also today: Montserrat

Answers to Prayer

1 Mongolia was once one of the most closed countries in the world, but is now relatively open, despite restrictions, with around 400 or more expatriate Christian workers

2 In 1989 there may have been only 4 Mongolian Christians

Challenges for Prayer

1 The daunting economic situation is a major challenge for the government and deeply affects every aspect of life – much unemployment, poverty, 200,000 malnourished children, etc

2 Lamaistic Buddhism has revived, monasteries have multiplied and many Buddhist sites and images have been restored

3 The Church in Mongolia is a reality for the first time in modern history

a) Great interest in the gospel has often been with misconceptions about missionaries and mixed motives – material benefits, escape overseas from poverty

b) Age-imbalanced congregations – most are comprised of youth with a few old folk

c) Christianity is still too foreign and has not really become culturally Mongolian yet biblically centred

d) Persecution of Christians occurs – mainly through discrimination and bureaucratic difficulties

e) Rural churches have little support or teaching due

f) Spiritual unity

4 The multiplication of other religions and sects is a concern

5 Mongolian church leaders are increasing in number and many are being trained at the Union Bible Training Center (100 students in 2001 from 45 congregations)

6 The expatriate Christian workforce has grown

7 The desperate economic plight of the nation has led to suffering, exploitation and social upheaval

8 The less evangelized

a) Nomads and some of the sparsely inhabited provinces

b) The Kazakh are a majority in the far-western province of Bayan-Olgiy

c) Ethnic minorities

d) Students

9 Specific Christian support ministries

a) Bible translation has been a rather divisive and controversial issue

b) Christian literature. Good discipleship and follow-up literature is needed

c) The JESUS film is available in most indigenous languages and has been widely used

d) MAF was granted permission in 1999 to commence flying operations

e) Christian radio and television

also today: Montserrat

Geography

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Area 1,565,000 sq.km. Grassland, forests in north, three major mountain ranges and the great Gobi Desert in the east and south.

Population (2000) 2,662,020 +1.66%AGR

Capital Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator) 774,000.

Peoples

Mongolian 90%; Turkic 6.6%; Other 3.4%.

Literacy 87%. Official language Halh Mongolian. All languages 12. Languages with Scriptures 2Bi 1NT 7w.i.p.

Economy

A pastoral agricultural economy with 90% of exports being livestock and animal products but severely limited by Mongolia's distance from the sea and poor roads and infrastructure. HDI 0.618; 119^th/174. Public debt 64% of GNP. Income/person $390 (1.2% of USA).

Politics

Unified as nation in 1203 which, under Genghis Khan, became the greatest land empire ever known stretching from China and Korea to Central Europe.

Religion

The Constitution honours Buddhism, Shamanism and Islam as Mongolia's main religions but grants certain religious freedoms to all people.

Churches in Mongolia

Missionaries from Mongolia

54 in 5 agencies

Missionaries to Mongolia

362 in 55 agencies from 22 countries

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Internet Links