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Population | Ann.Gr. | Density | |
2000 | 42,321,361 | +1.89% | 37 per sq. km. |
2010 | 49,665,304 | +1.53% | 43 per sq. km. |
2025 | 59,757,874 | +1.10% | 52 per sq. km. |
Capital Santa F� de Bogot� 6,834,000. Other major cities: Medell�n 3,831,000; Cali 2,950,000; Barranquilla 1,750,000. Urbanites 70%.
Spanish-speaking 98.6%. Estimated composition: Mestizo (Eurindian) 57.6%; European 20%; Mulatto (Eurafrican) 14%; African 4%; Zombo (Afro-Indian) 3%.
Indigenous Amerindian 0.8%. (50% of population in 1850). Still speaking 65 languages in 12 language families. Largest: Guajiro 120,000; Paez 58,000; Guahibo 22,000; Catio (Embera) 22,000.
Other 0.6%. Gypsy(3) 79,000; Arab 39,000; English-speaking 13,000; Chinese 9,000.
Literacy 70%. Official Language Spanish. All languages 77. Languages with Scripture 1Bi 31NT 21por 26w.i.p.
Coffee and oil are the main export commodities, along with cocaine. Colombia supplies 75% of the world's cocaine. The gap between rich and poor is wide. HDI 0.768; 57th/174. Public debt 18% of GNP. Income/person $2,140 (7% of USA).
Independent of Spain in 1819 as part of Grand Colombia. A separate state in 1831. Polarization between Conservatives and Liberals has given 170 years of partisan politics, dictatorships, and civil wars. Those unrepresented by the two contending parties turned to support a variety of violent Marxist guerrilla groups. Some of the latter have aligned themselves with drug cartels who have their own terror groups, leading to a pandemic of assassinations and kidnappings. Right-wing paramilitary groups have also formed to combat the guerrillas and wage terror wars of their own. The constitution of 1991 and elections of the 1990's were aimed at ending the cycle of violence, but the level of violence has only escalated.
After years of persecution of and discrimination against religious minorities, the privileged position of the Roman Catholic Church was ended in the 1991 Constitution, which accords greater freedom to ethnic and religious minorities.
Religions | Population % | Adherents | Ann.Gr. |
Christian | 95.45 | 40,395,739 | +1.7% |
non-Religious | 2.72 | 1,151,141 | +6.6% |
Other | 0.82 | 347,035 | +12.5% |
Traditional ethnic | 0.70 | 296,250 | -0.8% |
Baha'i | 0.15 | 63,482 | +6.5% |
Muslim | 0.11 | 46,553 | +3.8% |
Hindu | 0.02 | 8,464 | +17.0% |
Jewish | 0.02 | 8,464 | -15.2% |
Chinese | 0.01 | 4,232 | +1.9% |
Note: No survey of churches has been carried out for many years. Some of the statistics below are estimates.
Trans-bloc Groupings | pop.% | ,000 | Ann.Gr. |
Evangelical | 4.7 | 1,972 | +7.7% |
Charismatic | 17.2 | 7,267 | +2.7% |
Pentecostal | 2.7 | 1,162 | +5.6% |
Missionaries from Colombia
P,I,A 286 in 33 agencies to 28 countries: Colombia 200, USA 20, Spain 12.
Missionaries to Colombia
P,I,A 820 in 84 agencies from 28 countries: USA 595, Canada 52, Australia 27.
1 The Church is growing rapidly in a climate of crime, lawlessness, terror, and murder. From a tiny minority in 1960 (0.6% of the population), Evangelicals grew to nearly 5% in 2000, and Charismatics now number an estimated 17% of the population. This growth is all the more miraculous considering that Christians are often targets of drug cartels, guerrillas, paramilitaries, and others. As sin increases in Colombia, God's grace increases all the more.
2 God is reaching the lowest and most desperate. Bellavista Prison is a maximum security prison in Medellin that was often called �hell on earth� where the murder rate often topped one per day. Through prayer and the bold witness of some anointed believers the prison has seen a remarkable turning of the most hardened criminals to Christ. Large numbers of the inmates are now believers, and round the clock prayer chains often function. The spirit of murder has all but disappeared, and the brutal conditions improved. Now, a Bible Institute has formed in the prison, training inmates for ministry once they are released.
1 Colombia retains its reputation for being one of the most violent countries in the world. Leftist guerrilla movements, right-wing paramiitary groups and the drug-trafficking barons control many areas of the country. Corruption, blackmail, kidnapping, assassination and revenge murders continue to brutalize society, with the abandonment of moral values and ethical standards. Pray for the political, legal and spiritual leaders of the nation – for their safety and for courage to stand up for the right. Pray that Christians may remain untainted by the evils of their society and become God's instruments for moral, social and spiritual change. Pray that the endemic fear and anger of normal Colombians may lead them to personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour.
2 Satan's hold on Colombia must be broken by prayer. Christ's lordship must be proclaimed over the spirits of violence, revenge, lawlessness and corruption, and occult practices that have brought the nation so low. The web that links drug barons, politicians, guerrillas, paramilitaries and Satanist groups conspires to make war upon the saints, and prevent the spread of the gospel. This usually occurs through intimidation, but often through outright destruction and murder. In 1999, over 35 pastors were killed and 300 churches forcibly closed.
3 The 1991 Constitution has brought a glimmer of hope with the opening up of the democratic process to those previously unrepresented, reforming the judicial system damaged by the violence of the drug wars, and granting greater religious freedom. Colombians are tired of violence, but all efforts to bring about peace and seek a lasting solution have failed. Evangelicals are encouraged by the freedom, opportunity and official representation that the new constitution has brought, but also fear that it may cause them to lose their cutting edge. Pray that peace may prevail, and that Evangelicals may continue their bold witness even as religious freedom increases.
4 The Roman Catholic Church has seen the changing socio-political scene radically affect its role and influence. The majority of the church is strongly traditional, but widely nominal – most Catholics never go to Mass. Pray that the dis-establishment of the Catholic Church may open the way for renewal. There is a strong charismatic element in the Church. There are also many Catholics working with the poor and speaking out against the violence, and they are likewise targets for those who hate the work of God.
5 Evangelical growth has been significant. In 1933 there were only 15,000 Evangelicals. In 2000, there were almost 2 million Protestant Evangelicals. Aggressive local, city-wide and national evangelistic outreaches have resulted in large increases in congregations and believers. In some cities church growth is occurring twenty-fold in a decade! The work of Evangelicals among the poor and disenfranchised has been a good testimony to all. But evangelical success can often make leaders targets for violence, as growing churches are seen as a threat to whatever group controls an area. Many church leaders have been martyred because of this, and many others have fled the country. Pray for solutions in:
a) The leadership crisis, which has worsened with the growth of the churches and the continued murders of leaders. There are too few deeply taught in the Word, and there have been too few examples of how to humbly lead without resorting to autocratic and humanistic methods. There are more than 20 theological training institutions, most of them packed with students, but they are desperate for qualified teachers.
b) The disunity crisis. Divisions within the Body of Christ have been a discredit to the name of the Lord and a poor witness to the government and people. Many denominations have been split over fleshly quarrels, but the first fruits of genuine unity are appearing. An Ibero-American Unity Congress in 1999 in Colombia demonstrated this, as an anointing of unity characterized the Congress. CEDECOL, the Evangelical Confederation of Colombia, is a body that links over 50 evangelical denominations and coordinates inter-church action. As Evangelicals address the great human needs in Colombia, God is knitting them together in spirit and purpose. Pray for decisive works of healing and spiritual unity.
6 Missionaries live under great stress and the constant threat of kidnapping and murder. These tragedies are all too common, often forcing withdrawal from areas controlled by leftists or drug barons. Pray for courage and faithfulness to their calling. Internal mission/church relationships have been a source of tension, division and grief in the past, but seem to be improving. Great humility and sensitivity is required in the complex ecclesiastical scene in order to have a viable, fruitful ministry. Major mission agencies: SIL/WBT (193), NTM (103), YWAM (77), IMB-SBC (42), Brethren (38), AoG (37), TEAM (26), CMA (24), OMS (19), ABWE (16) and LAM (15).
7 Colombian missionary vision still needs stimulation. Several Amerindian peoples are closed to foreigners, and too few Colombians have committed themselves to evangelize them. Pray for Agua Viva, a project to train Colombians to reach the Indian tribes of their own and neighboring countries. A small but growing number of Colombians have gone to other lands, but church support is limited. The Spanish edition of Operation World is published in Colombia. Pray for the ongoing ministry of the COMIBAM committee in inspiring Christians to be involved in mission.
8 Unreached peoples. Pray specifically for:
a) Less evangelized cities. Medell�n, renowned for its hardness to the gospel, is the nation's crime and narcotics capital. The city of Cali is also a special challenge for the gospel. But cooperating Evangelicals are seeing significant fruit with increased church growth as they hold prayer vigils and proclaim together Christ's lordship over these cities.
b) The tens of thousands of gamines, or street urchins, of the cities. YWAM, WEC and LAM have ministries to them involving rescue and career training.
c) The urban middle class, shrinking and crippled by political and economic crises of past years. Possibly the least responsive segment of society, they are turning to the occult in growing numbers.
d) The Syrian-Lebanese Muslim community, which numbers around 15,000.
e) Amerindian peoples closed to evangelical church planters. Possibly 25-35 are in this category, including the Chami, Inga, Coreguaje, Cuiba, Desano, Epena, Huitoto, Saliba and Tucano. Almost half the indigenous tribes have not yet been reached with the gospel.
f) Student work has been slow and hard. Marxist ideology once dominated the campuses, now a post-modern approach of individualism and apathy hinders interest in serving others or seeking God. Pray for Christian students to be creative in serving and in proclaiming the gospel.
g) Over 1 million internally displaced refugees, 70% of whom are women and children , victims of the faceless endemic violence. They are rootless and traumatized by the wars between the various factions, but are also open to the gospel of peace.
9 Work among Amerindians has been a constant struggle although the 1991 Constitution granted wide autonomy to tribes in the rain forests. Poor travel and living conditions, indifference of the people, opposition of officials and anthropologists, inter-mission rivalry and, recently, narcotics terrorists who force the Amerindians to grow cocaine and marijuana, all add to the difficulties of witness there. Despite this, there has been some response with people movements to Christ. Pray for:
a) Strong, viable, well-led churches, able to cope with drug traffickers and modernization.
b) Church-planting ministries of: NTM (48 workers in 9 peoples); South American Mission in three northeastern peoples; CMA in two peoples; etc.
c) Bible translation. SIL has 145 workers committed to 33 translation projects; a number of NTs are nearing completion. Due to the dangers, most translators live in Bogota and their language helpers commute to them – this is not conducive to translating well or quickly.
a) Literature is an area that is increasingly important but still under-utilized, both for evangelism and for teaching believers. CLC has four bookstores, a wide distribution network for literature, and a growing productivity as a publisher of locally-produced Spanish titles. Desafio, a WEC broadsheet, is used for evangelism by 50% of evangelical churches. The Colombian Bible Society is cooperating with various organizations to distribute Christian literature amongst the poorest and children, and has overseen large-scale distributions of hundreds of thousands of pieces of literature.
b) Christian radio. Evangelicals have little access to national radio and none to TV networks. However, six evangelical broadcasters – including HCJB (Ecuador), TWR (Bonaire), and High Adventure (USA) – broadcast 686 hr/wk in Spanish. HCJB also broadcasts 1/2 hr/wk in the Inga Quechua language.
c) The JESUS film is available in Spanish and is being translated into 4 other languages. It is being used by 11 missions/denominations in evangelism. A large proportion of Colombians have seen this film.
Web links for Colombia
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CIA World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/co.html) | |
Country profile, with only very brief information on religion or society. | |
Brief, largely statistical information on geography, people, government, economy, and more. | |
Indexcol (http://www.indexcol.com) | |
Commercial Web index and search engine for sites and topics of Colombia. In Spanish or English. | |
�Qu� Hubo! (http://www.quehubo.com) | |
A commercial Web guide, with a section on religion. In Spanish. |
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