Benin

The Spiritual Need in Benin

Benin is a small country that sits atop the Gulf of Guinea and borders Togo to the west, Niger and Burkina Faso to the north, and Nigeria to the east. With a tropical climate, the economy is highly dependent on agriculture and many of its people work as subsistence farmers, creating an environment of extreme poverty. Along with its neighbor Togo, it is known as the birthplace of voodoo. While Roman Catholicism and Islam are the most widely professed religions among the country’s 11 million people, it is not unusual for members of the same family to practice Christianity, Islam, animism and traditional religions, or a combination of them all.

Voodoo and other forms of traditional spiritist religion exert a strong influence on many aspects of life in Benin. Many Beninese people fearfully worship several gods and ancestors and work to appease them with offerings and animal sacrifices through rituals and ceremonies. These animistic practices create an attitude of fear and striving, a direct contrast from the fundamentals of the gospel and the freedom found in Jesus Christ. The mixture of these theologies needs to be addressed with church planting in Benin, clearly defined biblical truth, and knowledge of a loving God.

Church Planting In Benin

ABWE is working to build an influential team of missionaries and national leaders to confront spiritual confusion in Benin with evangelism and discipleship. We hope that some of these leaders will come from Togo, where ABWE has a large presence and leadership training effort. Together, these missionaries and leaders will study African traditional religionist worldviews, build strong relationships, learn how to share the truth in culturally relevant ways, and mentor leaders in Benin.

Could God be leading you to serve as a missionary to Benin?