In spite of a strong sense of cultural identity, the Albanians may be the most physically and spiritually needy people of Europe. The mountainous Albanian homeland includes Albania and parts of Serbia, Macedonia, and Montenegro. It has long been a region of economic poverty, political upheaval, and spiritual confusion, but it is especially so since the collapse of the Albanian economy and government in 1997 due to the failure of a nationwide pyramid investment scheme.
Albanians are the original inhabitants of the western Balkan Peninsula called Illyricum in Paul’s New Testament letter to the Romans (Romans 15:19). After the barbarian capture of Rome, Slavs began migrating into the Balkans, pushing the Albanians into their present borders. Under the Ottoman Turks, most Albanians were converted to Islam. Under Communism, most of the Albanians became atheists.
Today Albanians are divided into Christian, Muslim, and atheist groups by religion as well as into Tosk and Gheg groups by language, but they remain a tightly knit culture that resists blending into other nationalities.
Albania’s capital and largest city, Tirana, with only 300,000 people, is not just the industrial, administrative, and cultural center for the country but for the Albanian people as well. From here the constitutional government, though constrained by adverse social and economic conditions, seeks to preserve the rights of Albanians beyond its borders.
In the Kosovo province of Serbia, the Albanian majority is seeking either greater autonomy or independence. The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) maintains a shadow illegal government. These separatists violently engaged the Serbian police and military on many occasions. Serbian forces responded with brutal reprisals on civilians, setting the stage for NATO involvement in the current Bosnian type crisis.
With its own internal struggles and ineffective military, Albania is powerless to help the Albanians in Kosovo except to focus world opinion on Serbian atrocities. Atrocities, however, have been committed on both sides.
The New Testament is available in Albanian. Several mission agencies have work among Albanians. Trans World Radio and Words of Hope orchestrate gospel radio programs in Albanian language. Project AERO (Albanian Evangelical Rural Outreach) is a two month annual summer project of Campus Crusade for Christ International that takes the Jesus film into villages and follows up in responsive areas.
Back in 1990, there were only six known evangelical Christians in Albania. This number has grown to around 8000 in about 160 fledgling congregations. Given the same amount of time among a similar population in neigboring Kosovo, evangelicals grew to only around 400 in six congregations.
The current crisis of ethnic cleansing is resulting in unprecedented opportunities for sharing the gospel. While Orthodox Serbs drive Albanians from Kosovo, Christian relief organizations in partnership with Albanian churches minister to them in the name of Jesus. We may be uncertain about NATO's involvement and doubtful of executive branch motives, but we can still particpate boldly with confidence that God is orchestrating these events to expand Christ's spiritual kingdom.
At less than one quarter of one percent of the population, the Albanian believers are having an incredible impact. Clive Calver, President of World Relief, notes, "The Albanian government is stunned by what the churches are able to do. . . . When the representative of the mayor visited the sports stadium-turned refugee camp, he said he wanted to kiss the feet of the workers; he'd never seen anything like it."
Refugees are readily recognizing the difference between genuine faith and the cultural kind. Calver asked some refugees about Christians in Serbia. He reports, "One young man got very strong with me. He said, 'That's not Christianity. . . Christianity is what is happening here. These people love and care for us. This is Christianity."
Few classes of people in the world are more open to the gospel than refugees. But the churches in Albania are overwhelmed and need our help. Pray that Albanians will find peace, security, purpose, and identity offered in Christ. Study this intelligence folder seriously, and consider how you may help those ministering to Albanians.