Young people coming to faith in Finland

An encouraging report from Finland tells of young people coming to faith in Christ and then reaching out to their peers in the streets and communities.

by Dr. Mike Story



Finland1I

THERE is an extraordinary movement of the Holy Ghost here in Finland. Something is happening which is unprecedented in its size and growth.

Young people are coming to faith in Christ and they are then seized by an immediate desire to go out into the streets and bring others into the fold. Amongst these youngsters there is no interest in 'church' or religion at all!

They want teaching and spiritual fathers and mothers. They know "only milk" yet go out and teach that to kids in the streets ... and they come to faith!

We have had to open our houses to them. However we were told to buy an old village school twenty years ago so (surprise-surprise) we have two classrooms where we can train groups of future leaders.

Kids are leaving the churches and seeking the Lord elsewhere because they can't find Him in the religion and rituals; and this applies as much to Pentecostal, Free churches, Lutheran, Orthodox, Anglican and Baptist as it does to all other expresssions of organised religion. They want what I would term 'inspired disorganisation' where man doesn't do the organising: we just listen and then respond as we are led!

One young man borrowed my copy of 'Out Of Church Christians' before I had a chance to read it myself ! He is co-ordinating these groups and acts as an enabler, bringing teaching from elders ( in the 'mature Christian' sense of that word ) to beginners. He is also arranging meetings and encouraging these young people to keep going ! What is happening could be taken straight out of the pages of the Book of Acts!


Ed footnote:
The book 'Out of Church Christians' was authored by Andrew Strom and is now available in published form from booksellers. However the original text (2005) can still be found on the internet.

The original article which led on to the book being written was first published in 2004 and, according to the author, elicited the biggest response to anything that he had ever written.


Dr. Mike Story, 08/01/2010