Prayer Points
- Praise God for real growth in the church of Zambia.
- For ongoing commitment by Zambians to be a Christian nation that honours God.
- For development of training programs that will raise up educationally and spiritually equipped leaders.
- That God will raise up good teachers and trained pastors.
- For wisdom in tackling poverty and HIV/AIDS crisis in Zambia.
LOCATION
Southern Africa, east of Angola, south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
POPULATION
17 237 931 (2017 est.)
RELIGION
Protestant 75.3%
Roman Catholic 20.2%
other 2.7% (includes Muslim Buddhist, Hindu, and Baha'i), none 1.8% (2010 est.)
INTERNET USERS
5 192 284 (2017)
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
15% (2008 est.)
MISSIONARIES (2010)
Sent: 270
Received: 3 500
LEAST REACHED PEOPLE GROUPS
4
KEY CITY
Lusaka
Population of the city:
1 267 440
Urbanization Rate:
4.32% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Major religion in the city:
Christian
We Pray...
Father, we praise you for real growth in the church of Zambia. We pray for ongoing commitment by Zambians to see their nation flourish as a Christian one which honours You.
Lord, we pray for the development of training programs that will raise up educationally and spiritually equipped leaders. Father, we pray that you will raise up good teachers and trained pastors to teach people Your ways.
We also pray for wisdom in tackling extreme poverty and the devastating HIV/AIDS crisis in Zambia. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
State of the Church
Zambia is considered a Christian nation and Christianity is growing rapidly in the nation. There is a huge need for better educated church leaders and reconciliation between older and newer churches. This, however, is changing as older churches are starting to take responsibility for the newer churches by helping them to train pastors.
The local Church has reached a point where they are starting to move across their geographical borders, to see how they can take the Gospel North.
Overview
Zambia, best known for the Victoria waterfalls and the Zambezi river, is a country with abundant resources and high literacy rates. The stable politics, along with the country’s beauty, has made it one of the top tourist destinations in Africa. It is one of the few countries that transitioned peacefully from colonial rule to independence.
Zambia also made history in 2014, when they appointed Guy Scott as their interim president. He is the first white president of an African state since 1994, when Apartheid came to an end in South Africa. Guy Scott came into power as an interim President after the death of Pres. Michael Sata. This is a huge step for Africa towards reconciliation between the different cultures and races.
Because of Zambia’s stability it has also drawn multiple investors into the country, China being the largest. A census done early in 2014 showed that there was about 100 000 Chinese people living in the country, and about 500 Chinese firms are active in sectors across the economy. This, however, has led to some conflict where Zambians complained about being exploited by these firms.
Despite all of this, social conditions remain tough. The World Bank estimates that 64% of all Zambians live under the poverty line. Life expectancy is among the lowest in the world and the death rate among the highest - largely due to HIV/AIDS.
More Resources:
- Regional Prayer Initiative: Pray4sea
- 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