Daniel Norén is a church planter serving in Bergsjön, Sweden. He is passionate about reaching his fellow Swedes as well as the diverse immigrant community in Gothenburg with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Mission Organization
HeartCry Missionary Society
With a focus on supporting home-missionaries throughout the world, HeartCry Missionary Society began in 1988 as a support for Peruvian Christians as they endeavored to share the gospel and plant Christian churches among their own people. HeartCry has established a four-tiered plan to assist native missionaries in Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The Society's four pillars (glorifying God, benefitting man, establishing healthy local churches, and demonstrating God's faithfulness) support the accomplishment of four goals:
- The Glory of God
- The Benefit of Man
- The Establishment of Biblical Churches
- The Demonstration of God’s Faithfulness 1
(For more info see HeartCry at a Glance)
Country Spotlight
Sweden
A Nordic country that borders Finland, Sweden is connected to Denmark via a bridge-tunnel. With a population of 10.4 million people, most Swedes live in urban areas. Sweden remains a land full of ministry opportunities. Religious faith has been declining there for many years as was demonstrated in the results of the 2010 Eurobarometer Poll 2 :
- 18% of Swedish citizens responded that "they believe there is a god".
- 45% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force".
- 34% answered that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force".
Testimony
Daniel Norén, the oldest of 7 children raised in a godly home, began his own spiritual reformation when evaluating some practices found within his church. While on this journey, Norén realized his "utter sinfulness" and began fully pursing glorifying God and serving Him daily.
Daniel Norén expressed his heart's desire when asked about his decision to pursue a theological education rather than continue in his profession when he said, "I don’t know what I am going to be, but I’m here for one purpose, and that is to get to know God and his Word and to follow him with all my heart.” As he attended a small school in Hungary, the native Swede, able to participate in outreach and preaching, discovered his passion for sharing God's Word with others and acknowledged his desire to become a pastor.
Current Ministry Opportunities
Daniel and his wife, Hannah, along with their three children, minister to the people of Bergsjön at Gothenburg International Baptist Church. Daniel preaches; participates in evangelism, counseling, and discipling; is a board member of Reformedia (www.reformedia.se); and assists in translating and publication efforts.
Currently, Daniel's focus has expanded to include the plan of planting a Bible-believing church in five specific cities. Over the past two decades, approximately one free church (churches not associated with the State Lutheran church) has been permanently closed each week. As a result, many Christians meet in small groups for Bible study near their homes since the closest Bible-believing church is more than one hour away. With the addition of these five churches planted within specific cities, more than eighty percent of Christians within Sweden would live driving distance of a healthy church.
Prayer Requests
Please pray that God would strengthen Christians in these five large cities as the process begins to plant churches, that logistics would be met, and that additional men would follow God's leading to assist in this effort.
Additional Information
For more information about and updates concerning church planting in Sweden, please visit Daniel Norén | HeartCry Missionary Society.
Footnotes
1. HeartCry at a Glance | HeartCry Missionary Society
2. Sweden - Wikipedia
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