Prayer Points
- For the Church in Chad to be both burdened and equipped for evangelism.
- That God will strengthen pioneer missionaries to persevere in difficult places.
- For integrity and honesty to rule the nation and displace government corruption.
- For medical care and services to the people of Chad.
- That God will reveal Himself to the unreached people of Chad.
LOCATION
Central Africa, South of Libya
POPULATION
14 787 000 (2017 est.)
RELIGION
Muslim 52.1%
Protestant 23.9%
Catholic 20%
Animist 0.3%
Other Christian 0.2%
None 2.8%
Unspecified 0.7% (2014-15 est.)
INTERNET USERS
387 063 (2017)
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
NA %
MISSIONARIES
Sent 30
Received 830
LEAST REACHED GROUPS
75
KEY CITY
N'Djamena
Population of city:
721 081
Urbanization Rate:
3.42% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Majority religion in city:
Muslim
We Pray...
Father, we pray for the Church in Chad to be both burdened and equipped for evangelism among an increasing Muslim majority. Lord, we ask that You will strengthen pioneer missionaries to persevere in difficult places in order to reach the unreached.
We also pray for integrity and honesty to rule the nation and displace government corruption.
Lord God, will You please provide medical care and services to the people of Chad as the Republic of Chad has the fifth highest death rate in the world.
Lord, as there are more unreached peoples in Chad than in any other African country, we confess that they are not unknown to You. Please reveal Yourself to them through your Holy Spirit and by Your Word so that they too may come to a clearer knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
State of the Church
The constitution and other laws and policies protect religious freedom and, in practice, the government generally enforced these protections; however, the government bans certain Muslim groups and indirectly monitors Islamic activities through the High Council for Islamic Affairs (HCIA), an independent religious organization.
The constitution provides that the country shall be a secular state; however, some policies favour Islam in practice. Religious leaders are involved in managing the country's wealth. A representative of the religious community sits on the Revenue Management College, the body that oversees use of oil revenues. The seat rotates between Muslim and Christian leaders every four years.
Many Churches however struggles. Chad has been rated the seventh poorest country in the world by " The United Nations' Human Development Index". The churches struggle to get to the least reached people of Chad, but there is hope.
Overview
Chad, as part of France's African holdings until 1960, endured three decades of civil warfare, as well as invasions by Libya, before a semblance of peace was finally restored in 1990. The government eventually drafted a democratic constitution and held flawed presidential elections in 1996 and 2001.
In 1998, a rebellion broke out in northern Chad, which has sporadically flared up despite several peace agreements between the government and the insurgents. In 2005, new rebel groups emerged in western Sudan and made probing attacks into eastern Chad despite signing peace agreements in December 2006 and October 2007. In June 2005, President Idriss Deby held a referendum successfully removing constitutional term limits and won another controversial election in 2006. Sporadic rebel campaigns continued throughout 2006 and 2007. The capital experienced a significant insurrection in early 2008 but has had no significant rebel threats since then.
More than half of the population is Muslim, with one-third Christian, and the remainder follows indigenous religious beliefs or has no religion. Most northerners practice Islam, and most southerners practice Christianity or indigenous religions. Population patterns are becoming more complex, especially in urban areas, and there has been a proliferation of mosques in the traditionally Christian south. The majority of Muslims adhere to the Sufi Tijaniyah tradition. A minority of Muslims (5 to 10 percent) hold more fundamentalist beliefs, which in some cases are associated with Wahhabism or Salafism. Roman Catholics represent the largest Christian group. Most Protestants affiliate with various evangelical Christian groups. Small Bahai and Jehovah's Witnesses communities also are present.
More Resources:
- African Prayer Initiative: Pray Africa
Bibliography
- INcontext ministries – http://incontextministries.org/
- CIA World Factbook
- Atlas of Global Christianity – Todd M.Johnson & Kenneth R. Ross (Published by – Edinburgh University Press) (Missionaries and national workers: Africa 2010, page 267)
- Prayercast – http://prayercast.com/
- Unreached people groups – http://www.joshuaproject.net
- The voice of the Martyrs – http://www.persecution.com/
- Jul-Dec, 2010 International Religious Freedom Report – http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010_5/index.htm
- Operation World – http://www.operationworld.org/african-countries