Ecuador

[David]

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GEOGRAPHY

Area 269,178 sq.km. Amazon jungle in the east, high Andean Sierra in the centre, fertile coastal plain on Pacific Coast. Also the Galapagos Is. 1,000 km to west.

Population		Ann.Gr.	Density
2000	12,646,068	+1.99%	47 per sq. km.
2010	14,898,509	+1.55%	55 per sq. km.
2025	17,796,101	+1.03%	66 per sq. km.

Capital Quito 1.6 mill. Other major city: Guayaquil 2.15m. Urbanites 62%.

PEOPLES

Spanish-speaking 59%. Non-Amerindian; much racial mixing: Mestizo 4.8m; Euro-American 1.4m; Afro-American 800,000.

Amerindian 40%.

Quichua (Quechua in surrounding nations) 39%. Spanish-speaking 3.35m. Nine other main groups, the largest: Chimborazo 1.34m; Otavalo 533,000; Canari 64,000; Calderon 37,000; Saraguro 32,000; Salasaca 15,000.

Lowland tribes 1% (60,000+). 11 groups, the largest: Shuar(2) 49,000; Cayapa 6,700; Waorani 1,000.

Other 1%. English-speaking 80,000; German 40,000; Chinese 14,000; Norwegian 13,000; Arab 2,200.

Literacy 90%. Official language Spanish. All Languages 22. Languages with Scriptures 3Bi 9NT 4por 6w.i.p.

ECONOMY

The main export commodities are oil, flowers, shrimp and bananas. Ecuador is the world's largest exporter of bananas. Oil exploitation has enriched a few, but the poor have become even poorer, and the ecology and Amazon forests degraded. Failure to curb inflation, widespread corruption, the war with Peru and a series of natural disasters together with a low oil price brought the country to the brink of bankruptcy in 1999 and a default in paying off international debts. HDI 0.747; 72^nd/174. Public debt 71% of GNP. Income/person $1,500 (5% of USA).

POLITICS

Independent from Spain in 1830. Political stability has been rare, the average government lasting two years. The broadening of democracy is bringing some political voice to the long-oppressed Quichua. Political upheavals continued during the 1990s over the need for painful economic reforms and half-hearted efforts to reform an inadequate constitution. The 1995 war with Peru over a disputed border area was a costly setback, but that issue has now been resolved.

RELIGION

The culture has been strongly moulded by Catholicism, so though there is freedom of religion, rural populations have not been so receptive to change.

Religions	Population %	Adherents	Ann.Gr.
Christian	97.36	12,312,212	+2.0%
non-Religious/other	1.90	245,275	+3.1%
Ethnic religions	0.40	50,584	-0.4%
Chinese/Buddhist	0.16	20,234	+0.8%
Baha'i	0.15	18,969	+2.0%
Muslim	0.02	2,529	+17.2%
Jewish	0.01	1,265	+2.0%

Christians	Denom.	Affil.%	,000	Ann.Gr.
Protestant	49	4.81	609	+6.3%
Independent	71	1.40	178	+7.8%
Anglican	1	0.01	2	+2.4%
Catholic	1	82.24	10,400	+0.9%
Orthodox	1	0.02	2	+2.2%
Marginal	3	2.61	330	+6.0%
Unaffiliated		8.64	1,092	n.a.
Doubly affiliated		-2.37	-300	n.a.

Churches	MegaBloc	Cong.	Members	Affiliates
Catholic	C	960	5,714,286	10,400,000
Assoc of Indian Ev [4]	P	500	75,000	180,000
Latter-day Saints (Morm)	M	200	111,801	180,000
Jehovah's Witnesses	M	526	40,037	150,000
Chr and Miss Alliance	P	119	20,036	60,713
Foursquare Evangelical	P	190	45,000	60,000
Seventh-day Adventist	P	76	28,840	55,000
Baptist Convention	P	220	31,446	50,000
Assemblies of God	P	180	15,000	45,000
Ch of God (Cleveland)	P	140	23,000	45,000
Ch of the Nazarene	P	240	19,000	35,000
Assoc of Inter-Am Evang	P	40	4,000	10,000
Evangelical Covenant	P	60	7,500	10,000
Assoc of Missionary Chs	P	80	1,400	5,000
Other denoms [109]		1,506	108,000	235,000
Doubly affiliated			-164,835	-300,000
Total Christians [126]		5,037	6,079,000	11,220,000

Trans-bloc Groupings	pop. %	,000	Ann.Gr.
Evangelical	6.1	776	+6.9%
Charismatic	5.2	652	+4.8%
Pentecostal	2.2	278	+6.1%

Missionaries from Ecuador
P,I,A 117 in 20 agencies to 9 countries: Ecuador 78, Bolivia 12.

Missionaries to Ecuador
P,I,A 924 in 88 agencies from 29 countries: USA 540, Brazil 68, Bolivia 34, Germany 33, UK 31, Norway 30.

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Answers to Prayer

1 The impact of the gospel on sections of the Quichua is a modern-day miracle. In 1967 there were only 120 believers among 3 million people; now there are some areas with 45-50% Evangelicals. The most notable work has been the 100-year ministry of GMU with now nearly 200,000 linked with the churches planted through them.

2 HCJB Radio, launched in 1931, was the first of the great Christian mission radio broadcasters. Today this ministry is known around the world and both Ecuador and the world are blessed as a result.

Challenges for Prayer

1 The country urgently needs an honest government that gives stability and peace, yet has the courage to tackle the serious economic and social problems that have held back real progress, and confront the vested interests of the entrenched, privileged elite. Pray for those in authority.

2 The Catholic Church has seen its privileged position eroded and a recent rapid increase of evangelical and marginal groups. There have been sporadic, local incidents of mob violence, burning of churches and intimidation against Evangelicals. Pray for for continued freedom of religion, harmony between denominations and an increase in spiritual life among Catholics.

3 Political uncertainty, war and a series of natural and economic disasters over the past 20 years have broken down old feudal structures of State and Church and made Ecuadorians more receptive to the gospel. Pray that this openness may lead to a great spiritual harvest in every part of the country and level of society.

4 Ecuador's Evangelicals. Ecuador had Latin America's lowest percentage of Evangelicals in 1960, but this has increased from 0.43% (19,000) to 6.1% (776,000) in 2000. This growth has been largely in the burgeoning cities and among the Quichua. Pray for unity that transcends class, culture, personalities and denominational labels so that the Body of Christ may exert a decisive influence on the life of the nation in the 21^st Century. The Evangelical Confraternity is a fellowship linking most Evangelicals in vision and in speaking out on issues of social concern.

5 Specific challenges for the Church:

a) Vision and growth to be maintained – some churches have lost their evangelistic zeal.

b) Cultural sensitivity for Spanish-speaking Christians in ministry to the Amerindian evangelical Christian majority.

c) Integration of Quichua and Lowland Indians into the political, economic and spiritual life of the country, while preserving their cultural integrity.

d) Improved availability and quality of pastoral training. Syncretistic beliefs, losses to cults and evangelical nominalism are otherwise inevitable. Bible schools and seminaries are increasing in number, but insufficiently to meet the need. TEE programmes are proving an effective supplement in training lay and pastoral teachers.

e) More effective and appropriate ministry to children and young people. Without this the next generation will be lost to the Church.

f) A maturing of the developing missions vision. Many congregations do not understand either the need or the commitment required.

6 Pioneer work among the small jungle tribes attracted worldwide attention in 1956 when one MAF, one GMU and three Brethren missionaries were killed by the primitive Waorani (Auca). Nearly all these tribes now have churches and the Scriptures through the work of Brethren and SIL/WBT missionaries among the Waorani and Colorado, GMU and HCJB among the Shuar, the Quichua churches among the Zaparo, and others. Pray for:

a) The neutralization of intense anti-missionary propaganda from humanistic anthropologists, leftist agitators, traders and jungle exploiters. At times opposition has curtailed Christian ministry and Bible translation work.

b) The efforts by Indian believers to preserve their lands from irresponsible oil exploration.

c) The maturing of the jungle churches to cope with modernity and the onslaught of the Spanish and Quichua cultures.

7 Bible translation and distribution. Ecuador is one of the first countries entered by WBT. They were involved in 12 of the NT translation projects before they were obliged to withdraw. Pray for the completion of translation programmes in progress, and for the two or three languages where translation work may yet be needed. Pray for the effective use of the Bibles and New Testaments now available. The Bible Society has a pivotal role in promoting and distributing the Scriptures in this nation.

8 Missions. The largest groups are HCJB Radio (242 missionaries), IMB-SBC (65), CMA (89), AoG (41), GMU (69), Norwegian Santal Mission (23), OMS (33), Brethren (33). There are many opportunities for missionary recruits in supportive ministries, church planting and pioneer work in the groups mentioned below. Pray for good church-mission relationships. There is the ever present danger of administrative and financial paternalism creeping in and stifling Ecuadorian initiatives and making Evangelical Christianity the 'gringo' (US) religion.

9 The less-evangelized:

a) The slum-dwellers of Quito and Guayaquil. Over 60% of the latter's population lives in slums built on a polluted marsh. Few Christian workers have a vision for these deprived people.

b) The upper and middle classes who have been relatively unresponsive (CMA, OMS and others).

c) University and school students. There are over eight agencies involved in campus ministries among the 220,000 students, including CCCI, IFES, YFC, LAM and four denominational groups. The work is small, but an impact is being made on the university campuses. The Latin American Christian University was opened in Quito in 1996.

d) The Saraguro and Salasaca Quichua among whom OMS ministers have been less responsive.

e) The 6,000 people living on the distant and barren Galapagos Islands, which had only one evangelical church with two members and six adherents in 1992.

f) The provinces of Carchi (130,000 people with 8 churches) and Loja (361,000 people with only 9 churches). SIM is ministering in Loja, which is still the least reached province having less than 20 churches for 424,000 people. Operac�on Esperanza is an umbrella organization linking IMB-SBC, SIM and WMPL in commitment to reaching Lujo.

g) The Chinese with one young church in their community.

10 Christian media.

a) Radio. HCJB transmits over 900 hours weekly in 12 languages on short wave, FM and by satellite (together with TWR) to Ecuador, Latin America and the world. HCJB also has an extensive range of supportive ministries – including follow-up, education, pastoral training and medicine (two teaching hospitals and clinics). Pray also for the two Quichua and one Shuar Christian radio stations, under local leadership but started by GMU, broadcasting to these indigenous groups. Both the Evangelical Covenant Church and Lutheran Church also run radio stations.

b) Back to the Bible in Spanish has become a mainstay for evangelical broadcasters producing local programmes.

c) The JESUS film in Spanish has been widely aired on television as well as projected as a film. It is also available in Chimborazo, Shuar and Calderon.

Web links for Ecuador

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	CIA World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ec.html)
	Country profile, with only very brief information on religion or society.
	Brief, largely statistical information on geography, people, government, economy, and more.
	Ecuaworld (http://ecuaworld.com)
	General secular Web guide. In 4 languages.
	Summary of the History of the Evangelical Church in Ecuador (http://www.angelfire.com/ut/Iglesia)
	A long, one-page historical essay, with some Christian links. In Spanish.