It may surprise many people to hear that Ireland is the least evangelised country in the English-speaking world.

There are many Bible-believing Christians in Northern Ireland and in the UK who speak the same language and don’t need a visa to go to Ireland yet very few have engaged with the great spiritual need in Ireland. 

Ireland has a population of five million people and has been known as the land of “saints and scholars”. In the 5th century Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland. The Roman Catholic church has been the dominant religion with 90% of people identifying with it. 

Today Ireland is a secular country. Devotion to religion is waning and progressive secularism is rising. The influence of the Roman Catholic church is in sharp decline. Many people are deeply disillusioned with the Catholic Church because of the many cases of child abuse which have come to light in recent years. The decline in the influence of the Catholic church has opened the door for new progressive laws on abortion and same-sex marriage.

A great priority is to reach the one in five of people who are under 15 years of age.

Bible-believing Christians make up less than 1% of the population and there are more than 100 towns in Ireland with a population of 5,000 plus with no gospel witness. Most people know little about the Bible’s teaching or understand the way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. 

UFM works with Calvary Mission who are committed to planting healthy gospel churches across Ireland. We are also involved in the Cork-Kerry Project which is planting churches in Cork and the surrounding areas using the “strawberry runner” method. 

There are more then 100 towns in Ireland (with a population of over 5K) that have no gospel witness.

One great challenge is to reach people living in urban areas – 64% of the people live in urban communities including two million people living in the Greater Dublin area. A great priority is to reach the one in five of people who are under 15 years of age. Many have been brought up as Catholics but have left the church in disillusionment.

One source of growth for Bible-believing churches has been through immigration. It is estimated that more than 700,000 non-Irish nationals (14% of the population) now live in Ireland, many of them from countries in Europe. Some are Christians and have joined Bible-believing churches.

 

Please pray for …

  • God’s help in reaching out to disillusioned Roman Catholics.
  • church work with young people and students.
  • evangelism, discipleship, and ministry to the growing immigrant population.
  • encouragement for church planters facing many challenges in engaging people with the Gospel.
  • for a new leader for Calvary Mission, when Paudge Mulvihill retires.
  • a new pastor for the church in Westport. 
  • UFM mission partners in Ireland.

 

Ireland is …

  • about 5 million people.
  • 14% are non-Irish including Polish, British, Romanian, Indian and Brazilian.
  • there are 6 million sheep and 7.4 million cows.
  • the Irish are known for giving a warm welcome and they are very fond of a cup of tea.
  • 90% identify as Roman Catholic; 8% are non-religious; 1% are Muslim or Hindu; and less that 1% identify as biblical Christians.
  • the harp is the official symbol of Ireland, and the Shamrock is an unofficial symbol of Ireland, originating from an account of St Patrick using the leaf to explain the Trinity.
  • at 800-years-old, Hook Head Lighthouse in County Wexford, is the oldest operational lighthouse in the world.

 

Photos – top: K Mitch Hodge/unsplash.com. 2. the Good News Christian bookshop in Westport/UFM.

Words: Peter Milsom, 4Corners Editor