Pray for Germany

Germany is the birthplace of Bach and Beethoven, the origin of the automobile, and home to more than 20,000 castles. It holds one of the world’s largest GDPs, leading the global transition to renewable energy as it drives wind and solar power expansion. This type of forward-thinking has enabled the nation to rise as Europe’s most industrialized country, the continent’s economic giant, and an influential member of the European Union and NATO. This success is built on export industries, fiscal discipline, and a highly skilled workforce. Though its 20th-century history bears the weight of the Holocaust, Germany has since emerged as a peaceful economic leader.

When Europe faced its largest refugee crisis between 2015 and 2016, Germany opened its borders to roughly one million asylum seekers, quickly becoming their primary European destination. Today, Germany has one of the largest immigrant populations in the world. Receiving hundreds of thousands from Afghanistan, Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq, Germany has seen an increase in anti-Muslim racism and discrimination. Thousands of politically motivated hate crimes are reported each year. Women in hijabs face harassment and minorities face barriers to finding jobs and housing. At the same time, high housing costs and unemployment have left over five million adults struggling with severe debt, compounding social tensions.

At least half of the nation identifies as Christian, but secularization is on the rise. About 20 percent of Christians attend church at least monthly, and only about 11 percent say religion is important in their lives. Due to the enormous influx of immigrants in the nation — more than 5 million — Germany has one of the largest Muslim populations in Europe. Growing grassroots prayer networks, house church movements, and evangelical outreach could provide vital spiritual engagement for both the secular majority and the expanding Muslim demographic in Germany.