fbpx
Africa Mission
Church planting and growth | Supporting church communities in RSA, Malawi and Mozambique
JAM supports churches in RSA, Malawi and Mozambique. We visit these churches and communities and supply them with the necessary tools and leadership training to grow their churches and better their communities.

Religious Beliefs in Mozambique

According to the most recent national census, more than half of Mozambicans are Christian, though a significant Muslim presence is also felt.

The South African nation Mozambique gives its people full rights to practice any religion of their choice. However, no official religious holidays are there, but it allows its people to take leave on their respective religious days of observance. In this respect, it would be interesting to explore the religious beliefs in Mozambique.

Christianity - Religion Of Majority

Portugal colonized Mozambique in the middle of the 18th century. Earlier, the Arabs ruled it. The Portuguese introduced Mozambicans to Christianity in the 16th century. Thus, it is after colonization that the religion became popular in the country. Millions of people not only adopted the Portuguese way of dressing but also embraced their religion in the long colonial rule of more than two-hundred years. Currently, an approximate 28.4% of people in the nation practice Roman Catholic Christianity.

About 10.9% of the people of Mozambique practice a deviation from the Roman Catholic Christianity. They are the followers of Evangelical Protestant Christianity. Similarly, 15.5% of the population practices Zionist Protestant Christianity and a meager 1.3% follows Anglican Protestant Christianity with their own interpretation of the religion.

Many traditional beliefs of the local people were incorporated into the Christian practices. Another interesting aspect of religion in Mozambique is that an astonishing 18.7% strongly believe that there is no God. They are the atheists or agnostics and refrain themselves from committing to any religious practices.

Islam

Mozambicans got familiar with Islam via Arab traders long before the arrival of Portuguese, i.e. in the 8th century. They built mosques along the coastlines of the country, which they frequented for trade purposes. Gradually, they got in touch with the African chieftains and people of the hinterland. However, the people living in the coastlines embraced Islam more than the rest of the country, but it was never by force as in the case of other parts of the world. Even now, a significant 17.9% of the population follows Islam and are mostly Sunni. They are indigenous Mozambicans, people of South Asian descent, North Africans and immigrants from the Middle East. The traditional cultural beliefs like giving importance to the ancestors and witchcraft coexist with Islamic beliefs. Even the Swahili language spoken by a large section of the population has an abundance of Arabic words in its vocabulary.

Traditional Beliefs

Traditional animalist beliefs are widespread in Mozambique. They believe that spirits’ ancestors have a profound power to exert an influence on the destiny of the living people. So, they worship their ancestors and remember them during each and every important ceremony held within the family like birthdays, marriage, and death. They even believe that forests, mountains, and lakes play a major role in the lives of the local communities. They offer frequent prayers to the spirits of animate and inanimate objects of nature instead of offering the same to the Gods.

Religious Beliefs In Mozambique

Rank

Self-Identified Belief System

Share of Mozambican Population

1

Roman Catholic Christianity

28.4%

2

Atheist or Agnostic

18.7%

3

Islam (predominately Sunni)

17.9%

4

Zionist Protestant Christianity

15.5%

5

Evangelical Protestant Christianity

10.9%

6

Other Beliefs

7.3%

7

Anglican Protestant Christianity

1.3%

 

Information from World Atlas

 

 Malawi
Mission

Malawi

The FBC has 10 churches in Central and Southern Malawi.
Malawi Churches
 Mozam<br />bique
Mission

Mozam
bique

The FBC has 7 churches in Southern Mozambique.
Mozambique Churches

General Information

Malawi
Malawi
Malawi is a Christian majority nation with a sizable Muslim population centered in the areas near the border with Mozambique.

Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa bordered by Tanzania, Zambia, and Mozambique. It is one of the smallest countries in Africa with an area of 45,460 square miles and an estimated population of 16.8 million. Lilongwe is the country’s capital and largest city. It is under the leadership of the president who is elected democratically. English is the country’s official language, but other ethnic languages are used.

Religions - Protestant Christianity 44%, Islam 19%, Roman Catholic Christianity 18%, Other Christians 13% and Other Beliefs or Irreligion 6%.

Read more

Mozambique
Mozambique
According to the most recent national census, more than half of Mozambicans are Christian, though a significant Muslim presence is also felt.

The South African nation Mozambique gives its people full rights to practice any religion of their choice. However, no official religious holidays are there, but it allows its people to take leave on their respective religious days of observance. In this respect, it would be interesting to explore the religious beliefs in Mozambique.

Roman Catholic Christianity 28.4%, Atheist or Agnostic 18.7%, Islam (predominately Sunni) 17.9%, Zionist Protestant Christianity15.5%, Evangelical Protestant Christianity 10.9%, Other Beliefs 7.3%, Anglican Protestant Christianity 1.3%.

Read more

Latest Mission Rapport

Here is the latest on what we are doing in Malawi and Mozambique and how you can contribute or get involved.

Training of Leaders 2023

Read More

2021 Rapport

Read Rapport

December 2018 Rapport

Read Rapport

Sports Evangelism Youth Outreaches

Youth outreaches through sport taking off in Malawi.

Pastor Daston reports about the sports evangelism they are doing in Malawi.

This ministry has expanded into having a few Church Teams and having young people who has accepted Jesus into their lives and hearts and now share their testimonies and help me with the outreaches at events or practice.

Read more

New item
New item
New item

Pastors Testimonies

These are short interviews with some of the pastors from Malawi, telling us about their salvation and their work in the ministry.

Gallery