A recent survey carried by Aontas (an association of Irish evangelical churches) has found that there are 115 towns with a population of over 5,000 people where there is no evangelical witness at all.
At present Ireland has the lowest percentage of evangelicals in the English-speaking world. Because of this very low percentage, it is difficult for the church in Ireland to produce sufficient leaders to meet current needs. Therefore, there remains a constant need for missionaries.
Paudge Mulvihill, secretary of Aontas and pastor in Calvary Church Westport said: ‘Up until recently most missionaries coming into Ireland came from America with a smaller number coming from Australia. But over the last number of years, it has proven increasingly difficult for non-EU nationals to obtain a missionary visa due to new visa restrictions.’
