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1 Romania has Europe's third highest population of Evangelicals, but the number of evangelical believers has not grown substantially since 1990
2 Since 1989, Romania has seen a sustained church planting movement, with an average of five new church buildings opening every week until 1999
1 The burden of a tragic past lies heavily upon Romania
2 Religious freedom is a treasured, but threatened gain
3 The Lord's Army is a remarkable, unofficial renewal movement within the Orthodox Church
4 The challenges facing the Church
a) The transition from severe persecution and restrictions, to freedom of worship and witness has not been easy
b) Ethnic divisions infect Christians too
c) Materialism imported from the West has damaged spirituality
d) Meeting the needs of Christian youth
e) Nominalism among the German and Hungarian Protestants
f) The Evangelical Alliance (EA) formed in 1991 brings together the main Protestant and Independent bodies
g) A saturation church planting movement is developing in Romania, as are several prayer movements
5 Bible training for existing and future leaders is a great need
a) Bible schools and seminaries have been launched by the Baptists, Pentecostals, Brethren and Presbyterians
b) BEE (Bible Education by Extension) was pioneered in Romania and spread to many Communist Bloc countries
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Area 237,500 sq.km. Balkan state on the lower Danube River, mostly fertile rolling plains.
Population (2000) 22,326,502 -0.36%AGR
Capital Bucharest 2,300,000.
Romanian 85.1%; Hungarian 7.1%; Roma (Gypsy) 5.4%; Turkic 0.8%; German 0.5%; Other 1.1%.
Literacy 97%. Official language Romanian. All languages 14. Languages with Scriptures 8Bi 2NT 3por 4w.i.p.
A land rich in agriculture, minerals and oil but pillaged by a rapacious elite under Communism.
Unemployment 45% in 1998. HDI 0.752; 68th/174. Public debt 25.6% of GNP. Income/person $1,410 (4.5% of USA).
Communist coup in 1947 with Russian support.
Under Communism, manipulation and control of the churches was oppressive, with severe persecution for those who refused to submit.
| Religions |
Population % |
Adherents |
Ann.Gr. |
| Christian |
87.85 |
19,613,832 |
-0.2% |
| non-Religious/other |
11.08 |
2,473,776 |
-1.3% |
| Muslim |
1.00 |
223,265 |
-0.4% |
| Jewish |
0.04 |
8,931 |
-4.7% |
| Other |
0.03 |
6,698 |
-0.4% |
| Christians |
Denom. |
Affil.% |
,000 |
Ann.Gr. |
| Protestant |
20 |
6.38 |
1,425 |
+0.4% |
| Independent |
17 |
0.65 |
144 |
+5.3% |
| Anglican |
1 |
0.00 |
0 |
+1.1% |
| Catholic |
3 |
7.30 |
1,630 |
-0.4% |
| Orthodox |
8 |
77.86 |
17,383 |
-2.2% |
| Marginal |
3 |
0.64 |
142 |
+2.1% |
| Doubly affiliated |
|
-4.98 |
-1,120 |
n.a. |
Churches in Romania
Missionaries from Romania
115 in 15 agencies to 6 countries
Missionaries to Romania
453 in 85 agencies from 20 countries
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