Why Portugal Needs the Gospel
- The percentage of Evangelicals in the country of 10.7 million people is 3%.
- There are few Evangelical churches in the seven north and northeastern provinces, which are still strongly Catholic, and in the four southern provinces, which are poorer and more irreligioius.
- 44 out of 316 counties still have no Evangelical congregation.
Like its neighbour Spain, freedom of religion is guaranteed in Portugal, but the Roman Catholic Church retains privileges from the government. In the centre and south of the country, religion is becoming irrelevant in the face of increasing secularisation.
Although a remarkable 94.4% of the population identify as Christian, this does not
often indicate genuine religious commitment. The Evangelical movement in Portugal is faced by serious divisions, and while church planting is moving forward, many more
churches are needed, and there is a great need for full-time workers in congregations.
Most statistics taken from Operation World 7th Edition (2010).