Things You Should Learn About Zambia as a Christian Nation
Demographics
Zambia is a Christian nation with over 80 percent of the population believing in the Christian faith. The current Zambian constitution declares Zambia a Christian nation while permitting freedom of conscience (including freedom of all worship).
Zambia, republic in south central Africa, is bounded on the north by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire) and Tanzania; on the east by Malawi; on the southeast by Mozambique; on the south by Zimbabwe, Botswana, and the Caprivi Strip of Namibia; and on the west by Angola.
Capital - Lusaka
Government - Republic
President – Hakainde Hichilema was elected the seventh President of Zambia on August 24, 2021
Currency - Zambian kwacha (ZMK)
Area total - 752,614 sq. km (about the size of Texas)
Water - 11,890 sq. km
Land - 740,724 sq. km
Population - 11,668,000 (2005 est.)
Language - English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages
Religion - Christian (+75%), Muslim and Hindu (24% or less), indigenous beliefs (1%)
Calling Code +260
Victoria Falls is considered among the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It's indigenously called Mosi-oa-Tunya (the Smoke that Thunders). It is said to be the largest waterfall in the world. This claim is based on a width of 1,708 meters (5,604 ft.) and height of 108 meters (360 ft.), forming the largest sheet of falling water in the world. It is located on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The best time to see Victoria Falls is during its peak season February through April.
Zambia Christian Church
Christianity has been very much at the heart of the narrative of the Zambian region since the European colonial explorations into the interior of Africa in the mid-19th century. The area features heavily in the accounts of David Livingstone's journeys in Central Africa. Livingstone's exploration of the region coincided with an increased interest in missions in the Evangelical churches of Britain, and despite his complicated motives, Livingstone became the darling of Evangelical expansion. This interest was partly the result of revivalism among Pietists and Methodists and among the Evangelicals of the Anglican church. People wanted to convert others to the same joyous religious experience they were enjoying. A 1996 amendment to the constitution declared the country a Christian nation while providing for freedom of religion in practice. The government requires registration of all religious groups; however, all applications reportedly are approved without discrimination. An estimated 85% of the population professes some form of Christianity. Another 5% are Muslim; 5% subscribe to other faiths, including Hinduism, Baha'ism, and traditional indigenous religions; and 5% are atheist.
The majority of Christians are either Roman Catholics or Protestants. Currently, there is also a surge in new Pentecostal churches, which have attracted many young followers. Muslims tend to be concentrated in parts of the country where Asians have settled—along the railroad line from Lusaka to Livingstone, in Chipata, and in the eastern province. Some members of the Muslim community have complained of discrimination since the country was declared a Christian nation. They claim they cannot freely teach and practice Islam; however, other Muslim organizations state they have not experienced any restrictions on their activities.
Sources:
Wikipedia: History of Christianity in Zambia
Encyclopedia of the Nations: Zambia - Religions
Zambia Church Leadership Reflections
Bishop John Ng'andu
Senior Pastor - Grace Exploits Center
Chairman - The Orphan Sunday Movement
On behalf of the Zambia Rural Pastors, I wish to thank God for Pastor Michael Roberts for hearing God and responding to cry of the Pastors working in the rural parts of our beloved country, Zambia. The larger portion of Zambia's population resides in the rural area. The majority of this population including ministers of the Gospel is semi-educated or has no education at all. On most occasions the people in these areas are extremely vulnerable to being misinformed or misled in the absence of balanced doctrine.
For a long time, modern Missionaries—both international and domestic—have overlooked the empowerment of the rural community. Most of them have concentrated their Pastors empowerment programs in urban areas. On the other hand, Bible schools are also tailored for people who have some basic education. Graduates from these Bible Schools also end up working in the urban areas which allows them to earn some monetary income. This leaves the rural areas with ill-equipped Pastors, whilst the hunger for the Gospel is so strong.
The caliber of ministers working in rural Zambia requires special attention. Most of them have little or no training at all. Some of them have no Bibles of their own, nor Bible aids, such as Bible Commentaries, Concordances, Dictionaries, Bible Study guides, etc. A number of ministers preach out of impulse or from any Biblical material they are able to acquire, regardless of the doctrinal background of such material.
The passion of rural Pastors cannot be doubted. One can see it from the commitment and improvisation they practice in ensuring that the Gospel is preached and people are saved. They have such a burden for the salvation of people. They cover long distances on foot to reach people that are scattered in rural Zambia. They meet in mud and grass thatched building for their services.
I have no doubt in my mind that the vision of Pastors Hope Ministries is the answer to the plight of the Pastors in the rural Zambia. They have been looking forward to such a time when someone could come to their aid by helping and offering some form of ministerial training and a provision of ministry tools such as Bibles and Bible aids.
Through Pastors Hope Ministries various Churches and individual believers can help in carrying or bearing the burdens of the rural Zambian Pastors in sharing the Gospel, despite the difficult circumstances they face. Local vernacular Bibles and Bible aids are the precious tools most desired by any minister of the Gospel. These ministry tools are far beyond the affordability of most Zambian rural Pastors. Anyone who therefore contributes towards putting these tools into the hands of these Pastors will have done a noble task. It will be as if they themselves are taking the Gospel to the rural community in Zambia.
Thank you therefore in advance for standing and supporting Pastors Hope Ministries.