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GEOGRAPHY

Area 30,518 sq.km. One of the Low Countries, often called The Crossroads of Europe.

Europe's second most densely populated country – after the Netherlands.

Capital Brussels 2,450,000; capital of the EU and HQ of NATO. Other major city: Antwerp 1.2 mill. Urbanites 97%.

PEOPLES

Indigenous 90%.

Flemish 54.7%. Language related to Dutch; mainly in north and west.

Walloon 32.3%. French-speaking; mainly in south and east.

German 0.7%. In districts adjoining Germany.

Jews 0.32%. Mainly in Antwerp.

Foreign 10%.

EU Citizens 5%. Italian 280,000; French 110,000; Spanish 70,000; Dutch 70,000.

Other 5%. Arabic-speaking (mainly North African) 200,000; Turkish 70,000; Kurdish 25,000; Chinese 20,000; Congolese 15,000.

Literacy 99%. Official languages Flemish, French and German. All indigenous languages 4. Languages with Scriptures 3Bi.

ECONOMY

Wealthy service and export-oriented economy, but unemployment relatively high at 9.6%. HDI 0.923; 5^th/174. Public debt 97% of GNP. Income/person £26,730 (85% of USA).

POLITICS

Became a nation in 1830 as a constitutional monarchy. Fully federal constitution since 1993 to reduce tensions between the Walloons and Flemings and stave off possible national fragmentation. Political parties have been widely discredited because of scandals in the 1990s, giving a boost to extreme right-wing parties.

RELIGION

There is full freedom of religion, but official recognition given to selected main religions. Many smaller religious groupings, including most evangelical denominations, were listed as 'sects' in a 1997 government investigation and thus put under a shadow of suspicion. Efforts to rectify this are likely to be successful.

Missionaries from Belgium
P,I,A 83 in 20 agencies: Belgium 28, Papua New Guinea 4, Angola 3.

Missionaries to Belgium
P,I,A 473 in 53 agencies: USA 184, UK 63, Netherlands 45, Canada 40, Germany 30, South Africa 28.

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Answers to Prayer

1 The slow, but steady growth of the small evangelical witness – especially among Pentecostal denominations.

2 Flemish areas have long had far fewer Evangelicals than the French-speaking south, but in the last 10 years have had the greater growth. Much has been through the varied and effective ministries of BEM and the outreach of Pentecostals.

3 A growing mutual respect between historical Protestants and evangelical networks. A nation-wide Protestant-evangelical body (ARPEE/CACPE) is being formed that will represent both Protestants and Evangelicals to the government.

Challenges for Prayer

1 Belgium is a deeply divided nation. Its territory has straddled the cultural divide between the Latin/Romance and Germanic worlds for 2,000 years. It has also long been oppressed and fought over by surrounding nations. Though one in Catholic culture, the Walloon-Flemish rivalry and resentments colour the use of language, the economy, politics, religious life and worldviews of both communities. Pray that national leaders at every level may successfully work for the unity of the nation. The break-up of the nation could occur without this.

2 The Protestant Church is only now recovering from the destruction of its 600 congregations by the Spanish Inquisition in the 16^th Century. Pray that the light of the gospel may shine clearly once more, overcoming fears and prejudices, and attract many.

3 The population is culturally Catholic but rapidly secularizing. Although 90% would be classified as Catholic, 71% have been baptized and Mass attendance has plummeted to 11% of the population. In 1998 a survey revealed 37% of Belgians were unchurched and only 57% claimed to be Catholic. The Church faces four major crises – declining commitment, waning influence, lack of students in seminaries and mass defections. The number of priests has nearly halved since 1960, and their average age is 64. The charismatic movement brought some new life, but has had little lasting influence.

4 The nation was shocked in the 1990s by the exposure of murderous paedophile rings, some with Satanist practices, that reached into the top levels of society. Christian churches were even affected. These have led to a deep distrust of political and religious leaders. There is a rapid rise in neo-paganism and the occult. Pray that these works of darkness might be bound, exposed and routed out and that many may be set free in Jesus.

5 Protestantism has hardly grown over the past 30 years. The growth of evangelical, and especially Pentecostal, groups and the evangelical wing of the largely liberal United Protestant Church (EPUB) has offset the dramatic decline of the latter's numbers. Major issues that need prayerful resolution:

a) The division between the EPUB and evangelical networks was heightened by the former's efforts to claim to speak at government level for all Protestants.

b) The strengthening of fellowship and ministry links between denominations. The Evangelische Alliantie was formed in Flanders in 1980, the Fédération des Evangéliques in Wallonia in 1989 and a nation-wide body in 1994. Pray also for an effective Protestant-Evangelical body to be formed. The lack of unity does not help in gaining national credibility and a better response.

6 The lack of Belgian, and especially Flemish, Christian workers and pastors is crippling indigeneity and growth. Only 40% of Flemish-speaking congregations have an indigenous pastor. Pray for this to change and for many Belgians to be called into ministry. Pray also for these significant Bible training institutions: Heverlee (Seminary up to doctoral level); Institut Biblique Belge for French-speakers in Charleroi and the AoG Continental Theological Seminary (French and English). There are several small part-time Flemish Bible Schools. The AoG run their effective ICI TEE ministry from Brussels, serving the Church all over Europe and beyond.

7 Vision for growth. The nation-wide DAWN surveys in Wallonia (1996) and in Flanders (1998) clearly revealed the need for church planting:

a) Of Flanders' 308 administrative districts, 116 had no evangelical witness.

b) Of Wallonia's 281 administrative districts, 168 had no evangelical witness in 1996. Pray for the mobilization of the Church for the unfinished task.

8 Goals for achievement by the year 2015 that need prayer:

a) Increase Francophone churches (Project Gabriel) from 415 to 1,417.

b) Increase Flemish churches from 253 to 590. Church planting in Belgium is a long and slow process – there is freedom, but it is hard to gain a hearing.

c) In 2000, the Flemish Pentecostal churches (VVP) launched the vision of planting 120 churches by 2015.

d) BEM's ongoing vision for distributing gospel packets with a personal explanation to everyone in Belgium. By 1999 over 45% had been reached. The successful Project East Flanders in 1996, Liège 1998 and West Flanders in 1999 will be repeated in other provinces. OM Love Europe teams and an increasing number of local churches assist in this. BEM plans to plant 50 churches by 2015.

9 Specific outreach challenges:

a) Belgium, as a nation, is spiritually one of the neediest countries in Europe.

b) The provinces with the greatest need – Flemish Brabant and East Flanders, also the Francophone Liège, Namur and Luxembourg.

c) Brussels is a strategic city. It is 29% foreign and over 8% Muslim. Brussels is 5.9% evangelical and a further 3% historic Protestant. Many of the larger churches are of ethnic minorities – especially Congolese. The spiritual needs of the diplomatic, business and Eurocrat communities are many. There are now growing prayer networks among and for them. The Full Gospel Businessmen's Association has had a significant impact.

d) Antwerp has only 40 or so evangelical congregations – a large proportion being for non-Flemish. The majority of the Jewish community of Belgium lives in the city – one missionary couple ministers among them. No church exists for the 20,000 Moroccans.

e) North Africans (predominantly Moroccan) have increased through legal and illegal immigration – the majority living in poorer urban areas. They are almost entirely Muslim but there are now two Arabic-speaking congregations. AWM and BEM have two couples ministering to them, but many more workers are needed. 'Good news by telephone' has proved a fruitful method of witness, and a 'Good news by radio' ministry is planned.

f) Turks and Kurds have proved hard to reach with the gospel. There is one small fellowship of believers.

g) The German-speaking cantons on the eastern border were neglected by Evangelicals until recently – there are now 2 BEM churches.

h) The student population of 135,000 in 17 universities and colleges is a major challenge. IFES has a ministry in 8 Flemish universities (Ichthus with 120 students involved) and in 5 French universities (GBU), but the total membership in each of the two branches is 50. Pray for the evangelistic ministry of OM in cooperation with these groups and in a teaching ministry in the IFES groups; there is one staff couple.

10 Christian media ministries – pray for their effective use:

a) Christian literature is produced by SU, Biblical Literature Fellowship (BLF, 18 workers), OM and the AoG. BLF has a large printing press and has published over 500 titles.

b) Christian bookstores number 17 ((10 in French, 7 in Dutch) in Belgium – BEM with 7.

c) Christian radio and TV. A total of 1 hour of television and 5.5 hours of radio are produced by ERTS on Flemish TV and radio channels.

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