Estonia
The enduring struggle of the Estonian people has been the fight to retain their cultural identity. In the last 750 years, Estonia has only been independent from 1918 to 1939, and from 1991 to the present. At other times, Estonia was subjugated by the Livonians, Sweden, Tsarist Russia, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. During the Soviet regime, the percentage of ethnic Estonians in the country dropped from 94% to 61%. The Soviet Union promoted mass immigration of people from elsewhere in the USSR, which accounts for the large number of Russians in Estonia (almost 1/3 of Estonian residents).
Estonia suffered almost three centuries of Russification, the repression of Estonian language and culture in favor of Russian language and culture. At the fall of communism, Estonia seized its independence, taking quick advantage of the opportunity to westernize its government and economy, and to reassert its cultural identity. As a result, the Russian minority has remained largely isolated from native Estonians. This segment of the population is largely unreached with the Gospel and is targeted by IMB personnel, but is presently unengaged by the IMB.
The majority of Estonians never attend church, and those who do only do so on special occasions such as Christmas as an expression of their cultural identity (the Estonian cultural and political reawakening of the 19th century was lead primarily by Christians, and coincided with a religious awakening). Christ wants so much for these people to claim a new identity through Christ; the identity for which they were created. Approximately 75% percent of the population consider themselves non-religious and most believe that there is no God. Protestants make up the largest religious group in the country, with the Lutheran church having 160,000 members, most of whom are cultural Lutherans. There are, however, Estonian Christians and churches that are actively spreading the Gospel of Christ and working to expand His Kingdom, and Russian-speaking ministries have met with success in many cities.
If you would like to be a part of spreading the Good News of Christ and working to expand His kingdom among the peoples of Estonia, please contact us at hope4cee@pobox.com.