There are moments in history when a cry rises that cannot be ignored.
In Acts 16, the Apostle Paul receives a vision in the night: a man from Macedonia stands and pleads, “Come over and help us.” It was not just a personal experience — it was a divine redirection. The gospel would move into Europe, reshaping the future of Christianity.
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But long before that cry, Scripture had already given us a warning. Judges 2:10 describes a sobering reality: “Another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done.” That is not just ancient history, it is a mirror.
Nation between memory and amnesia
Today, the United States finds itself living in the tension between these two passages — a Macedonian cry for help and a Judges warning of forgetting.
America is not devoid of churches.
It is not lacking religious language.
But increasingly, it is experiencing something deeper and more dangerous: spiritual amnesia. A generation is rising that has proximity to faith, but not formation in faith. They have heard of God, but they do not know Him. They have inherited structures, but not conviction.
The result?
A quiet but profound cry: “Come over and help us.”
The unexpected messenger
When God responded to Macedonia’s cry, He did not choose just anyone. He chose Paul — a man uniquely shaped by multiple worlds. Paul was born in Tarsus, rooted in Jewish identity, trained in Jerusalem, and yet fully immersed in the Greco-Roman world. He was fluent in languages, cultures and systems. He could move from synagogue to marketplace to courtroom with remarkable ease.
In today’s language, Paul was what we might call a Third Culture Kid (TCK) — someone formed between cultures, able to navigate complexity, and called to build bridges. This was not accidental. When the moment required crossing boundaries, God sent a bridge-builder.
People between worlds
Paul is not an exception — he is part of a pattern. Throughout Scripture, God consistently raises up individuals who live between cultures to fulfill His purposes:
- Joseph in Egypt
- Moses in Pharaoh’s house
- Daniel in Babylon
- Paul in the Roman Empire
These men understood what it meant to translate truth across cultures without compromising it. They carried identity without being confined by geography. And in moments of transition — God uses them.
Our Macedonian moment
Today, America is in such a moment. The signs are clear:
- Cultural fragmentation
- Generational disconnection
- A fading knowledge of Scripture
The warning of Judges 2:10 is no longer theoretical — it is unfolding in real time. Even the structure of the Church reflects this shift. Research from ChurchAnswers reveals a sobering reality: the majority of churches in America are small, and what we once considered a “large church” has dramatically changed. A congregation of 250 people is now considered very large.
Even more striking is the decline in median church size — from 137 weekly attendees in 2000 to just 65 in 2020. This is not merely about numbers. It is about reach, influence and discipleship capacity.
An aging church
Alongside this numerical shift is a leadership crisis. The average age of pastors continues to rise. Many churches are one retirement away from closure. And in too many places, there is no next generation ready to lead.
Judges 2:10 speaks directly into this reality: When leadership is not reproduced, faith is not transferred. The issue is not just attendance — it is continuity.
Who is discipling the next generation?
Who is carrying the story forward?
Not decline, transition
And yet, this is not a message of defeat. It is a call to clarity. The American Church is not dying — it is being refined.
It is being stripped of cultural comfort and brought back to its biblical foundation. We are witnessing a shift:
- From professionalized ministry to shared ministry
- From institutional dependence to spiritual formation
- From spectators to participants
In many ways, this is not a crisis — it is a return.
Equip the saints
The answer is not more programs. It is not better marketing. It is discipleship. Ephesians 4 reminds us that the role of leadership is “to equip the saints for the work of ministry.”
In a Judges 2:10 moment:
- The pastor cannot carry the mission alone.
- Every believer must be engaged.
- Faith must be intentionally and relationally passed on.
This requires identifying and equipping bridge-people — men and women, especially those shaped across cultures, who can disciple across generational and cultural lines.
A global response
This is where the vision of Reverse Mission becomes deeply personal. America is no longer just a sending nation — it is a mission field. And God, in His sovereignty, is already responding.
Believers from Latin America, Africa, and Asia are arriving — not as outsiders, but as co-laborers. They bring spiritual hunger, dependence on prayer and a missionary urgency that challenges and inspires. The Macedonian call is no longer going out from one place to another. It is echoing globally.
Shared responsibility
And this call does not stop at America. Europe, once the heart of the missionary movement, now stands alongside North America as a field in need of re-evangelization. There is something sacred about this moment. They brought the Gospel to us. Now, together, we bring the Gospel back.
This October 16–17, in Mantova, a powerful expression of this calling will take place. The Baptist Churches of New England, in partnership with Faculdade Batista Pioneira, will host a Reverse Mission Conference—gathering leaders committed to seeing Europe awakened once again. This is more than a conference. It is a response.
Will we answer?
When Paul received the vision, he did not delay. Scripture says, “we concluded that God had called us.” That is the question before us today. Will we recognize the moment? Will we hear the cry? Will we step across boundaries once again?
America is calling. Not always with words—but with emptiness, with searching, with a quiet longing for truth. And God is still calling His Church. May He raise up a generation of modern Pauls—bridge-builders, disciple-makers, Gospel carriers. And may it never be said of us that a generation arose who did not know the Lord.
The cry is clear: “Come over and help us.”
Lord, we are ready.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Lierte Soares and originally published by the Baptist Churches of New England.
