Speckled with Alpine Mountains and bursting with thick forests, the Republic of Slovenia lies on the Adriatic Sea between Italy and Croatia. This small European nation controls some of the continent’s major transit routes due to its central location between Central and Eastern Europe. After World War II, Slovenia became part of Yugoslavia, and it finally gained independence in 1991 after a 10-day war. The independence was almost bloodless, and Slovenia now has a solid infrastructure.Since the break up of the former Yugoslavia, Croatia and Slovenia have had ongoing border disputes. Otherwise, Slovenia has remained relatively stable; they joined the European Union in 2004, they maintain a free media with privately owned newspapers, and they have the highest per capita GDP in Central Europe. Slovenia has accepted nearly 100,000 refugees from Bosnia and has also made efforts to stabilize the region.

The Catholic Church is predominant in Slovenia, but high rates of secularism and spiritual apathy are growing within it. Despite having an evangelical witness since the Reformation, today’s evangelical presence is too often known for nominalism and a failure to serve and witness outside of the Church. Most pastors in the nation are bivocational, as they cannot rely on their congregations to provide. Of the 193 municipalities in Slovenia, only 26 have an evangelical church. Furthermore, very few Christian books have been translated into Slovene, the nation’s official language. Pray that those in Slovenia would break free from their nominal ways towards Jesus.