Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Dec 10: United States of America
United States of America
North America
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 9,529,063 sq kmThe world’s third largest nation in area and population.
Population: 317,641,087 Annual Growth: 0.97%
Capital: Washington DC
Urbanites: 82%
HDI Rank: 13 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 364 (16% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: English. The growing Spanish-speaking Hispanic population is 11.2% of the population and numbers 34 million Languages: 176 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 246,553,012 | 77.62 | 0.5 |
| Evangelicals | 91,764,554 | 28.9 | 0.8 |
Challenges for Prayer
Hispanics are now the US’s largest minority. Predominantly from Mexico, they have immigrated in huge numbers, not always legally. Around 68% are Catholic, but 23% of Hispanics are Protestant or Independent, and this number is growing rapidly. Fully 40% of Hispanic evangelicals in the USA converted from Catholicism, largely due to evangelical services being oriented toward their language, culture and personal needs. Nearly half of Hispanic Catholics identify with the charismatic movement. All these factors combine to make Hispanics a powerful religious bloc with a living, dynamic faith. As immigrants, many struggle with poverty and the breakup of traditional family structures – 50% of Hispanic children are born out of wedlock. Pray for the effective discipleship of the nearly 50 million Hispanics in the USA; many of them eventually return to their homelands as highly effective missionaries.Native Americans, also called American Indians, have suffered intensely through centuries of encounters with white people. Before European contact, Native Americans numbered at least 20 million; by 1890, only 250,000 remained – most perished through diseases brought by Europeans. Through ruthless colonization and a long string of treaties and promises made and broken by whites, the natives lost almost all their lands, identity, heritage, culture and self-respect. Forced resettlement onto arid, fruitless lands helped create a dependency on the federal government. Today, hopelessness, poverty, disease, alcoholism, suicide, abuse and unemployment are common. Indigenous culture is being revived and demands for reparation are meeting with success. Pray for these:
a) The flourishing of Christianity among Native Americans. The failure by missions to enculturate the gospel, the imposition of European religious forms, the paternalistic and often cruel treatment of natives by the missions and the collusion of missionaries with the federal government all undermined the potential impact of the gospel. Today, perhaps only 5% of Native Americans are born again. Culturally appropriate ministry, development of indigenous forms of Christian worship and attention to the important processes of healing and deliverance are yielding fruit. Native Americans are realizing that they can be both Christian and Native American.
b) The full reconciliation of native and immigrant peoples. This goes far beyond apologies and financial reparations for wrongs done generations ago. True repentance by white Americans and true forgiveness by American Indians, when genuine, are usually precursors to great spiritual breakthrough.
c) Bible translation has regained importance as local languages are revived. Over 50 languages (and many more dialects) are in common use, and SIL and others have teams working in 27.
d) An indigenous movement of the gospel that will complete the evangelization of all 550 recognized tribes. God is raising up native American ministries to reach their own; Wiconi International, Eagles’ Wings Ministry, Indian Life Ministries and The Native American Resource Network are just a few. First Nations Monday is a multifaceted prayer network for and by the US’s indigenous peoples.
e) The indigenous peoples of Alaska have retained their identity, but their subsistence lifestyle places them at odds with the modern world and with the degradation of their environment. Today, many evangelical missions – such as SEND, Interact Ministries, Avant, Evangelical Covenant Church and Arctic Barnabas – work effectively in partnership, a sharp contrast to the demarcations of a century ago. The rigours of wilderness isolation, marked by vast distances accessible only by aircraft, and a harsh Arctic environment complicate the effective engagement of the unreached. No decisive people movement to Christ has yet occurred among the aboriginal peoples of Alaska.
For an additional 14 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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