“I will make a new covenant with Romania!”
“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.”(Jeremiah 31:31,NIV)
》 Country Profile
Continent | Europe
Population | 18.52 million
Area | 238,391㎢, Located in the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe.
Capital City | Bucharest (1.78 million)
People Groups | Total 33 Groups, Romanians 89.3%, Hungarians 5.6%, Roma 2.9%, Aromanians 0.2%
Unreached People Groups | 7 (0.4% of the population)
Official Language(s) | Romanian
Total Languages | 30
Bible Translations | Completed 26, New Testament 2, Partial 2
Religion | Christianity 93.7% (10% Protestant, 75% Orthodox), Non-religious 5.6%, Islam 0.6%, Evangelical 6.3%(1.34 million)
》 About Romania
The name “Romania” comes from the meaning “descendant of the Roman Empire.” Moldavia and Wallachia, which were once under Ottoman Turkish rule, merged in 1861 to form the Principality of Romania and gained independence from Turkey in 1881. In 1948, Romania became a People’s Republic under Soviet influence. In 1964, it declared a path of independence from the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) and began exercising its national sovereignty. In 1965, it became a Socialist Republic, and Nicolae Ceausescu came to power in 1967, ruling as a dictator for 24 years until he was executed during the 1989 democratic revolution. Romania became a democracy in 1990, joined NATO in 2004, and became an EU member in 2007. Romania is a presidential republic. Klaus Iohannis served two terms as president from 2014 until he resigned in February 2025. Nicușor Dan is currently serving as the sixth president since May 2025.
Romania is rich in agricultural products, minerals, and oil, and is strategically located in Eastern Europe as a bridge between the EU, Russia, and Turkey. Since joining the EU in 2007, it has experienced growth driven by foreign investment. However, the benefits of economic growth have only recently started to reach the middle class and reduce widespread poverty. Corruption and deep rooted illegal activity continue to hurt the business environment. Following the 2008 global financial crisis, Romania received emergency aid from the IMF and EU, and its GDP shrank until 2011. Long-term challenges include an aging population, emigration of skilled workers, significant tax evasion, poor healthcare, and overly loose fiscal policy—all of which weaken Romania’s economic stability and growth prospects.
Romania’s GDP per capita is approximately $20,072.
》 Scripture Focus
| Jeremiah 31:31–36(NIV) 31 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.” 32 “It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. 33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” 35 This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD Almighty is his name: 36 “Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the LORD, “will Israel ever cease being a nation before me.” |
》 Prayer Points
1. About 75% of Romanians identify as Orthodox Christians, but only about 4% regularly attend church. Though the church endured persecution during communism, today it faces widespread nominalism and legalism rooted in an atheist worldview. The Orthodox Church often uses cultural and traditional influence to maintain its status, and some leaders actively oppose Protestant evangelism. Still, the “Lord’s Army,” a spiritual renewal movement within Orthodoxy, brought new life to over 300,000 believers. Protestants make up about 10% of the population, and evangelicals about 6.3% (1.34 million), making Romania one of the most evangelical countries in Eastern Europe. Although the number of churches and believers has grown, excessive dependence on Western aid has hindered self-sustained growth. A culture of materialism and the scars of past suffering have damaged the church’s spiritual vitality. Denominational disunity also weakens the Protestant voice. Let us pray that Romanian churches will be united in the new covenant of the gospel of Christ’s cross, and that God’s promise—”I will be their God, and they will be my people”—will be fulfilled in the hearts of a nation bound by sin and death.
2. After the fall of communism, Western, Korean, African, and Latin American mission groups quickly sent missionaries to Romania. Organizations like IMB, Reach Global, GEM, and ABWE are actively working alongside local churches. Since 2000, the number of Romanian missionaries has increased significantly, leading to the growth of local mission agencies and training programs. Groups like Partners in Mission and International OC are thriving, with Romanian missionaries gaining access to areas often closed to Westerners. This makes them valuable partners for global mission work. There are about 12,000 villages in Romania with no churches, and many rural churches lack pastors—urban pastors often rotate between 3 to 5 churches. Let us pray that Romanian churches would burn with the Lord’s passion for evangelism and missions, and unite with foreign missionaries so that the gospel of the cross—Where the Lord’s grace—by which their wickendness is forgiven and sin remembered no more—will reach people across the nation.
3. Millions of orphans and abandoned children remain a serious issue since the communist era. Both local and international organizations—like Baptist churches, Samaritan’s Purse, SGA, and World Vision—are actively caring for them. Groups such as RMS, CEF, YFC, CCCI, and IFES are working to share the gospel with children and youth. However, traditional church culture often fails to connect with the younger generation. Pray for wisdom in developing gospel programs that resonate with youth.
Although many Romanians have moved to Western Europe for better job opportunities, this has led to a population decline and family breakdown at home, with children left behind and lacking education and care. Organized crime, often in collusion with corrupt officials, has made Romania a major source of human trafficking for sex work in Western Europe. Drug use and abortion rates are also rising. The Romani community, estimated at 3 million, faces extreme poverty, lack of education, early marriage (ages 12–13), and domestic abuse. However, they are also among the most open to the gospel, with a growing number of bold Romani believers sharing Christ within their communities. Let us pray that the Lord—who stirs the sea and makes its waves roar—will move the hearts of Romania’s youth and Romani people with the power of the gospel, so they may rise and glorify His name.
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