Central
African Republic Factbook
Missionaries have preached the gospel in
the Central African Republic
for many years and large
numbers have responded. Evangelicals represent
over 30% of the population.
Christians continue to have abundant opportunities to minister to
people
in this land.
The Central African Republic is located
in the heart of the African continent.
It borders on Chad, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), the Republic of Congo,
and Cameroon. The terrain varies from tropical rainforest to
near desert conditions.
The population of the Central African Republic is
approximately 3.7 million. The people are ethnically diverse with over
100 groupings and nearly that many languages. Bible translations are available in only a
few of these languages. An updated Bible
in Sango, a language spoken by most of the people, is now available.
Most of the people live at a subsistence
level. Although the land has some valuable natural resources, few benefit
from it. Continued political unrest has
further
hampered economic growth.
The Central
African Republic was a colony of France until 1960. Since then, the country has progressed through many
different governments. Many of them were
totalitarian
or nearly so. The country appears to be
moving toward a multi-party system but has continued to be shaken by
uprisings within the military. Pray for
peace
and stability. The people are granted freedom
of religion.
This land has been the focus of
considerable missionary efforts over the last 100 years. Starting around 1960, large numbers came to
Christ. The number of evangelicals
grew from near 0 to over 30% of the population in 40 years. These numbers have continued to grow.
Such rapid growth has strained the
churches. Adequately trained pastors are
in short
supply. Pray for men who are called to
the ministry and for the handful of Bible schools that seek to train
them. Divisions among missions groups
have hampered
their ministry. Pray for understanding
and unity among those working in this field.
In recent years, a significant number of
Muslims have moved into the country.
Pray that some would be called to take advantage of this opportunity to
reach these people
with the gospel.
Copyright 2006 by Brad Garrison
Return