Ethiopia
One of the largest turnings to God in history is currently occurring in this east African nation located in the Horn of Africa.
Leaders and adherents of the major historical religions of the country are currently coming alive in Christ, delving into the Word of God for Truth, and having their lives massively transformed by the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Honest seekers are turning into born-again believers so quickly that it is a challenge for church planting networks to keep up with the exponential growth. National pastors are being trained continually and Bibles are being supplied by the hundreds of thousands, in order to disciple new converts and deepen their faith through Bible study.
Ethiopia has the second largest population in Africa. It is a landlocked country bordered by Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, South Sudan and Sudan. Ethiopia’s large and rapidly growing population has contributed to the country’s influence and power in East Africa and beyond, explaining why it is considered to be the capital of Africa. Recurring droughts have posed significant problems for the country historically, as much of the economy is driven by agriculture but at the same time, the economy of Ethiopia is quickly diversifying with much foreign investment pouring in. Over the past two decades, Ethiopia is being transformed from a relatively poor nation to one of Africa’s leading developmental leaders.
Ethiopia is a highly religious nation that adheres primarily to three historical faiths – Orthodox Christianity, Islam, and Evangelical Christianity. During the 17 years of communist rule (1974 to 1991), the government allowed the Orthodox Church to remain in operation but banned all practices of the Evangelical Church. However, Christian believers from all backgrounds endured severe persecution for their faith in this period, with the Evangelical Church remaining strong and committed to Jesus. Today, the Gospel is reaching hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life. Mass baptisms, dreams, and visions are common countrywide. A widespread renewal is growing within the Orthodox Church and hundreds of thousands of believers from other religions in the country are turning to Christ as the promised Messiah. Overall, Ethiopia has never experienced such a massive turning to Jesus with the accompanying hunger for the Word of God – the Bible.
- Official Name
- Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
- Form Of Government
- Federal Republic
- Population
- 127,710,572 (2023)
- Capital
- Addis Ababa
- Primary Languages
- Amharic, Oromo, Tigrinya
- Religions
- Orthodox, Muslim, Evangelical Christian
Empower’s Response in Ethiopia
BIBLES ($3.25)
Empower Ministries prints high-quality Bibles in the Amharic and Oromo languages by the hundreds of thousands each year. These are put into the hands of spiritually hungry new believers, free of charge, while being distributed through national church planting networks.
Give to BiblesNew Testaments ($1.35)
By providing an honest seeker or a new believer with the New Testament in their language, they are given the opportunity to narrow their focus from the complete Bible to the essence of the Gospel contained in the 27 books describing the New Covenant. Empower Ministries is printing hundreds of thousands of copies to meet the seemingly unending requests outlining the pathway to meeting God personally.
Give to New TestamentsPastoral Training ($35)
Ongoing training for pastors and church planters is vital to sustaining such a widespread move of God in Ethiopia. Therefore, in a variety of ways, Empower funds training conferences and events by providing the students with food, study materials, and on some occasions, transportation money.
On average, $35 will cover the costs to train a young national pastor for a week.
Give to Pastoral TrainingChurch Planter Support ($80)
National church planters will establish congregations or house church networks in a variety of settings, but primarily in rural and village locales. These church gatherings grow extremely quickly, multiply, and then are used as bases for reaching adjacent regions. The support of an Ethiopian church planting family in such a situation involves providing them with food, housing, clothing, and some transportation money for a period ranging from 6 to 18 months. After this, they will be fully supported by the new congregations. The cost to plant a church or a network of house churches is only $80 per month for the pastor and his family.
Give to Church Planter SupportNational Evangelistic Campaigns ($60/month per national evangelist)
Every year, trained Ethiopian evangelists spread out across the country, preaching the gospel and leading hundreds and thousands to Christ. Usually, they are away from their homes and families for up to two months at a time. The cost to support one of these highly effective national evangelists with food to sustain him and bus fare to reach his destination is only $2 / day.
Support National Evangelistic CampaignsOther Countries We Work In
Empower Ministries operates all over the world — from Canada to Burma, from Israel to India, and beyond. We believe there has never been a better time to equip people to share the Gospel.
