Prayer Points
- Praise God for political peace in Gabon.
- For the Church to be witnesses to their Muslim neighbours.
- For the Church to discern between true and false teachings.
- For the evangelization of the deep, interior regions of the nation.
LOCATION:
Central Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea
POPULATION:
1 801 232 (2017 est.)
RELIGION:
Catholic 41.9%
Protestant 13.7%
Other Christian 32.4%
Muslim 6.4%
Animist 0.3%
Other 0.3%
None/no answer 5% (2012 est.)
INTERNET USERS:
670 197 (2017)
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE:
28% (2015 est.)
MISSIONARIES (2010):
Sent: NA
Received: NA
LEAST REACHED PEOPLE GROUPS:
5
KEY CITY
Libreville
Population of city:
578 156
Urbanization Rate:
2.7% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Majority religion in city:
Christianity
We Pray...
Father, thank you for the nation of Gabon. Lord, we praise you for the political peace that these people have. We ask that you will enable the Church to commit to reaching the steadily-increasing Muslim population.
We pray for the Church to rightly discern between true and false teachings. Lord, we pray for the evangelization of the deep, interior regions of the nation. Let Your Church arise, Lord, and witness of your love all over Gabon and beyond. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.
State of the Church
Because of Gabon’s lack in infrastructure it is difficult to say how many people consider themselves Christian. Some statistics say that anything from 55% to 80% of the population will call themselves Christian.
Prosperity theologies as well as syncretism has influenced many churches beyond recognition. Competition between churches are also a common sight.
Many mission organisations have started to make this region their priority, in order to not only better the church’s network, but to give better training to the pastors of churches.
Overview
Gabon received its independence from France in 1967. El Hadj Bongo Ondimba then took over
and became one of the longest-serving heads of states in the world. His term stretched from
1967 till 2009 when he passed away. Elections was held after his death, which brought his son
into power.
Gabon’s prosperity is mainly attributed to their richness in oil. Almost 70% of their
export income comes from crude oil. This makes them extremely vulnerable to fluctuating oil
prices fluctuating. In the 1980’s we saw oil prices fall, which led to demonstrations against
the president, because of the economy being influenced so strongly by this drop.
Today critics are warning the government of their diminishing oil reserves. This has caused
the government to focus on the development on tourism in the country as well.
Although most of Gabon’s people are considered poor, they enjoy more wealth per person
than many of its neighbours. This is because of the small population in relation to Gabon’s
abundant natural resources.
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