by Johann Vanderbijl, SAMS Missionary, pastor and author serving in the Netherlands

What causes people who have once known the power and presence of the living God to stop following Him?

Moses warned Israel that it begins with complacency. When God’s people forget to honor Him as Father and Creator, they slowly relegate Him to the sidelines of life. That is not only Israel’s story—it is Europe’s story. Once the cradle of the Reformation, Europe is now a mission field. And the Netherlands, where my wife Louise and I serve, is a vivid example of what happens when nations that once knew God slowly forget Him.

The Spiritual Reality in the Netherlands

A few snapshots paint the picture clearly:

• Islam is growing: In 2015, about 4.9% of the Dutch population were Muslims. By 2023, that number had risen to 6%.
• Evangelicals are few: Only about 4% of the Dutch population identify as Evangelical believers, most of them clustered in the “Bible Belt,” far from the province where we work.
• Religion is declining: In 2010, 55% of the Dutch population considered themselves religious. By 2023, that number had dropped to 42%.
• Young people are drifting: Two-thirds of 18–25-year-olds now identify as non-religious. In our church, teenagers often tell us they are the only Christians in their schools—and confessing Jesus is viewed as ‘social suicide’.
• Even among Christians, faith is shallow: Fewer than half of Protestants attend church monthly, and three-quarters of Roman Catholics rarely or never go.

In short: the Netherlands is religiously plural, spiritually restless, and largely post-Christian.

Why North Holland?

Nowhere is this more evident than in North Holland, where we live and serve. This province has a rich spiritual history. Haarlem was home to Corrie Ten Boom. Alkmaar was the region of Brother Andrew. Missionaries like Willibrord and Boniface once brought the gospel to the Frisians here. Today, however, North Holland is one of the least churched provinces in the Netherlands. Many historic church buildings are no longer places of worship—they’ve become apartments, museums, cafés, or even breweries. They stand as silent symbols of a faith remembered but not lived. On a typical Sunday in our region, a church service might draw only a handful of elderly members. The younger generation—our neighbors, our children’s friends—are growing up without ever hearing the gospel in a meaningful way.

Why This Matters

So why Europe? Why North Holland? Because if the gospel is truly good news for all people, then it is also good news for Europeans—people who once carried the gospel across the globe, but who are now in desperate need of hearing it again.

The spiritual hunger is real:

• Loneliness is rising, especially among young people, often leading to anxiety, depression, and fear.
• Suicide is now the leading cause of death among Dutch teens and young adults. The number of youth seeking help for suicidal thoughts has risen by 75%.

Europe doesn’t just need nostalgia for a Christian past. It needs Jesus today.

Our Role—and How You Can Join Us

In North Holland, we meet people who are spiritually curious but biblically illiterate. Young adults who have never opened a Bible. Families searching for identity in everything but Christ. People who believe everything—and nothing. We cannot change this landscape alone. But we also cannot ignore it. That’s why partnership matters. Your prayers, encouragement, and support are not simply “keeping missionaries on the field.” They are investments in re-evangelizing a province, a nation, and a continent that has forgotten its first love.

Hope for Europe

So I return to the opening question: What causes people to stop following God? It happens slowly—through complacency, compromise, forgetting, and replacing Him with lesser gods. But what can bring them back? The faithful witness of God’s people, boldly proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord—not only of history, not only of other nations, but also of the Netherlands, of North Holland, of every street, family, and heart where His name has been forgotten. We believe God is not finished with Europe. Revival is possible. But it begins when God’s people take seriously the call to go, to give, to pray, and to serve. That’s why we’re here. And that’s why we invite you to join us—so that the gospel will not only be Europe’s past, but also Europe’s future.

Resources:

https://oakriverpress.com/products/patw/europe/europe-full-small.pdf

https://oakriverpress.com/

Johann and Louise VanderBijl are SAMS Missionaries serving in the north Holland city of Heiloo. Johann’s missionary roots trace back to his Great-Grandfather – an Anglican missionary in Southern Africa. The Lord revealed His love and purpose to Johann in 1980 through the witness of an unrelated missionary. Since then, his personal salvation impressed upon him the need to share with others the wonderful gift given to him, especially those lost in their own misfortunes. Johann and Louise met while they were both serving in Northwestern Namibia. Together, they try to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness in whatever God has called them to do. Johann has authored several books which can be found under the Langham Publishing imprint.

For further information and how you can support the VanderBijl’s cross-cultural work visit their SAMS page and their blog.