Philippines
The turmoil, suffering and rapid changes in the nation have prepared millions to seek a personal faith in Christ. Praise God that growth has been marked in all evangelical groups.
The government needs prayer. Courageous and unpopular decisions on moral, social and economic issues need to be taken. Pray for Christians in positions of power.
The Church faces critical challenges:
- How to give a biblical response to the gross inequalities and corruption in society.
- Rapid growth with inadequate discipling. The proliferation of new groups, often led by those with minimal training and almost no accountability, has given rise to doctrinal distortions, fanciful interpretations and problems such as corruption.
- Praise God for outstanding Filipino leaders, but their numbers are too few.
- Pray for the theological and bible colleges [there are over 100].
- The lack of spiritual unity across denominational lines.
- Pray for a humble sensitivity on the part of Western missionaries as Filipino Christians are seeking an identity of their own.
- Pray also for safety. Missionaries have been threatened, kidnapped and even killed by guerrillas and criminal gangs.
People who have not heard the gospel:
- Mindanao: The 18 Manobo tribal peoples are isolated, and outreach to them is limited by warfare and intimidation.
- Settled central mountain peoples of Luzon.
- In Manila three million people live in squalid shanty-town slums, some living on and from the city rubbish dumps. There are 900 depressed areas in the city, 400 of which have no church. Most of the churches are in the more affluent areas.
- Of the Chinese population, three per cent are evangelical Christians.
- Student ministry has developed despite obstacles to open evangelism. Pray for the development of strong witnessing groups in schools and universities.
There are over 100 Christian bookstores in the country. Few countries are better served by Christian television and radio.