Strategic prayer

  • Spiritually, Senegal is both open and closed. The nation enjoys religious freedom and is remarkably tolerant toward other faiths – a point of pride for Senegalese, perhaps because so few Muslims have ever come to Christ. Despite a longstanding Christian presence and outreach, a spiritual heaviness covers the land. Allegiance to religious leaders renewed in each generation prevents any significant people movement to Christ.Virtually all Wolof, Fulbe and Mande peoples remain Muslim. Pray for the spiritual breakthrough for which so many wait.
  • Evangelical believers are few. Their growth rate is slow, and only among the Serer (FLM, AoG), Bassari (AoG), Balanta (WEC, AoG, NTM) and Jola (WEC, IMB, CAPRO) has there been any significant church planting. But members of the fledgling Church are growing confident about their identity in Christ and as evangelicals in Senegal. Pray that the Church will take hold of its identity in Christ and powerfully demonstrate its outworking to the nation.
  • Wolof and the Lebu sub-group, resolutely Muslim despite much and varied outreach from the AoG, WV, IMB, Brethren, WEC, SIM, Mennonites and others; results are meagre. Though only around 100 believers and the beginnings of a few congregations exist, a change is occurring. A raft of Christian resources, including the NT in Wolof, audio Scripture, the JESUS film, Christian radio,Wolof worship music and more, along with increased workers – both expat and national – give more opportunities than ever for the Wolof to know Jesus. Pray for the underlying Spiritism that binds many to be broken, and for the birth of an indigenous Wolof Church.
  • Unreached Fulbe – including the Fulakunda, Tukulor and Fulba Jeeri – largely a pastoral people. Many are nomadic, which presents a great missiological challenge to those seeking to plant churches. Almost all are at least nominally Muslim, and the Tukulour consider themselves the progenitors and defenders of Islam in Senegal. The Lutherans work among the northern Fulbe. WEC works in the Casamance, where there are two small congregations. The Tukulor NT was published in 1998 and the Fulakunda NT in 2000. Partnerships to reach these peoples are emerging, and the number of believers, while still tiny, is increasing.