Search: “africa”

The Imazighen, or Berber. North Africa’s original inhabitants; they were conquered by Rome, many becoming Christian, then conquered by Arab Muslims in the 8th Century and assimilated into Islam. There are 18 million Imazighen in 76 distinct sub-groups living in 17 countries. Major groups include the Kabyle (3.3m), Riff (2.6m), Shilha (8.7m) and Shawiya (1.9m). […]

Islam is the major external challenge for Christianity today — both the 230 million Muslims north of the Sahara and the 325 million in sub-Saharan Africa. The “race” to win peoples to Christ from the traditional religions in West Africa and across the Sahel has largely been lost; most have been Islamized, even if only […]

The development of a missions vision in the Church is an essential step to African Christianity reaching its full stature as a global leader. Africa is on the way to becoming a formidable missionary-sending region, but much more progress is still necessary. Praise God for the rapid growth and spread of African missions, essential for […]

Cross-cultural missions. The missionary force is increasingly African and multi-continental, and less Western. Much sensitivity and humility is required for effective ministry that reaches the unevangelized and defers to the maturity and vision of the growing African Church. The need for missionaries continues to be greater than the supply of those with the gifting and […]

Pray for unity in such great diversity. There are over 15,000 denominations, church clusters and networks in Africa. Countless independent congregations exist with no overarching accountability or relationships. Pray: That leaders might place their agendas at the foot of the cross. The desire for influence and power, the ethnocentric bias that lies behind many splits, […]

Leadership training is recognized as the critical bottleneck. Leaders are in short supply at every level – for village congregations, for the urban educated, for theological training, for missionary endeavour and for national-level leadership. Pray for: The serious consideration of what kind of training is most appropriate for Africans. This includes teaching and communication methods, […]

Discipleship is rightly being addressed as Africa’s greatest challenge. The growth of Christianity has been sensational, but the follow-up has traditionally been lacking. Non-Christian customs and worldviews permeate the Church. Syncretism is a major problem in many areas. Thorough repentance and renunciation of sin and the works of darkness are often lacking, and many Christians […]

Africa’s role in the global Church is more important than ever. Its contribution to revitalizing the flagging churches in Europe is crucial. Even more crucial is its role in defending biblical faith and traditional reading of the Scriptures against the creeping relativism and liberalism that besets much of the Church in the West. This is […]

The continued power of African traditional religions. The low percentage of followers of pre-Christian ethnic religions is not a true reflection of reality. Underlying both Muslim and Christian religious profession is a value system steeped in the old ways – fetishism, ancestor worship, idolatry and others. Personal, tribal and national crises reveal this. The terrible […]

African democratic institutions remain vulnerable, but are strengthening with time. Authoritarian, autocratic leadership that suppresses opposition and robs from its own people still exists, but in many parts of the continent, there are signs of it being replaced by more responsible governments. Pray for more Christian politicians who are undefiled by corruption and resolute in […]