Something is happening

Denmark may not be a Christian nation—yet. But a recently released study from the Danish Bible Society shows clear signs that something new is happening among Danish young people.

The study, “God and the Danes, Faith Analysis 2026,” reveals that nearly two out of three Danish young people between the ages of 16 and 30 are searching for meaning in life. Forty-one percent are interested in learning more about the Bible, compared to twenty-two percent of the population overall. And twenty-six percent have attended a worship service (either in person or online) in the past month, compared to less than ten percent of the overall population.

photo: Youth for Christ

According to a press release from the Bible Society, “the new analysis paints a picture of a generation where questions about faith, church, and the Bible mean even more than many may imagine.

“The study comes at a time when Christianity, faith, and spirituality have become visible topics in the public conversation,” the release continues. “Politicians, cultural and sports figures, and ordinary Danes talk openly about faith. On social media, Christian voices are gathering new communities.”

Where does it all lead?

“We don’t know which way the development is going,” said Johannes Baun, general secretary of the Bible Society, “but we’re very happy to have real figures in an area that is taking up more and more space in the conversation.”

So a greater percentage of Danish young people apparently now believe in God, compared to the overall population. But are they more open to considering Jesus? Now is the time to pray.

PRAY for Danish young people, that many would now move from curiosity to faith in Jesus Christ.

PRAY for Danish churches, that they would mobilize as never before to reach young people.

PRAY that the Holy Spirit would move in Denmark, bringing revival and salvation to the land.

 

For the Lord... and music

Pray for this year’s Å-Festival, Denmark’s largest Christian music and praise gathering, planned for May 22 through 25. Organizers expect more then 3,000 young people for three days of concerts and praise gatherings, seminars and special speakers, prayer times, and even a volleyball tournament.

Most festival attendees will stay in camping trailers spread out on a large field near Sønder (South) Felding, a rural village in central Jylland. Large tents are set up for the main gatherings. 

Rend Collective, a popular praise band from Northern Ireland, is billed as one of the music headliners.

“Å-festival is a completely different way to meet with other Christians, compared to Bible camp,” said Kåre Dyer Pedersen. “Here we’re coming together around music and around Jesus, and around the fact that our love of music can also be reflected in our faith in Christ. Here, there’s room to just be, and we’ll put together the coolest music program for you.”

The annual festival started in 1991 as a way to engage with teens, especially those newly confirmed in the church. It’s obviously grown since then!

PRAY for many believers (and perhaps also seekers!) to attend this year’s festival.

PRAY for the speakers and performers, that they would know God’s heart for Danish young people.

PRAY that young lives would be changed and faith deepened in genuine, lasting ways.

Looking for a quiet revival

In England and Wales, they’re calling an unprecedented rise in church attendance “The Quiet Revival.” (https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/research/quiet-revival) Attendance among 18- to 24-year-olds has quadrupled since 2018, and overall attendance among all age groups is up 50 percent. Norway, Sweden, and Finland are seeing similar movements.

But what about Denmark?

After a nationwide survey, the Danish TV2 reported that “there is a growing interest among young people in the Christian faith. This applies to your people who come to church events or approach pastors for a personal conversation or with questions about the Bible. But most of all, pastors are saying that more young people are showing up for traditional Sunday services.”

For their report, TV2 spoke with a “long line” of young people with no Christian background, who have in recent years become believers. 

Nicolai Røge, a pastor in Odense, is seeing a clear trend. In the TV2 report he said that many more young people are showing up every Sunday. People like 19-year-old Romeo Troelsgaard.

Only a couple years ago, Romeo would have called himself an atheist. “I saw religion as nonsense,” he said, “a good story, a fairy tale or a fable that some crazy people still believed for some reason.”

But then he visited his local church as part of a research project for school. He came away changed. Today he’s reading the scriptures, listening to online preaching, and going to Sunday services. A reporter asked Romeo if he was afraid of missing anything from his old life.

“No,” he replied. “Because what you miss out on worldly things, you get back through the meaning it gives to be in church, or watching videos about the Bible. It’s so much more rewarding.”

PRAY for revival among young college-age students in Denmark.

PRAY that Danish pastors would seize this opportunity to reach out to more young people.

PRAY for Romeo Troelsgaard and others like him, that God would open their eyes and draw them to himself.

Photo: Ansgars Kirke Odense