“Are evangelicals good news people?” That is the question for the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) and European Evangelical Missionary Alliance General Assembly next week.

Delegates from 38 countries will meet in Tarragona, Spain, from April 21 to 24.

EEA General Secretary, Gordon Showell-Rogers, will outline his vision for a Europe shaped by good news people, while the keynote speaker, Micah Challenge International Director Rev Joel Edwards, will challenge the delegates to incarnate good news to today’s society.

Mr Showell-Rogers said: “As we meet, Europe faces great challenges, and Christians face particular pressures – from materialism and indifference to radical secularism and intolerance of free speech.

“But with these challenges come immense opportunities. By uniting to reflect Christ, evangelicals in Europe can bring hope to communities in times of economic instability and individual isolation.

"The early Christians invested their lives in the peninsula at the west of Asia – that became Europe. As Jesus’ followers lived and spoke for him, they shaped the understanding of the value of people, the importance of caring for the disadvantaged and the sick, and the best foundations for a healthy society, as well as helping the eternal well-being of many.

“Together, our vision is to see today’s Europe re-shaped by Good News people.”

The General Assembly is likely to be Mr Showell-Rogers penultimate as General Secretary, following his announcement that he will step down from the role in 2010, after 11 years at the helm.

“We have come a long way in the EEA in the last decade. Now it is time to hand over for the next stage of the EEA’s growth,” he said.

“My wife and I are excited about whatever our future holds – which we expect will once more be pioneering and establishing within the Kingdom of God.”

The conference will discuss issues affecting Europe and Central Asia – including those facing evangelicalism. National Evangelical Alliances and pan-European mission agencies will also consider how to resource one another and work together more effectively.