Golem, a Mediterranean town in Albania, will host ‘Hope for Europe’ 2026 from 5 to 9 October. The European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) is organising the conference to “listen” to Christians from across the continent in “times of uncertainty”.

Around 250 evangelical leaders involved in projects of all kinds (ranging from disability support to theological, missionary or work with vulnerable people) will join leaders from national Evangelical Alliances across Europe, who will hold their annual general assembly during the conference in Albania.

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VUSH, the Evangelical Alliance of Albania, will host the gathering, which Connie Duarte, co-general secretary of the EEA, describes as an opportunity to collaborate by drawing on each participant’s experience and strengths.

“What excites me most is being in a room with leaders from across Europe talking and listening together”, she told Evangelical Focus in the days leading up to the event, whilst transport and logistical details were being finalised. The aim should be “to discern where and how we can work best together for the sake of the Gospel and the kingdom of God”.

The last edition of ‘Hope for Europe’ took place in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2022. As was the case there, one aim is for the country’s evangelical churches to benefit from receiving representatives from the rest of Europe.

“We hope the Albanian Church will be excited to see an earthly ‘great crowd of witnesses’ who are working and striving together, and that they are not merely observers but full participants”, explains Duarte. “We want them to see where God is at work across Europe and where they could help, encourage, send and receive”.

The website of the conference shares more about this vision. 

Focused on the exchange of ideas

With a programme heavily focused on the exchange of views in small groups, this edition of ‘Hope for Europe’ (the fifth since its inception in 2002 in Budapest) retains a similar ethos, seeking to “connect and unite” evangelical leaders “in this cultural moment in Europe”, so that “more people across the continent can find hope in Jesus”.

Goodwill Shana from Zimbabwe, former chair of the World Evangelical Alliance’s International Council, will lead the morning’s Bible reflections.

Each day, short ‘HOPE Talks’ will “bring voices, stories and perspectives from different parts of our European evangelical family”.

However, as the organisation has explained to registered participants in an email, the conference “is not a speaker-driven gathering”, but rather “every attendee is a contributor”.

To ensure the widest possible range of interaction, small feedback groups called Journey Groups have been organised, to be followed by Labs addressing various topics, such as family, society and nation, digital mission and organisational development, amongst other themes. The aim is to identify problems, contribute ideas and propose solutions and “good practices” from a Christian faith perspective.

On some evenings, there will be celebrations showcasing the diversity of the countries represented.

“Pray for listening ears”

When asked for a prayer request for these days in Albania, Connie Duarte shared: “I would ask people to pray for listening ears – to hear what others are saying and to hear what God is saying, and then to be quick to obey”.

Evangelical Focus has previously reported on events at ‘Hope for Europe’ in 2022 in Bosnia and in 2018 in Estonia.

Watch a video summary of the latest edition of Hope for Europe: