Sweden Is Open for the Gospel

I had just finished packing after spending a week with Tonya Dove in Stockholm, Sweden, when she came into the room and apologized.  

“I don’t think you actually got to see any of Stockholm this week!” she said. 

She blamed herself for this oversight, but I assured her there was no reason to apologize. It was an incredible trip. I may not have seen the sights, but I saw what God is doing in Stockholm. I saw exactly what I needed to see. 

God is active in Sweden, the country of our EFCA roots. And Tonya, ReachGlobal’s Stockholm City Team leader, is actively building relationships across the city with the hope of one day seeing an entire City Team at work with local partners for the sake of the gospel. Even as she waits year after year for her visa to process, Tonya is pursuing this call.  

To spend a week with Tonya is to quickly learn two things about her: 1) she works hard, and 2) she engages people with a humility cultivated by daily laying her life down at the feet of Jesus. 

Tonya’s practiced humility made an impact on me during my time in Sweden. Throughout the week, she told me about the different ideas, ideals and cultural impulses that came with her to Stockholm, the way they do for any of us when we cross borders. Without thinking or trying, these impulses work their way into the fabric of who we are, and build themselves into our belief system. Yet, as Tonya experiences this tension in a different culture with a different set of values, she hasn’t run from it. Instead, she’s taken a hard look at herself and set her own impulses before Jesus for Him to search out, change and sometimes even remove.   

The list of cultural differences includes things big and small, sacred and mundane, yet all of it matters. Tonya has moved into their town, into their neighborhood, and these differences represent their identity and way of life. It matters to the people, so it matters to the ministry, and to Tonya. And just as Tonya’s practiced humility has impacted me, it’s also impacted the people she has met in Stockholm. In a short amount of time, through unusual circumstances, Tonya has found favor with believers and churches across the city. She has been welcomed into these spaces, getting a front-row view of God’s work in Stockholm. 

While in Stockholm, I had the privilege of meeting one of these partners, a pastor named Christer. His enthusiasm was contagious. Within minutes of meeting him, he told me that Sweden is open for the gospel! In a place some have dubbed the most post-Christian country in the world, Christer isn’t bemoaning the lack of faith. He’s celebrating the fact that in Sweden, Christianity seems so non-threatening, that the people aren’t fighting against it. They are listening, and they are coming to faith.   

Two nights after I met Pastor Christer, Tonya and I attended his church’s summer hang (which, of course, Tonya diligently helps to run!), where the church grills out on the front stoop and invites passers-by to join. Sure enough, while we were there, a father and his young daughter—immigrants who’d arrived in Sweden just a couple years prior—stopped by and decided to stay for dinner. They also happened to sit at the table with Christer and Tonya, and within minutes, Christer asked this father what he knew about Jesus. That was the start of a conversation that ended with the man putting his faith in Christ. It took just two days for God to prove Christer’s point. Sweden is open for the gospel. 

Tonya is a witness and support of this important ministry in Stockholm. As a part of ReachGlobal, she is our witness, our means of support, our extended reach back to this particular corner of the globe.  

During my short week in Stockholm, I heard stories of faith. I witnessed men and women across churches and denominations collaborating for the sake of the gospel. I even got to participate in some of the ministry. I was the grateful recipient of these brothers’ and sisters’ trust, undeserved but for my church’s partnership with Tonya. I can’t help but think that week I saw exactly what I needed to see. 

God’s love is for the whole world. What corner of the globe might God be calling you toward? Maybe through prayer or financial generosity? Or maybe God is calling you to go, partner and bear witness to the gospel work that He is carrying out. If you’re interested, you can check out where ReachGlobal is engaged and ways you can serve. Perhaps you’ll find that Sweden isn’t the only country that is open for the gospel.