why ireland?

In spite of its legacy as the bastion of ‘saints and scholars’ and their many contributions to the Kingdom of God, Ireland today is anything but committed to the gospel. It is sadly true that the source of so much spiritual blessing to the world now sits in spiritual ruins.

The situation of the indigenous church reflects this. With a few exceptions, old church buildings are empty. Evangelical churches are mostly small and on the fringes of society. The highly politicized past, between Roman Catholics and Protestants has left its mark. Many would still agree that to be Irish is to be Roman Catholic. But it is more the residue of a culture than a deep conviction. On the ground, 0.6% of a 3.9 million population regard themselves as Christians in the Biblical sense – the lowest percentage of any country in the English speaking world.



Moreover, Ireland at the moment is experiencing a crisis of identity. The surge of foreign nationals has brought much enrichment in culture, labour and ideas. As a member of the European Union, with a ‘fairy-tale’ economy, Ireland is a very attractive option for the young and idealistic who grew up in the disenchanted mainland continent. But it is not only those from Eastern Europe who have decided to try and make Ireland their home. The Far East has come to Ireland too. In fact at present rates of immigration, the Republic of Ireland is expected to have more non-native Irish than native Irish by the year 2050, the majority being Chinese. The world has certainly come to Ireland in a big way. And, of course, with the movements of people come movements in religion.

Never before has there been a greater need for the multiplication of ministries within churches. Never before has there been a greater need for churches themselves to be thinking about how they can multiply. What we need is a wave of ministry multiplication and church planting happening in a systematic way – not just randomly or in response to a felt need. We need to meet the growing skepticism and materialism of the Irish people with the richness and generosity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to meet the new religions and the growing sub-cultures of ethnic communities with the kingly and yet compassionate message of Jesus as Lord.

Irish Church Missions is committed to doing exactly this.