Taking the Gospel Back to Post-Christian Europe

By Jeff Vines

What if the next great move of God isn’t coming from Europe but is going back to it? At ONE&ALL Church in Southern California, we’re preparing to send hundreds of young adults to replant the gospel in the very lands that once sent it to us. 

Reaching Gen Z with the Gospel 

A few months ago, I joined a group of pastors from Australia and New Zealand. Together, we were wrestling with one pressing question: How can we effectively reach Gen Z with the message of Jesus? During one of our sessions, a young pastor described today’s generation as “post-secular.” That word caught me off guard. 

I asked, “What do you mean by post-secular?” 

He explained that secularism has failed the younger generation. Gen Z and Gen Alpha are discovering that materialism, relativism, and radical individualism can’t meet the deepest needs of the human heart. They are not running toward religion in the traditional sense, but they are asking questions that secularism cannot answer. They are spiritually open, curious, and increasingly aware that there must be more to life than what they can see and touch.  

As he spoke, something clicked in my spirit. I’ve felt the same thing rising here in Southern California, especially among the young adults at ONE&ALL Church. 

Revival Among Young Adults 

On Tuesday nights, a thousand young adults gather in our worship center for a three-hour service. They are not there for entertainment. They show up on their own, week after week, because they are hungry for truth, for community, and for the presence of God. 

I have never seen anything like it in my life. The room is electric. They worship with their whole hearts. They pray for one another. They open their Bibles and lean into every word of the message. They kneel by their chairs. They fall on their faces. They come expecting a move of the Spirit. And they are not just interested in personal growth. They want to change the world. 

As I watched this movement unfold, I knew I needed to step away and listen to what God was saying. I took a trip to the mountains and spent a few days in solitude and prayer. I didn’t see visions or hear an audible voice. There was no burning bush calling me out of the wilderness, but I did receive clarity. I began to see the threads God had been weaving in our church over the last decade, and I started to understand the bigger picture he was creating. 

First, ONE&ALL is an externally focused church. Even though we outgrew our main campus over 15 years ago, we made a deliberate choice not to build a massive new building. We refused to take on the kind of debt that would limit our ability to invest in local and global missions. Instead, we expanded outward, planting multiple campuses across our region so we could multiply our impact in our cities and around the world. 

Second, ONE&ALL is a global church. In January 2012, Clive Raharuhi showed up at my door in Los Angeles after a 13-hour flight from Brisbane. I knew Clive from my missionary days in New Zealand, but I had no idea why he was here. He told me, “God sent me to help you take the gospel to the world.” 

Clive is an entrepreneur and a man of incredible faith. He had made his fortune and was ready to spend the rest of his life making sure everyone, even in the most remote places, could hear about Jesus. That conversation launched something far bigger than either of us could have imagined. 

As a result of Clive’s efforts, our radio program, Today with Jeff Vines, is broadcast throughout Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and much of the South Pacific. Thanks to partnerships with Premier Christian Radio and United Christian Broadcasting in the UK, our daily program now reaches across Europe. Our presence on Pray.com, one of the largest Christian apps in the world, gives us access to nearly 20 million users. 

The ONE&ALL name has become familiar to believers and seekers in regions I never imagined. But with that recognition comes a responsibility. And as I prayed, I began to feel that responsibility pressed into my soul. 

Third, while ONE&ALL continues to invest millions of dollars into places like Nairobi, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, we’ve become increasingly aware of the critical role Europe plays in the global story. Europe holds nearly a quarter of the world’s wealth. Her languages, political systems, legal structures, and economic frameworks shape much of the modern world. Her influence stretches far beyond her borders and is seen in everything from education to the arts, from fashion to food. Arguably, no region has had greater global impact. Get the gospel back into Europe and you position the gospel to influence the world. 

And underneath the surface, something is stirring. 

Spiritual Hunger in Europe 

I’ve spent parts of the last 15 summers traveling through Europe, engaging young minds, inviting honest dialogue about religion and, more specifically, Jesus. What I’ve seen has only confirmed what I heard in that cohort months ago. There is a deep hunger for transcendence. Young adults across Europe are not looking for religion as much as they are longing for authenticity, purpose, meaning, spirituality, and connection. 

They want truth. They hunger for community, belonging, and yes, even God. And they are discovering that Jesus and his people offer these things on a level nothing else can. 

That realization gave birth to a bold new vision. What if this revival we’re seeing among our young adults in California is meant to fuel a gospel movement back in Europe? 

We believe God is calling us to return the gospel to the very lands that once sent missionaries to us. European young adults love conversing with their peers. Therefore, we are equipping hundreds of young adults in our church to plant organic churches throughout post-secular Europe. 

Discipling and Sending Church Planters 

To do that, we knew we needed to invest in discipleship. In 2024, I began developing a new discipleship course that clearly defines what it means to follow Jesus. We stopped assuming that our young people understood the basics. We started from the ground up, focusing on the exclusivity of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, the importance of prayer, and the call to holiness and mission. We launched a discipleship movement in our church, challenging every believer to renew their commitment to understanding what it truly means to follow Jesus. Drilling down into the depths of doctrine and practice ensures the gospel we are taking to Europe is authentic. 

As we discipled these young men and women, something else became clear. Many of them were natural leaders. They were hungry not just to grow, but to lead others. So we developed a leadership course designed to help them understand their spiritual gifts, recognize their calling, and grow in self-awareness. 

And now we’re preparing to send them. 

Because of our global media presence, we are identifying strategic places in Europe where we already have relationships or where there is already openness. During my apologetic days with RZIM, I built connections with pastors and church leaders throughout Europe who are in desperate need of workers. Jo and Vince Vitale, Oxford grads well-connected with many of these pastors, have become key partners in our endeavor. 

We’re also working with generous Christian business leaders like Mark Hall, CEO of NorthBound in Raleigh, North Carolina. Mark has gathered a group of men and women who have the spiritual gift of giving and the passion to see Europe reached again for Christ. This is the final piece to the puzzle. Thanks to their generosity, our young adults will not be sent out to raise funds on their own. Instead, we will train, equip, and fully support them as they plant organic communities of faith across Europe. 

We want to launch churches that are nimble, relational, and gospel centered. These are not traditional brick-and-mortar churches. They are communities of disciples who are committed to prayer, Scripture, fellowship, and mission. We believe these groups will multiply just like the early church did and carry the gospel into universities, neighborhoods, and cultural centers throughout Europe. 

I once heard Dr. Charles Stanley say, “Along with the calling of God comes the wisdom, power, and provision of God to equip you to achieve the goal.” That has been our experience. The right people, the right resources, and the right opportunities are coming together at the right time. 

I’m 60 years old now, but I feel like I’m at the start of something new. I’ve waited my whole life for this kind of clarity, this kind of momentum, and this kind of passion among young people. 

We don’t want to waste this moment. 

We are praying for multiplication. We want to launch as many groups of disciples as possible. If we can take Europe for Jesus, we can reach the world. 

The gospel came to us from Europe. Now, it’s our turn to return the gift. 

Jeff Vines is Senior Pastor of ONE&ALL Church, San Dimas, California.