From a Closed Nation to a Growing Witness in the Balkans
Through more than a decade of partnership with Compel International staff, local believers in Albania are helping churches reach marginalized Muslim communities while equipping leaders across the Balkans to share the gospel in places where few followers of Jesus exist.
A Generation Raised After Religious Freedom Returned
For much of the twentieth century, Albania was one of the most closed countries in the world. Under communist dictator Enver Hoxha, all religious expression was outlawed, and the nation declared itself the world’s first atheist state.
Churches were destroyed or repurposed as warehouses, religious leaders were imprisoned, and even private expressions of faith were forbidden. When communism collapsed in the early 1990s, the country had almost no visible Christian presence remaining.
The founder of Compel’s Albanian partner ministry came to faith during those early years when the gospel was first being openly shared again. Along with other new believers, he became part of the small generation of Christians who began rebuilding the witness of the church in Albania.
What began as simple evangelism and discipleship among small groups of believers has grown into a ministry that now serves churches across Albania and helps equip leaders throughout the Balkans.
Reaching Muslim Communities Often Overlooked
Much of this ministry takes place among Muslim Roma communities, where families often live on the margins of society.
Across Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia, many Roma communities identify culturally with Islam while also facing deep poverty, limited education opportunities, and social exclusion. In these settings, the gospel is still largely unknown.
Joshua Project estimates that in Albania fewer than 0.6% of the population are evangelical believers, with similarly small evangelical communities in neighboring Kosovo and North Macedonia. In many Roma communities, the percentage of believers is even lower.
For many families, this means they may go their entire lives without personally knowing a follower of Jesus.
Through long-term relationships with local churches, home gatherings, and small discipleship groups, believers are gradually building trust and introducing communities to the message of Christ.
Faith Growing Through Local Discipleship
Across 11 communities, local believers regularly host discipleship groups, home Bible studies, and community gatherings where people can explore Scripture and support one another through life’s challenges.
Over the past year, churches connected to this ministry reported:
32 people placing their faith in Christ
16 baptisms
8 new small discipleship groups formed
Each number represents a person encountering the gospel for the first time.
In communities where Christian faith has rarely been present, these small gatherings often become the first place where people experience Christian fellowship and begin learning what it means to follow Jesus.
Hope in the Midst of Loss
One woman’s story illustrates the kind of transformation that often begins in these small gatherings.
After losing her adult son during the COVID-19 pandemic, she was overwhelmed by grief and illness. Not long before the pandemic began, a neighbor had invited her to join a home fellowship.
That invitation became a lifeline.
Believers surrounded her with prayer and compassion, walking beside her through deep loss.
“They prayed with me and stayed beside me when I felt like I had nothing left.”
Gradually, hope began to return. Her desire to work came back, and she slowly reengaged with community life.
Today she occasionally volunteers during children’s activities, helping prepare meals for families in her neighborhood. Most importantly, during that painful season she placed her faith in Christ and now shares with others about the hope she has found.
A Breakthrough Among an Unreached Muslim People
Alongside ministry in Roma communities, Compel and its Albanian partner have also been working together to identify unreached Muslim people groups across the Balkans.
One of these groups is the Gorani, a Slavic Muslim people living in mountain regions across Kosovo and neighboring countries. For generations, the Gorani have had little exposure to the gospel.
Through partnership with a local pastor in Kosovo, relationships began forming in several Gorani communities. The Albanian team has helped train and mentor this pastor as he builds friendships and shares the message of Christ.
In 2025, the team celebrated an important milestone.
For the first time, a Gorani believer in Kosovo placed their faith in Jesus through this outreach.
While only one believer so far, this moment represents the beginning of gospel witness among a people group where followers of Christ have been almost nonexistent.
A Regional Partner for the Church
Over the years, the Albanian team has become a trusted partner for churches throughout the region.
Their ministry now includes collaboration with pastors and leaders in:
Albania
Kosovo
North Macedonia
Bulgaria
Turkey
Ukraine
Recently, the team also helped host an international gathering focused on integrated ministry and disciple-making. More than 200 leaders from 30 countries attended, creating space for church leaders and practitioners to learn from one another and explore ways to serve communities more effectively.
Moments like these help strengthen partnerships across the region and encourage churches that are working in difficult and often overlooked places.
A Long Road Still Ahead
Despite these encouraging stories, the need across the Balkans remains immense.
Large portions of the population identify culturally with Islam, while many communities still have little exposure to the message of Christ.
Yet the quiet work of local believers continues.
Small groups gather in homes. Churches serve vulnerable families. Pastors are being equipped to reach unreached neighbors.
And across Albania and the surrounding region, God continues to grow a church that barely existed just a generation ago.
As Scripture reminds us:
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”