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Total Number of Evangelicals

Cultural Bridges to UPGs

Regional Access to UPGs

Religious Freedom

Prosperity

Current Sending Abroad

Mobilization Potential

Custom Mobilization Potential

Number of Evangelicals

Cultural Bridges

Strategic Access

Religious Freedoms

Current Sending

This infographic provides a visual score for seven data points ranked on a 0 to 100 scale. Faded icons show scores for other countries on the mobilization index. See below for actual scores and country-specific insights.

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"The Land of God"

Evangelicals Make Up One Fourth of Zambia

Zambia is home to approximately 4,730,164 evangelicals, making up 25% of the total population. [[1]] With a growth rate of 3.2% annually, the Zambian evangelical church is growing at a rate only slightly faster than the global average of 2.6% [[2]] Christianity has been a pillar of Zambia since the European colonists arrived in central Africa in the mid 19th century.&nbsp;
After gaining political independence from Britain, Zambia leaned heavily into religion, which was previously a concern, as the colonial administration viewed religious activity as indoctrination and a potential threat. Today, religion is thriving in Zambia, as more than 75% of the nation is Protestant, and close to one-fifth of the population is Roman Catholic. [[3]]&nbsp;
Ask that the Lord would raise up Zambian evangelicals that are burdened for the hearts of the unreached and take His good news to their neighbors.

Culturally Bridged to Millions of Unreached Muslims

According to the Geert Hofstede Cultural Value Index, Zambia has a median cultural distance score of 14. This ranks as having moderate cultural similarities to the 30 UPG nations on our list. [[4]] Zambia's closest cultural neighbors are Iran, Nepal, Sierra Leone, and Thailand. The nation also has six more countries that are also within 10 points of cultural distance from them. Of the nation's ten closest cultural neighbors, all but Nepal are either located in the Middle East, or have significant Muslim populations. With cultural connections to these predominantly Muslim countries, Zambian evangelicals are well bridged to the Arab world and can more easily share the goodness of the gospel with them than could a country with fewer cultural similarities.&nbsp;
Zambian society does not have extreme scores in any of the Hofstede subcategories; however, the nation operates as a collectivistic society, meaning that the value of the whole is more important than the value of the individual. This is a characteristic shared by many UPG countries on our list, especially in Islamic cultures. Praise God for such a bridge to the unreached Muslim world! The Zambian evangelical church is culturally bridged to over 82 million Muslims living just in Iran alone!&nbsp;

Low In Country Access but Regional Connection to the Arab World

Zambian evangelicals have access to approximately 100,000 UPGs in-country and over 76 million UPGs regionally! [[1]] This ranks the nation at ""low"" for strategic access to the unreached.&nbsp; Though there is no significant population of unreached people within their borders, Zambian evangelicals have regional access to the millions of unreached people in central and south Africa. Many of these are Muslims, with the Zambian church culturally connected. This is a great opportunity for Zambian evangelicals to learn about, love, and have meaningful relationships with unreached people without having to travel far.&nbsp;
Ask that the Father would show the Zambian evangelical church their strategic position in His divine plan to reach all of the Arab world and every tribe, tongue, and nation beyond that.

Religious Freedom for Zambian Christians

According to Pew Research, Zambia is ranked moderately regarding religious freedoms with a score of 2.7. [[5]] The Zambian constitution defines the state as Christian and prohibits all religious discrimination, providing for freedom of worship and conscience. It is required for religious groups to seek government recognition by meeting legally established criteria under the guidance of larger religious groups called ""mother bodies"" that shepherd multiple churches. [[6]] &nbsp;
Though the nation is religiously free and Christians experience extremely little to no governmental or societal persecution, the nation does experience much hostility toward any sign of witchcraft or magic. Recent reports have shown the unlawful killings of multiple elderly women who were suspected to be witches by members of society. It is now illegal and considered profiling if anyone accuses another of witchcraft. [[6]]&nbsp;
Pray that the Lord would ease any tensions between religious groups and give the church the wisdom of how to interact with social accusations of dark magic. Praise God for the opportunity the Zambian church has to practice, worship, and raise up disciples without great fear of persecution. This is great news when we consider the mobilization of the Zambian church!

Low and Slowly Declining Prosperity

With a ranking of 127 out of 167, Zambia scores low in overall prosperity on the Legatum Prosperity Index, especially when compared to the other countries on the Mobilization Index, as well as the other countries in the Sub-Saharan African region. Two of the country's highest-scoring categories are safety and security and the natural environment. Their lowest scores are economic quality and living conditions. [[2]]&nbsp;
The overall prosperity of the nation has been declining over the past decade, dropping 12 positions in the last ten years. This low prosperity could pose a huge barrier to mission mobilization efforts in the future when looking to launch to Zambia, as well as for Zambian trying to launch to the unreached. &nbsp;&nbsp;
The high percentage of people living in poverty, low economic quality, and weak living conditions are all major factors to keep in mind as we prayerfully consider how to most strategically mobilize the Zambian church. Ask that the Lord would not allow these conditions to be discouraging for the Zambian church but rather would give them an opportunity to rely on the providence of the Lord, whose plan for missions is not hindered by worldly barriers.

4,700 More Goers if Zambia Sends 0.1% to the Unreached

The Zambian evangelical church is currently sending 400 in the country and 80 abroad to the unreached! &nbsp;A prayer goal of the Mobilization Index is to see 0.1% of a country's evangelicals mobilized to the unreached. With 80 sent abroad, the country currently sends about .00001% of its evangelical population to the unreached. If this prayer goal were to happen, the world would see an increase of roughly 4,700 evangelicals sent out to the unreached. Pray that the Lord of the harvest would raise up workers to go out into the ready harvest!&nbsp;
Much of a lack of sending can be tied to a nation's low economic prosperity. Even if the hearts of the church are turned to the unreached, the nation's lack of funds, safety, and stability can pose huge barriers to launching missionaries. Pray that the church would look to the providence of God alone, trusting that He provides the means to send those who are willing to go in His timing. Ask also that the church would use its cultural similarities to the Arab world and its proximity to many unreached nations as a bridge to share the good news of the gospel!

High Mobilization Potential for the Zambian Church

There is a phenomenal opportunity for their evangelicals to take the gospel to UPGs in their own country, as well as the millions in their region and all other countries throughout Southern Africa. If 0.1%, or 1 in 1000, of Zambian evangelicals, were mobilized, the nation could send out over 4,700 more missionaries to the unreached! &nbsp;
With low economic scores and high percentages living in poverty, Zambia's generosity score ranks low at 25%. [[7]] A sense of selfless generosity could be extremely beneficial in increasing the number of missionaries and mobilizers sent to the unreached, but it is difficult to attain in a nation stricken by poverty. Pray that the Lord would provide the physical means needed to support a wave of goers! &nbsp;&nbsp;
An important factor in mobilization is a country's youth population. 46% of Zambia's population is under the age of 15. [[8]] This is a great opportunity for the discipleship of the younger generation within the local churches, as this younger generation could grow to lead a world mission-sending movement! As nearly half of the country is under 15 years old, the nation would greatly benefit from children and family mobilization, as there is great potential to mobilize these young believers to reach the millions of UPGs within their region. Pray that the Lord would raise up leaders and mobilizers for and out of the younger generation of their church!&nbsp;
When we consider Zambia's religious freedom, access to the unreached, and prosperity and sending, we rank their mobilization potential as high!

Obstacles:
<ul>
<li>A great challenge in launching missionaries from Zambia is their need for access to unreached nearby. Where Christians in some countries can minister to the unreached from their hometown, Zambians will most likely have to travel significant distances to have meaningful relationships with unreached peoples.&nbsp;</li>
<li>A low generosity score could drastically hinder the Zambian church's sending ability. Evangelicals might have the desire to go to the unreached but could be supported by a lack of biblical giving and effective support raising. &nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Opportunities:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Because Zambia is a religiously free nation, the church has the opportunity to raise support, practice kingdom giving, and increase its sending to reach the 0.1% prayer goal without fear of persecution!&nbsp;</li>
<li>Zambia has a significant population of youths, making up almost half of the total population! The church has great potential to mobilize and raise up the next generation of Christians through mentorship and sharing God's clear heart for the nations laid out in scripture.</li>
</ul>

Prayer:
<ul>
<li>Pray that the Zambian church would have insight in recognizing and acting upon their cultural similarities to the Arab world, much of which lies just a few countries away in West Africa.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Ask the Lord that Zambian evangelicals would be burdened to take the gospel to the millions of unreached in their region, and would send out .1% of their numbers!</li>
</ul>
Praises:
<ul>
<li>Praise God for the ways in which Zambia, though it has an extremely small Islamic population, is bridged to the unreached Arab world. What a gift that the church can use to effectively share the gospel!&nbsp;</li>
<li>Praise God for the rich history of Christianity that Zambia has! Their past, filled with Christian influence and strong religious ideals, has laid the groundwork for the modern church to raise up go-ers who have a heart for every tribe tongue and nation that has yet to hear the glory of the gospel.</li>
</ul>

PEW religious restriction numbers Myanmar

Zambia Constitutional Religious Restrictions

Official Country Name:The Republic of Zambia

Population:17,861,000

Region:East and Southern Africa

Government:Presidential Representative Democratic Republic

Official Languages:English

Religious Demographics:Christian ±87%, Evangelical ±25%, Muslim ±1%, Ethnoreligious ±9%

Zambia