Challenges for Prayer

1 The 19th Century was notable for revivals, a vigorous free church movement and great commitment to missions

2 The Church of Sweden is no longer the State Church, but its size, political influence and social impact is large

3 The spiritual need of Sweden has steadily grown over the 20th Century

4 There are encouragements

a) There is some growth in the newer charismatic networks

b) The Pentecostal Movement broadcasts on 100 radio stations and runs a successful drug rehabilitation programme

c) The Pentecostals, InterAct and the Alliance Mission jointly own a Christian daily newspaper

d) Credo, the IFES-linked student ministry, has grown through some innovative outreach

e) The Alpha Course movement is growing and in 2000 there were 261 of these evangelistic and discipling groups functioning

5 Theological training is a key prayer target

6 Missionary outreach from Sweden has been outstanding

7 Ministry challenges in Sweden:

a) Youth. A whole generation of young people are growing up who have no meaningful exposure to the gospel

b) The Saami peoples of Lapland in the north speak five languages

c) There are rural and urban areas with few evangelical churches;

d) The Balkan Wars of the 1990s, with the horrendous ethnic hatreds and 'cleansing', led to a flood of up to 300,000 Albanian, Croatian, Bosnian and Serb refugees into Sweden

e) Political and religious refugees, first from the Communist Bloc, but increasingly from the Middle East and Africa have been given a refuge in Sweden

f) Muslims have grown from a handful in 1960 to around 300,000 in 2000

g) The Chinese number around 7,000

Geography

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Area 449,964 sq.km. The largest of the Scandinavian countries, a land of mountains and forests.

Population (2000) 8,910,214 +0.25%AGR

Capital Stockholm 1,650,000.

Peoples

Indigenous 88.8%.

Non-indigenous 11.2%.

Literacy 99%. Official language Swedish. All languages 11. Languages with Scriptures 4Bi 1NT 3por 4w.i.p.

Economy

Highly developed industry and information technology. HDI 0.923; 6^th/174. Public debt 32% of GNP. Income/person $26,210 (83% of USA).

Politics

Parliamentary government with a constitutional monarchy.

Religion

Complete freedom of religion.

Churches in Sweden

Missionaries from Sweden

1,106 in 49 agencies to 100 countries

Missionaries to Sweden

104 in 24 agencies

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