence of the rapidly formed vacuum left by departure from faith. Spaniards flirting with occult practices is common. New Age deceptions abound. Marginal cults such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons have a large presence.
What’s Happening
Spain has been our flagship model since the inception of World Link Ministries in 1991, where we have planted more than a hundred churches to date. The WLM seminary, SEFOVAN, was planted in Madrid because of a growing need to train young national leaders to reach their country for Christ. Although it all began in a rented hall in the outskirts of Madrid, SEFOVAN has grown to be the largest seminary in Spain, having graduated 2,500 students with more than 150 students currently enrolled in its various programs.
Over the years, we have expanded from our main campus in Madrid and now have extension centers in the south in Ciudad Real, in the North in Santander and in the Canary Islands (see below). Additionally, an exciting extension has recently been formed in the Basque city of San Sebastian, which is led by a SEFOVAN trained Basque, Unai Arretxe. God has blessed the model and has made it possible for our students throughout the country to realize their dreams of working full-time in the ministry and reaching their nation for Christ.
The Canary Islands are part of Spain, forming an archipelago of eight islands in the Atlantic, about 100 kilometers west of southern-most Morocco. Among the 2.2 million inhabitants, only ten thousand are evangelical, most of whom live on the two larger islands. We have a strong presence in the Canaries, having been active there since 1995. In a special effort in 2001, World Link partnered with churches to take Gospel literature to every home in every one of the islands. Even so, more ministry is needed, particularly as to the smaller islands and among the scattered groups of believers throughout the Canaries.
Prayer/Church Planter
Support Request
Please pray that Christianity might provide a moral compass leading this lost nation back to the Lord in faith.
And please consider supporting a SEFOVAN student’s housing cost of $250/month or $100/month for training materials.
Some of Our Student Pastors in Spain
Unai is a church planter in San Sebastian, Spain. As he went through our four year program he would make the 4 hour drive home on weekends to lay the foundation for the church he was planting in northern Spain, Today his church is one of the largest in Spain and has become a major influence in the entire region.
Bruno serves in the city of Benidorm, Spain. He and his wife Lidia and daughter Janna, moved there because of a call for help from a church there. Bruno came and turned the situation around and within a year launched an extension center in his church for our seminary in Madrid. Today his church’s influence is felt all throughout the province.
From the time they arrived at seminary in 2009 Danny and Carol became part of a leadership team that would plant a church in Madrid, Spain. All throughout their time in seminary they were also focused on evangelism, and the pastoring of the new church. After leaving the church in good hands, they moved to the States to finish their education at Southwestern Seminary. They soon returned to Spain to plant churches in the Canary Islands (their home province).
Matt and Rose are two students from Ecuador who came to our Saturday classes. They have a ministry reaching other Quechua Indians in the country of Spain and throughout Europe. God has multiplied their ministry tremendously over the last five years.
This sweet couple has grown into tremendous leaders at our seminary in Madrid and in a church plant in Madrid they are now leading. Miquel Angel is one of the brightest students to have come through our seminary since it opened in 1991. He hosts a blog with country wide following in the hundreds of thousands.
Daniel pastored a church all throughout his four years in the seminary. When he finished he continued to pastor the church which had grown and took up a position with an evangelistic ministry that is reaching out to a very needy part of Madrid.