As contradictory as it may sound, Sweden is a very rich country, yet there are small remote churches that don’t have the money to buy evangelistic and Sunday school materials.

This is not altogether surprising, because while most Swedes are Lutheran (about 85% would claim to be linked to the church), active faith is found in a much smaller number than this; for instance, only about 5-7% of the nation attend church at least once a month, and it is reckoned that while most people own a Bible, few people will actually read it.

Sweden is therefore in many ways as typical western and secular nation with a Christian past. The Lutheran Church is no longer the state church and people tend to be members of the church in name only.

One of the great challenges for the church in Sweden is to reach young people who, as a result of the decline in church attendance, have had no meaningful exposure to the gospel.

Missionary outreach in the past from Sweden has been very strong, yet the number of missionaries has declined recently and a new vision is needed among young Christians.