Page 250 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

A History of the Church in Africa

Then, as the Decade of Harvest of the 1990s was launched, the church
focused on reaching the entire country for Christ. The 2007 Assemblies
of God statistics indicated that the TAG numbered 3,193 churches and
preaching points. There are now five Assemblies of God Bible colleges in
Tanzania, where many hundreds of students are preparing for local and
cross-cultural ministry. Dr. Barnabus Mtokambali was elected as General
Superintendent recently, and the TAG has developed a systematic plan to
plant churches in every Tanzanian community. Here, the Pentecostal river
is flowing abundantly.

Indian Ocean Basin
French Assemblies of God missionaries went to the Indian Ocean
Basin countries of Mauritius and Reunion. It appears that Swedish
and Brazilian missionaries may have arrived in Madagascar before
the French. In any case, they encountered a mighty outpouring of the
Holy Spirit. Missionaries from other countries, including the United
States of America, have partnered with the work. Today, the largest
Protestant church in Mauritius and Reunion is the Assemblies of God,
and the work is also growing rapidly in Madagascar. The greatest
hope for the evangelization of the Indian Ocean Basin comes from the
Pentecostal churches.

Although a history of the church from a Pentecostal perspective
could provide several volumes regarding East Africa and the Indian
Ocean Basin, I will not attempt to list all of the churches. The river
flows widely, and in my opinion, deeply, and it is ever increasing. It is
my prayer that it will sweep many more into the Kingdom before the
coming of the King.

Southern Africa
Malawi

Malawi has a rich Christian history. As we have learned, David
Livingstone labored in Nyasaland (Malawi) in the nineteenth century.
His goal, we learned, was to open the interior of Africa to Christianity
and commerce and to abolish the slave trade. Not long after Livingstone
died in 1873, missionaries from several Protestant missions arrived
in Nyasaland.

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