Bulgaria

Population: About 7 millions

Religion: Orthodoxy was the state religion until 1945 and is currently recognized as the “traditional”
religion of Bulgaria. The Communists persecuted Christians and manipulated denominational leadership until 1989. Religious freedom is still not truly realized, although the situation has improved greatly since the 1990s. 

​Prayer list: 

• Bulgaria’s troubled past is not yet completely behind. Corruption and powerful organized crime syndicates persist. Poverty is widespread, as are divorce and abortion – there are more abortions than live births. Many of the youngest and brightest emigrate seeking jobs and money. Pray that wholeness will come to this nation as only the transforming gospel can bring. 
• The Orthodox Church needs renewal and new life. A bitter schism weakened and undermined the Church, stemming from the collusion of Orthodox leaders with the former Communist regime. Disunity persists, even at the local level. Orthodoxy is still largely equated to a Bulgarian identity, but this is changing as other religious groups take root and grow. Pray for a genuine move of the Holy Spirit that brings reconciliation of rifts and a full realization of Orthodoxy’s spiritual richness. 
• Evangelicals have grown, matured and unified in response to challenges and opposition of the past two decades. Pray for true unity amongst believers of different ethnic and denominational backgrounds.
• Consolidating church growth is a priority. Pray for: training of church leadership,  discernment of doctrinal error, new indigenous agencies and  country-wide vision.
• Islam’s legacy here dates to the Ottoman era, but most Bulgarian Muslims practice folk magic and are largely unaware of many Islamic teachings. Muslim missionaries (who outnumber Christian ones), teachers and funds pour into the country to teach Bulgarian Muslims a purer Islam and to push for greater Islamic influence. Pray that Bulgaria’s 900,000 Muslims would discover Jesus as the true light and Lamb of God. 
• Ethnic minorities suffered severely at times at the hands of the Bulgarian majority. Bulgaria’s straddling of a Balkan, Slavic and Turkish cultural fault line has generated trouble for centuries. Considerable discrimination continues, and both Turks and Gypsies have formed political parties to press for their rights. Pray that the Christian church will influence the country into more unity and reconciliation. 
• Foreign missions have traditionally found Bulgaria a tricky place in which to minister, yet missionaries and tentmakers who will learn the culture and language are still needed and can play a valuable role. Pray for more workers for the field!