From Hopeless to Hopeful: The Albania Update
00:00:00 – Welcome and introduction to Albania
00:02:00 – Urgent need for Scripture
00:04:30 – Youth outreach: schools, clubs, and feeding programs
00:06:00 – Poverty among pastors and how Empower is helping
00:07:30 – A culture ready for the gospel
00:08:30 – Planting churches in new villages
00:10:00 – Youth as the engine of revival
00:11:00 – Pattern of spiritual growth in other countries
00:12:00 – Final thoughts and call to action
JOY: Welcome to God’s Church on the Move, the podcast that takes you to spiritual hotspots around the world where God is actively at work. With me in the studio today are Ron and Charis Pearce. Welcome back, guys!
CHARIS: Hi!
RON: Hi Joy.
JOY: Ron, you’ve been out traveling, and I hear you have an update from Albania today?
RON: It’s a good one. I went in there right after a trip to India — I was in Albania for about six days. I stopped in to meet our friends there, who are the leaders of around 220 Albanian-speaking churches across the region — Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, parts of Greece, and even Italy. Basically, anywhere the Albanian language is spoken.
We’ve moved in to help them because they haven’t had enough Scripture. It’s just been a trickle. A while ago, we supplied them with around 50,000 copies of the New Testament. That was about a year ago. Now we’re working on completing a full Bible in Albanian — we’re talking 30,000 to 50,000 copies.
I asked the leaders if they needed more New Testaments, and they said, “Yes — we’re out!” So we’re doing a second printing. Why? Because there are a lot of people who are empty inside.
From my conversations with pastors and leaders there, I see a whole new generation rising up — young people who are empty. They’re not communist, not tied to any religion — they’re searching. Albania used to be a communist country. It collapsed, but the effects are still there — big government halls, parades, statues. The people have moved on, but they’re still looking for something real.
That’s why these pastors are seeing success. They’re poor — very poor — but committed. One church is surrounded by five schools in downtown Tirana, the capital. School starts early and ends at lunchtime. After that, kids are just out on the streets, with nowhere to go — and often, nothing to eat.
We’re stepping in to help this church run after-school clubs, to feed the kids and share the gospel. It’s a new initiative that’s just started because the need is so great.
CHARIS: Is the poverty across the board or just within the Christian population?
RON: Other people are poor too, but churches are especially affected because they’ve never been able to grow. Partly due to lack of Scripture — they’ve never had what they needed to be fed spiritually.
So we’re not only pushing Scripture into the country, we’re also supporting pastors to go out and plant new churches, share the gospel, and shepherd their people. Kids’ ministry is a great way to show the compassion of Christ.
Albania is a gorgeous country. It’s right across the water from Italy, and when you drive through the countryside, it feels like where Paul might have walked in the early church days.
And just like then, the church went quiet for a while — but now it’s coming back to life. People are disillusioned with the empty religions around them.
Some of the other religions may seem like they’re growing, but they’re not — not in the heart. Many people adopt a religion just to do business or get ahead, not because they believe. That’s why the gospel hits so deeply — because it brings truth, joy, and hope.
I asked one leader what they do when entering a new village. He said they tell people they’ll talk about Jesus — and sometimes they offer food, especially for young people. Kids come for pizza, then they stay for worship and want to sing Christian songs. They’re curious.
You can easily get a crowd, preach the gospel, and start a church. But pastors need support to keep going, to disciple these people, and reach out further.
JOY: It’s so exciting when young people are drawn to the gospel and you can help meet that need.
RON: Exactly. Young people are looking for a future. Older folks, if they don’t know Jesus, often lose hope after searching for years. But young people still have that energy and expectation.
When you match that energy with the gospel and the Word of God, it takes off. Around the world, the “engine” of most growing churches is young people — usually between 18 and 30 years old.
CHARIS: That reminds me of the India episode we just recorded — it’s like Albania is just starting, while India is further down the road and already on fire.
RON: That’s exactly it. Same with Ethiopia. We went in early and spread the Word of God — and boom, it ignited. That’s what we’re seeing again in Albania.
Feed the people with the Word of God, and they won’t discard it — they’ll devour it. They’ll say, “I need an answer. These Christians have joy — what do they believe?” And they read the Bible. Then they start asking questions.
That’s when the evangelist steps in, gives answers, and a group forms. That group becomes a church. Then we help it grow — financially, structurally — and it starts again in the next village.
It’s cyclical and somewhat predictable. After all these years, we’ve seen the pattern, and we know how to nurture it.
CHARIS: It’ll be so interesting to look back in two years and say, “That’s where it started.”
RON: Exactly. It’s a move of the Holy Spirit. Different cultures have variations, but the pattern of revival is often the same.
CHARIS: This reminds me of Serbia, too — the hunger in the youth.
RON: Yes, same people group, same spiritual emptiness, same dynamic.
JOY: And that word — “empty” — it just hits. Youth in North America feel that too. So much energy, but so little direction.
RON: Exactly. Sometimes when I get off the plane in a country, I just look into people’s eyes. You can tell — they’re tired, hopeless, lost. That’s when the gospel shines brightest.
JOY: That’s Albania.
RON: We’ll be watching closely over the next few years.
JOY: Thank you, Ron.
For more information on what Empower Ministries is doing around the world and how you can be part of this exciting ministry, visit our website at ronpierce.org, where you’ll find all the information you need.
