Mongolia
From Missiopedia
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DEMOGRAPHY
ECONOMY |
LIFE & LIBERTY |
Contents |
[edit] Geography
- The geography of Mongolia is varied with the Gobi desert to the south and with cold and mountainous regions to the north and west. Mongolia consists of relatively flat steppes.
[edit] Location
- Mongolia is a country typically classified as being a part of East Asia, although sometimes it is considered part of Central Asia, and the northern rim of historical Mongolia extends into North Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south.
[edit] Climate
[edit] Natural Resources
- Copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten and gold.
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Peoples
- Mongol (mostly Khalkha) 94.9%,
- Turkic (mostly Kazakh) 5%, more details about the Muslim Kazakh see 30-days.net
- other (including Chinese and Russian) 0.1%
[edit] Languages
- Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian
[edit] Provinces
[edit] Life
- Who can reach such a hardy people? Waking up at 6am the woman lights the fire to heat the freezing felt tent. The man herds the sheep and goats into the unfenced grasslands. Sometimes he is gone all day. She fetches water from the river while he collects dried cow manure for the fire. Maybe friends or family drop by. They move up to eight times a year. Temperatures can drop to 40 degrees below zero. They have poor sanitation, hygiene and diet, but they have a warm heart. Evangelists are trying to reach them.
[edit] Economy
- The daunting economic situation is a major challenge for the government and deeply affects every aspect of life - much unemployment, poverty, 200,000 malnourished children.
- The country is in desperate need of courageous leadership to begin to overcome Mongolia’s widespread poverty and unemployment. Pray for God to deliver Mongolia from these conditions, so that Mongolians will turn to Him.
[edit] Government
- Riots in the capital, after allegations of fraudulent election (2008), were of concern. Very soon there was calm again. However no Christian workers were injured. Only five days later 46 people were baptized in the river. Please pray for stability in the political situation and for His power in the lives of the Christians in the country.
[edit] Religion
- Buddhist Lamaist with Shamanist 50%, Christian 6%, Muslim 4%, none 40%. Mongolia has strong links with Tibet and most Buddhist Mongolians will try to visit Lhasa in Tibet at least once in their lifetime. Christians comprised only 0.7% of the population.
[edit] Islam
[edit] Buddhism
- Probably over half the population practice Buddhism and/or Shamanism. The country is primarily Buddhist, with strong shamanistic underpinnings despite the communist efforts to totally eradicate religious beliefs under their rule. Buddhism is thriving once again and monks are being sent out to spread Buddhism to other nations.
[edit] Christianity
[edit] History
- The first entrance of Christians into Mongolia has been lost to history. It seems probable that Nestorian missionaries were probably active here during the 7th century. Christianity unfortunately had disappeared from Mongolia by the 10th century.
- Under Genghis Khan there were new contacts with Christianity, particularly through Marco Polo as well as the Dominicans and Franciscans. Notable initiatives included those of Wilhelm de Ruysbroeck and John of Montecorvino. This latter translated the New Testament and Psalms into Mongolian. By 1350 there were an estimated 30,000 Mongolian believers.
- Two Chinese priests were sent from Beijing in 1798. More followed in the 1830s. Catholic orders were very active during the 19th century.
- Protestant missionaries did not arrive until late in the 19th century. James Gilmour was among the first but despite his passion he did not win any converts. Later missionaries arrived from the China Inland Mission, Scandinavian Missionary Alliance, Scandinavian Alliance Mission, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Krimmer Mennonite Brethren, as well as Irish Presbyterians and Pentecostals.
- Christians in Mongolia suffered severe persecution during the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900.
[edit] Churches
- The Church in Mongolia is a reality for the first time in modern history. But there are challenges: disunity & Christianity still too foreign & misconceptions & many people are Christians only for a year or two. Mongolian churches are cooperating to send out Mongolian cross cultural missionaries to other nations. There is a yearly Churchwide missions conference every November in Erdenet.
- Mongolian church leaders are increasing in number and many are being trained at the Union Bible Training Center. Several other Bible training centres are run by local churches. The Mongolian Mission Center is a discipleship and mission training school equipping Mongolians for ministry within and outside of Mongolia. Pray for the right models of leadership and appropriate support structures to develop, and that these men and women might lay good foundations.
[edit] Church and State Relations
[edit] Mission
- A WEC team is planning to relocate to the western provinces to reach a minority nomadic group. Traditionally these nomads venerate the spirits of nature and worship at local owoos (stone pyramids). Please pray for these people's hearts to be softened and for the team to be well-prepared. There is also another plan to seek to start a work among the minority Buriat Mongolians who have moved from their native land into Mongolia. Their language is different from Mongolian that it is like learning a new language. Please pray for the initial contacts.
[edit] Broadcasting
[edit] Councils and Networks
[edit] Future Trends
[edit] For More Reading
[edit] References
- "Mongolia," Concise Dictionary of Christian Mission, Stephen Neill, Gerald H. Anderson & John Goodwin, USA: Lutterworth Press, 1971.
- "Mongolia, Church Growth" There's a Sheep in my Bathtub: Birth of a Mongolian Church Planting Movement, Brian Hogan, USA: Asteroidea Books, 2008.
