Central African Republic

Answer to Prayer

Praise God that the national Church is emerging as a vehicle for witness and service. National missionaries and agencies are on the increase, and indigenous-led ministries are springing up. Bible translation work in mother tongues and literacy in the churches are progressing as well.

Challenge for Prayer

Widespread evangelism, especially in the 1960s and 1970s, yielded massive numbers of converts but a shortage of disciples. This has slowed the momentum of growth and is evident in the following challenges needing prayer.

a) Widespread nominalism and syncretism. The huge numbers of unaffiliated Christians reflect this, and even within most churches there is little depth of commitment and limited grasp and application of the truths of Scripture. Animistic religions may be decreasing on the surface, but their influence is still strong.

b) Denominational rifts hold back cooperative efforts. Pray against the root causes. A failure on the part of leaders to demonstrate Christ-like humility and graciousness in their walk and ministry not only stunts their own fruitfulness but passes on their flaws to their congregations. Breakdowns between church leaders and missionaries have on occasion caused heartache, multiplied splits and isolated ministries from one another. Pray for healing of past wounds and for a deeper appreciation and level of trust among God’s servants, both national and expatriate.

c) The failure to make discipleship a top priority also means that high moral standards and honesty are frequently lacking in the churches. Pray that increased emphasis on disciple-making might yield Christians of high moral fibre.

     For an additional 7 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.