Baroda Bible Club

March - 09 to 10

COUNTRY:BOLIVIA
Population	8,421,000
Peoples	European 10%. Mainly of Spanish descent; they dominate the political and economic life of the country. Mestizo 25%. Mixed race, Spanish-speaking, predominantly urban. Amerindian 64%. Highland peoples 62%. Quechua (2 groups) 2,500,000; Aymara (26 sub-groups) 1,889,000; Mixed Quechua-Aymara 227,000. Lowland peoples 2%. About 35 groups. A further seven have recently become extinct. Major groups: Chiquitano 47,000; Guarani (2) 33,000; Guarayu 12,000; Tsimane 9,200; Ignaciano 7,700; Trinitario 7,700; Tacana 6,200; Yuracare 4,600; Ayoreo 2,300; Mataco 2,200. Other 1%. Plaudietsch (dialect of German) 23,000 spoken by Mennonite settlers; Japanese 14,000; Chinese 5,000; Jews 600; Korean.
Literacy	81%. Official languages: Spanish, Aymara, Quechua. All living languages 38. Languages with Scriptures 3Bi 16NT 7por.
Cities	Capitals: La Paz (administrative) 1,092,000; Sucre (legal) 93,000. La Paz is the world's highest capital at 3,600 metres. Other major cities: Santa Cruz 467,000; Cochabamba 349,000. Urbanization 49%.
Economy	Decline through frequently corrupt and unstable governments, the fall of worldwide tin and cotton prices, and hyper-inflation (26,000% in 1984), brought the country to its knees. Since 1985 courageous reforms have stabilized the economy. Shared responsibility for ending illegal cocaine exports between the consumers and producers is bringing in foreign aid to build a more healthy agricultural industry. Unemployment 22%. Public debt/person $500. Income/person $600 (3% of USA).
Politics	Independent from Spain in 1825 after a long war for freedom. Since then, over 200 successful coups or revolutions have held back meaningful progress. Since 1985, successive democratic governments have stabilized the country and give cautious hope for improvement.
Religion	The Catholic Church continues to be recognized as the State Church, but the rapid growth of non-Catholic religious bodies has threatened this status. Religious freedom and separation of Church and State is an issue yet to be fully resolved. Non-religious 5.9%. Animist 15%. Predominantly Aymara and some lowland peoples. About 58% of the population has been baptized as Catholics, but are practising animists or Christo-pagan, so statistics below must be interpreted in this light. Baha'i 3%. Strong among the Quechua. Other 0.4%. Buddhists, Shinto, Muslim 1,000, Spiritist, Jews 600. Christian 75.7%. Affil 88.5% (see note under Roman Catholic). Growth 3.5%. Protestant 9.3%. Growth 8.6%. Roman Catholic 65.2%. Affiliated 77.9%, but of this figure syncretic Christo-pagan are 52.9%, nominal 15%, practising 10%. Growth 2.8%. Orthodox 0.04%. Growth 2.1%. Marginal 1.17%. Growth 16.3%.
1. Democracy and freedom are new realities for Bolivia. The benefits have yet to reach the Amerindian majority that has long been mired in poverty and politically marginalized. Pray for courage and moral integrity for the democratic leaders as they grapple with the immense economic inequalities and social ills of society, not least of the latter being the cocaine "industry". About 50% of the world's cocaine is grown in Bolivia. Bolivian Evangelicals are becoming active in exercising their political responsibility to bring Biblical principles into the government of the country.
2. The great responsiveness of many sections of the population is cause for praise to God. The economic and political disasters of the '80s have increased spiritual hunger. Evangelicals have consistently doubled their numbers every ten years since 1960. The major growth has been among: a) The Aymara. A people movement since 1930, with 17% growth per year, has resulted in 20% of these animistic people becoming Evangelicals (Baptist, AoG, Friends, Methodist and AEM/SIM-related churches). b) The urban areas and frontier settlements in the Amazon lowlands, with many conversions through evangelistic outreach and campaigns among the mestizos. c) The lowland Amerindian tribes (130,000), whose evangelization is nearly complete.
3. The Catholic Church is confronted by multiple crises. Its long-held political supremacy is threatened and annual losses to other churches and religions are disturbing. It has failed to develop an indigenous clergy or challenge the rampant paganism within the majority it claims to shepherd. Pray for an outpouring of the Spirit.
4. Evangelical unity, a product of a repentance and prayer revival in 1986, has been advanced by weekly prayer meetings among Christian leaders in La Paz. Pray for love and unity of vision among all true believers for the evangelization of the 65% of the population that never goes to church.
5. The Association of Evangelicals of Bolivia is sponsoring the launch of the DAWN programme. Pray that this may be a sustained, interdenominational, coordinated, country-wide effort which results in: a) The evangelization of every people group. b) The tripling of Evangelicals and churches in the '90s.
6. Territorial powers of darkness have long held the nation. Only now are Christians coming to grips with the reality of the spiritual battle. Pray that the Lord may rebuke these and liberate millions from fears, bondages, sin and compromise.
7. The less reached: a) The upper classes have long held exclusive control of the reins of power, but were shocked by the national disasters of the '80s. Few were Evangelicals before 1985, but all is changing and many are seeking the Lord. The Ekklesia Church came to life in the 1986 revival; many of its members are from this class. b) The Quechua in the high Andes and lowland farming colonies are largely Christo-pagans and have long been indifferent to the gospel. By 1990 only 2% have become Evangelical. About 70% of the Quechua are beyond the reach of present efforts. c) The 100,000 tertiary students in the nine universities are disillusioned with traditional Catholicism, often secular, leftist in political views, and discouraged by interrupted courses and bleak future prospects. About 500 students in eight universities are linked with the CCU (IFES); others are linked with the ministry of CCC in several universities. d) The youth are largely neglected. Few churches know how to meet their spiritual needs. Unemployment, urban violence and increasing drug abuse enhance the growing generation gap. Pray for the work of SU and others seeking to reach and disciple the youth.
8. The lowland tribes have been largely evangelized at great cost and with considerable success. Praise the Lord for the work of NTM, AEM-SIM, WGM, UWM, South American Mission, SIL and others. Their ministries have been strongly attacked by anti-Christian anthropologists and others as "genocidal", but in answer to prayer the effects of these attacks have been reduced. Pray for the neutralizing of these assaults, the maturation of indigenous leaders, the integration of these believers into Bolivian life, and the sound conversion of the second generation of Christians.
9. Leadership training at various levels is vital for the many growing churches -- from jungle village tribal churches to sophisticated elite city congregations. There are over 25 Protestant seminaries and Bible schools as well as a number of TEE institutes and BCCs. All these can never provide maturity and spiritual authority without the deep working of the Spirit of God. Men and women who know their God are needed!
10. Foreign missions. Early missionaries struggled long against hostility, persecution and harsh living conditions before the harvest ripened. The contribution of AEM (now SIM) was unique in pioneering most of the major gospel advances and ministries in the country, but the work of AoG and Ekklesia is also significant in new visions and advance. The missionary body now needs to concentrate more on church planting among the Quechua and upper classes and the discipling of the youth. Major missions include NTM (130 workers), SIM (109), Swedish Pentecostal Mission (65), WGM (58), Mennonites (56), Brethren (50), GMU (49), South American Mission (47), Norwegian Lutheran Mission (44), AoG (35), SBC (23), CBIM (15), UWM (16), Friends (12). Major missionary-contributing nations are USA (557), Norway (75), Canada (73), Sweden (56), UK (53), Brazil (49) and Korea (30). There are six Korean missions in the country, and Koreans have founded two of the three Christian universities.
11. Bible translation and distribution. The Bible Society has played a major role in every aspect of Bible work and now has its own press. Over one million New Testaments have been distributed in schools. The Aymara and Quechua Bibles are in great demand. SIL has almost achieved the amazing objective of completing the Bible translation programme for all the Amerindian languages that warranted it. May God's Word become part of the life of the entire nation!
12. Christian Media: a) TV and radio have made a big impact through six Christian radio and two television networks and also the international stations. The latter include HCJB, TWR, FEBC, and High Adventure (USA), among others. Many hours of programmes are broadcast daily in Spanish, with HCJB adding eight hours per week in 17 Quechua dialects. The big gap is the lack of broadcasting in Aymara. b) Christian literature -- especially tracts, teaching materials and books -- is in short supply in Aymara and Quechua. AEM/SIM have a significant ministry in this area. c) The Jesus film is being widely used, with considerable impact in Spanish, Aymara and Quechua.