Since our recent announcement of God’s directive for us to go to England as missionaries, we’ve received various reactions from our friends, family and acquaintances. There’s been surprise, excitement, sadness and so on. But another common response has been, “England? Why England?!” Honestly, when we first began to feel the burden of the Lord for England, our reaction was very similar. We all know that 3rd world countries and countries/people groups oppressed by radical governments or false religions need the hope of the Gospel, but… England? They are a modern society. In fact, our very foundations as a Christian nation stem from the faith of our forefathers brought with them from England! Yet today, many churches there sit empty. Not that a full church means everything is honky-dory (spiritually speaking), but it does serve as one indicator as to whether or not a society as a whole is looking toward the things of God.

Statistics show that Christianity there is in swift decline. The upcoming generation is in particular danger of dismissing belief in Jesus Christ as nothing more than a nice tradition for the elderly and sentimental. A general attitude of indifference is arising, with Jesus Christ being a nice “option” – just one of many ways to find hope and purpose or secure one’s salvation. Additionally, other indicators of a society that is turning from the morals of Christian beliefs are on the rise. Here are a few statistics*:

• Only 15% of the population in the UK goes to church at least once a month. The UK has the 4th lowest rate of church attendance in Europe.
• In the last 20 years, 49% of men under 30 have left the church. It is forecasted that at the current rate of loss, by 2028 men will all but have disappeared from the church in the UK. Studies in the U.S. have shown that 93% of families will follow a father to become a Christian while only 17% will follow a mother. If this pattern holds true globally, it is absolutely critical to reach the young men of the UK for Jesus.
• Sex before the age of 16 is at 38.1%, that’s over 1 in 3
• Underage binge drinking is at 30.8%, again just at 1 in 3
• 1 in 3.5 teens have been drunk at least 10 times in the past 12 months
• STD’s are up 63% in 10 years
• HIV cases are up 197% since 1993
• Marriage is down from 83% in 1986 to 49% in 2010

             *Source: www.whychurch.org.uk

Now just to be clear, we are not suggesting that this data is unique; that all is well here in the U.S. and, since we’ve got it all figured out, we can now move on somewhere else. In fact, the opposite is true… the enemy is working overtime to chip away at the spiritual health and moral foundation of this great country in much the same way. Nonetheless, God has told us to go, and therefore, we must.

God’s heart aches for the “lost sheep” of England and the UK, as it does for every unbeliever and prodigal across the globe. When you consider the great revivals of old, the many Generals of the faith that came from that very place, it is amazing to realize that so many have become almost completely indifferent to the things of God. Of course, there is a remnant… the heartbeat of God is still beating strong within the hearts of His children there. We’ve met some of them, and we believe that God has now called us to go and labor alongside them. There is a great spiritual battle that is taking place in England and, for whatever reason, God has chosen us to be on the front lines. So, in obedience, we are going to serve, evangelize and teach. We are going in full and complete dependence on God. And, we believe that a great awakening will soon occur and that, once again, England will turn its collective heart towards the Lord and the fire of revival will spark then spread across the UK. So be it, Father God!

If you’d like information about the specifics of what we’ll be doing there, you may read about it on the Our Mission page or send an email to email@ukforjesus.com. Additionally, if you’d like to become a part of our prayer or financial support group, you can find details on the Prayer Needs and Donate pages of this site. We are so very, VERY grateful for those of you who commit to partner with us through prayer and/or financial support. This mission is possible because of YOU.

Blessings and more to come!
- Connie, Trevor & Brooklyn