Although there are a great number of Christians in the South and East of Africa, as you move into Northern Africa, the number decreases dramatically.
This shift between faiths has been labelled a ‘religious fault line’, and is a source of conflict[1]. These are regions of significant tension, where danger to people of both faiths is imminent, such as in Sudan, South Sudan, Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire and others.
Here’s the pictorial evidence from 2010. The green areas represent majority Muslim populations, the blue majority Christian populations and the white areas in which the split is almost equal – these are the fault lines.
You may have heard the words ‘Reverse Mission’ in some AE publications – but what exactly does this phrase mean for AE missions in Africa?
International CEO Stephen Mbogo has a vision to equip and empower pastors in Northern Africa with the skills to evangelise in their own countries.
These training events, or ‘Go North’ initiatives, involve bringing pastors and evangelists from Northern Africa to the South to train together with Sub-Saharan pastors, to strengthen and encourage North African brothers and sisters, and give context to churches in the South. These skills and training are then put into use on mission in the North. Due to the sensitivity of these missions, and the potential threats to Christians, we are not able to broadcast the full details.
Cross-cultural skills, student ministry, and sharing Christian testimonies with Muslims are some of the training courses that are conducted. AE will be carrying out a number of training events in 2017.
Please pray for safety and encouragement for those taking part in mission and evangelism training in Northern Africa.
[1] Pew Forum.org, https://www.pewforum.org/2010/04/15/executive-summary-islam-and-christianity-in-sub-saharan-africa/ 5 July, 2017.
