Prayer Community

Twenty-three countries in Africa list English as an official language, the remains of a shared colonial history. Another two, Ethiopia and Eritrea, use English widely in government and education. Geographically, culturally, and religiously diverse, Anglophone African nations span the continent from Kenya and Tanzania in the east to Sierra Leone and Liberia in the west to South Africa and Botswana in the south.

In some countries, like Kenya and Zambia, the Church has grown rapidly over the last century, with Christians now representing a substantial majority. In countries like Nigeria, the population is more evenly divided between Christians and Muslims. In a small number of English-speaking nations, like Sierra Leone and Sudan, Islam is the dominant religion.

Even as several countries in Anglophone Africa have experienced economic growth, perennial challenges related to poverty, government corruption, political instability, and religious and ethnic conflict persist. In Ethiopia, where the Tigray War still rages in the north, as many as half a million people have perished from violence, starvation, and lack of medical access. In Nigeria, militant and terrorist groups have killed thousands of people this year, especially in rural areas. Please pray with us for God’s peace, protection, and provision in these places.

Especially in areas where Christianity is strong, the Church wields potential for significant influence. As the Church has grown, so also have theological schools. Hundreds of schools in the region provide pastoral training. More than a dozen Evangelical schools now offer PhD programs.

Through the Vital SustainAbility Initiative, ScholarLeaders has collaborated with eleven seminaries in Anglophone Africa:

• Ethiopian Full Gospel Theological Seminary (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
• Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
• Evangelical Theological College (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
• Mekane Yesus Seminary (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
• Jos ECWA Theological Seminary (Jos, Nigeria)
• Theological College of Northern Nigeria (Jos, Nigeria)
• Baptist Theological College – Benin (Nigeria)
• Baptist Theological Seminary – Eku (Nigeria)
• Baptist Theological College – Kaduna (Nigeria)
• Baptist Theological College – Lagos (Nigeria)
• Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary (Ogbomosho, Nigeria)

Through LeaderStudies, ScholarLeaders has supported 86 scholars for doctoral work from 13 Anglophone African countries, including 14 currently from Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, and Uganda.

We invite you to learn more about the Church in Anglophone Africa through these Global InSights:

• 2022: Paschal as a Pillar of Mystery by Tekle Belachew Nigru (Ethiopia)
• 2019: You are Human When You Serve Others featuring Emiola Nihinlola (Nigeria)
• 2017: The Marginalized Trio by John Jusu (Kenya)
• 2016: Focus on What is Working by Seblewongel Denneque (Ethiopia)
• 2012: Does Christianity Have a Public Face? by Sunday Agang (Nigera)
• 2012: Working Theology by Hailu Cherenet Biru (Ethiopia)
• 2010: Crisis Counseling in Africa featuring Gladys Mwiti (Kenya)

Join us in prayer for our Anglophone African sisters and brothers in Christ as they guide the Church’s response to religious and ethnic violence, political corruption and instability, poverty and disease, rapid urbanization, syncretism, and ongoing discipleship needs.