SPANISH POPULATION: The Spanish population continues to increase. Last year there were over 42,000,000 inhabitants living in Spain. The European Union attributes the increase in population mainly to the influx of immigrants. Of the 647,000 new inhabitants in Spain, the majority (594,300) are immigrants. Spain receives more immigrants per year than any other country in the European Union.

CATHOLIC CHURCH: The Roman Catholic Church in Spain is facing a crisis, in that it is losing both clergy and members at an alarming rate. The morals and values that the Church professes and teaches are not what the majority of the Spanish society embrace and accept. In a survey done, 92.9% said that they would be willing to sacrifice everything for family, but only 20.3% said they would be willing to do so for God or their religious beliefs. Although 81% of Spaniards profess that they belong to the Roman Catholic Church, two-thirds never practice or rarely practice their faith. Many people consider themselves "religious" although they don't attend church. Spain is considered more and more a moral relativistic society.

EVANGELICALS IN SPAIN: According to the Spanish Pocket Testament League, there are 90,000 Spanish members of evangelical churches in Spain.  This does not include those Spaniards who attend who are not members, nor does it include immigrants and foreign residents in Spain.  In Spain, there are 8,022 cities and towns, but only 572 have an evangelical witness.  That leaves 7,450 with no evangelical witness.

DRUG USE: In the last decade, drug use among young people has quadrupled, according to inquiries done both in the school system and at home. Cocaine is used by 10.6 percent of 18-year olds at least once a month, and 18.2 percent have admitted using it at least once in the past twelve months. It is also regularly used by two percent of 15-year olds, three percent of 16-year olds, and 6.8 percent of 17-year olds. In 1994, only 1.7 percent of young people between the ages of 14 and 18 admitted using cocaine during the last year. In 2004, that number increased to 6.8 percent. The use of marijuana is even more prevalent, with around 783,000 saying that they have tried it and 466,000 using it at least once a month.
 
EUROPEAN AND POLITICS: Europeans have become very pessimistic toward their political institutions and toward the future in general.  Only 15% of those surveyed have confidence in their political parties and only 31% have confidence in their leaders. Young people are not interested in the problems of society and are skeptical toward society in general.  They have lost respect in their parents, their teachers, and their leaders.  They have no interest in religion nor in politics.  They have placed diversion above their studies, problems, etc.  They are becoming more and more materialistic.  Their own selfish desires are placed above morals, values, and commitment.
 
FAMILY TRENDS: The social structure of Spain is changing.  In 1981, only five percent of couples were married outside the church.  In 2000, that number increased to 25%.  If the current trend continues, in six years there will be more divorces per year than marriages.  Half of all marriages end in less than ten years and six out of ten don't last 15 years. One out of every five children are born outside of wedlock.  Every year, around 70,000 abortions are performed.  This is a 37% increase since 1996. On average, Spaniards are now waiting longer than any other Europeans to have their first child, around 31 years of age.

According to a study done by the Family Political Institute in Spain, every four minutes a marriage is dissolved (divorce or separation). More couples decide to separate (63%) instead of divorce. The FPI says that the law of "express divorce" that the government is trying to pass will further increase the problem.

IMMIGRATION:  In the last ten years, Spain has seen an increasing amount of immigrants flooding her borders.  They are coming from Northern Africa, Eastern Europe, and South America. This has given missionaries and the Evangelical Church an opportunity to reach people from around the world with the Gospel.  Immigrants comprise a large percentage of the FWB churches here in Spain.

According to the latest statistics, there are more than 1.8 million legal foreigners living in Spain. This is an increase of 12.5 percent since 2003. The growth has slowed some in comparison to other years. Immigrants from Morocco head the list, followed by Ecuador and Colombia. These figures do not include the number of illegal immigrants living in Spain.
 
NATIONAL MINISTRY CENTER: The Spanish missionaries for some time have had a burden and a vision to begin a multi-purpose ministry center in Spain, feeling that this would be an effective ministry in evangelizing unbelivers and edifying believers. At the 2001 National Convention in Detroit, Michigan, the Board of International Missions voted to approve a 1.6 million dollar project to build this facility in Spain. The Spanish Field Council is now in the process of raising the funds to purchase property and begin building. If you would like more information, or would be interested in making a donation to this fund, please let us know.
 
ETHNIC MINISTRY: With the largest Muslim Mosque in Europe right here in Madrid (or, the world outside of Mecca), and with 450,000 (and growing) Muslims in the country, we are actively seeking a team of missionaries to head up this ministry. We are excited to report that there are several people who have recently expressed an interest in being members of this team.

For more information on this page, you may contact us here.