7 Less reached sections of the population:

a) Provinces: Lower Austria and Burgenland in the east, Styria in the southeast and Voralberg and Tyrol in the west have fewer Evangelicals

b) Towns: In 1985, there were 55 towns of over 5,000 people without an evangelical witness

c) Cultists: The aggressive activities of New Age movements, Eastern cults, Jehovah's Witnesses (more numerous than evangelicals) and Mormons have gained a considerable following among younger people

8 Refugees have flooded into Austria since WWII – from Communism up to 1990 and, later, from the Yugoslav wars and economic hardships in Central Europe

a) The six ethnic groups of the former Yugoslavia

b) Muslim Turks, Kurds, Arabs and Iranians

9 Expatriate missionaries have declined in numbers through attrition and visa restrictions

10 Witness among the 222,000 students is one of the most fruitful in the land today

11 Media ministries for prayer:

a) Literature ministries. Scripture distribution by The Bible Society and the literature ministries of Austrian Bible Mission and CLC all need prayer

b) The JESUS film has been seen by about 17% of the population

c) Radio — TWR broadcasts in German via the Astra satellite and over Radio Tirana in Albania

Politics

The heart of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918.

Religion

The relationship between the state and the Catholic/Reformed Churches is defined in the constitution.

Churches in Austria

Missionaries from Austria

69 in 18 agencies to 26 countries

Missionaries to Austria

539 in 70 agencies from 21 countries

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Geography

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Area 83,855 sq.km. Landlocked.

Population (2000) 8,210,520 0.52%AGR

Capital Vienna 2,072,000 – over 25% of the population.

Peoples

Indigenous 93%; Immigrants and Refugees 7%.

Literacy 100%. Official language German.

Economy

Predominantly industrial. HDI 0.904; 16^th/174. Income/person $26,890 (89% of USA). Public debt 54% of GNP.

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