Argentina Factbook

Although Argentina has been dominated Roman Catholicism for centuries, it appears that the Lord working in this land. Many have come to Christ in the last 20 years, and the numbers continue to grow. Such rapid growth presents many challenges to the church, but there is certainly much for which to praise God.

Argentina covers most of the southern portion of the South American continent. It's eastern border is the Atlantic Ocean. It is also bordered by Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Chile. Argentina's large land area provides a great deal of variety in climate and geography.

The population of Argentina is nearly 39 million. The vast majority of the people (85%) are of European descent and many of these groups have maintained their cultural identity. There are also significant groups of Mestizo, native indian, and Middle Eastern peoples.

Argentina gained independence from Spain in 1816. Governments in Argentina have a long history of corruption and mismanagement. During various periods, the military took or attempted to take control. The most recent military government ran from 1976 to 1983. War with Great Britain over the Falkland Islands occurred during this period. Democratic government has been maintained since 1983 and has provided much more stability.

Argentina is blessed with tremendous natural resources. Unfortunately, corruption and mismanagement led to severe economic difficulty. Hyper-inflation at various times over the last 20 years has crippled the country. However, Argentina has begun to make progress toward rebuilding a healthy economy.

There is freedom of religion even though the Roman Catholic Church receives support from the state. Over 90% of the people are Catholic. However, the Lord has begun to work in Argentina over the last 20-30 years. Evangelicals were almost nonexistent in 1970 but now represent over 10% of the population.

Rapid growth has brought its own problems. The resources of existing churches have been strained to the breaking point as new believers come in. Pastors are in short supply as are the opportunities for solid biblical training for those called to the ministry. Praise the Lord for such rapid growth and pray for these churches as they cope with it. Pray for more workers for this field.

Many native Indians have come to Christ. There is also a large Jewish community in which many are now Christians. Pray for the works among these two groups and for efforts to reach the rest of the country with the gospel.

Copyright 2006 by Brad Garrison

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