Yousef was waiting for the next train in this Copenhagen suburb on a crisp, sunny day when a group of Americans — Texans, specifically—stepped onto the platform to wait alongside him.
The 17-year-old is a native Dane, though his parents are Pakistani. He’s a Muslim, but mostly in name only. He doesn’t practice the Salah — a central pillar of Islam requiring prayer five times per day — and he doesn’t go to the mosque often.
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Michael Criner, lead pastor of First Baptist Church Rockwall, was among the Texans on the platform that day. Criner, along with a handful of other pastors and church leaders, was in country as part of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Reach Europe vision tour in early May.
The purpose of the trip was to introduce SBTC pastors and church leaders to missions opportunities across the continent with the hope of facilitating long-term ministry partnerships. The SBTC, working with the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board, is targeting seven European cities, including Copenhagen.
Criner struck up a conversation with Yousef, asking about his background and his life in Denmark. He also asked the teenager what he thinks about Jesus.
“Here in Denmark, as a Muslim, I just don’t think about Jesus,” Yousef said.
Even so, Yousef admitted he is curious about Christianity and has watched online videos of Muslims debating Christians. He is also interested in the Trinity and had questions about that. Before their interaction ended, Criner — the first Christian Yousef said he’d ever met — shared the gospel with the teenager.
“Three times, actually,” Criner said later, recounting the conversation.
Ultimately, Yousef did not make a decision to follow Jesus. But …
“You gave me something to think about,” he told Criner. And with that, the two parted ways.
Yousef is among a countless number of Danes who claim a religious identity that exists apart from a practicing faith. For example, the country has a rich Christian history, and yet more than 95% — and likely more — of the country’s 6 million residents do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. About 75% of Danes belong to the state-affiliated Church of Denmark, which performs infant baptisms. Sixty-eight percent of those people, however, say they are atheists. Less than one in 40 attend church.
SBTC churches that partner in Copenhagen will work with IMB personnel in an urban context to serve established Danish churches in revitalization efforts while working alongside missionaries and local believers to engage people with the gospel.
‘Anchored’
During a debrief with other pastors and leaders near the end of the trip, Criner noted that Copenhagen is a beautiful city and one that might be a smooth entry point for churches because most residents there speak English. He also said SBTC churches that choose to partner in Denmark will find opportunities to encourage the IMB missionaries serving there: Christian Roth, pastor of New Song Church, his wife, Stephanie, and their four children.
The Roths are the IMB’s only missionary unit on the field in Denmark and Sweden, where Christian was born.
“They are anchored. They are called to Denmark,” Criner said. “They are called to [this region]. They are not going anywhere. If you love pouring into pastors and you’re looking to help plant a church in Denmark and Sweden, this is your team.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Jayson Larson and originally published by the Southern Baptist Texan.
