Pray For…
Croatia
- Population - 4,409,659
- Percentage of Evangelicals - 0.4%
- Total Number of People Groups - 32
- Number of Unreached People Groups - 3
- Language Spoken - Croatian
- Major Religion -Christianity (Catholicism)
- Human Development Rank - 51
A land of 4 million people, Croatia sits as a centerpiece in Europe as a place in recent history, marked by conflict and ethnic strife. Long-Term Communist mismanagement and the war with Serbia undermined a previously solid economy. Though recovery is in process, there are still challenges with high unemployment and low wages among Croatia’s citizens. Politically focused in the 1990’s on the Balkan war, Croatia’s transition from nationalist politics to liberal democracy, anticipates their complete entrance into the EU for 2013. The profound impact of historic and recent hatred among Croat, Serb and Bosnian could continue to hamper the affected nations for generations to come though. The iron bond shackling ethnicity to religion hampers progress and stifles spiritual breakthrough. The Catholic Church is highly influential in Croatia. It has one of the highest active Catholic populations in Europe and enjoys an unofficial favoured status though Croatia is a secular state and freedom of religion exists. Evangelicals are one of the few groups straddling the ethnic divide that exists between Bosnians, Croats and Serbs. Many people from all ethnicities have become Christians and brought into fellowships together. Therefore Evangelical churches are spreading. Still relatively small in size and number, new fellowships are popping up around the country and need prayer for unity, leadership and theological training.
- Pray for true reconciliation and for the religious and ethnic bondages to be broken that can only happen through the power of Christ.
- Pray that all Croatians would move beyond empty rituals to a living relationship with Jesus.
- Evangelicals are one of the few groups that straddle the ethnic divide. Pray that evangelicals would continue to demonstrate the boundary-breaking, love of God.
- Pray for the effective, relevant and affordable training to help develop church leaders in the Croatian church.
- Pray for the church to grow as more Croatians come to know Christ as Lord and Savior.