People Group Prayer Guides
Pray for the Pakhtun of Afghanistan
The Pakhtun are also called the “Pashtun” or “Pathans.” The Pakhtun number more than 15 million, and stretch from Central Afghanistan to the Indus River in Pakistan. They make up more than 40-50% of Kabul's population. Their society is more than 99% Islamic. Almost all Pakhtun are Sunni Muslims. It is Pakhtun society that gave rise to the Taliban and eventually chose to support groups such as Al Qaeda.
There are very few Pakhtun believers, probably less than 300. There is no visible Pakhtun church, although a number of believers meet in small groups in many areas. Most Pakhtun have no access to the Gospel in any form. Radio broadcasts are available, but there is little opportunity to promote the broadcast. Except in a few locations, there is no known Christian witness. Due to severe persecution, most Pakhtun believers keep their faith a secret most of their lives. The few who are known to be believers will most likely lose their families, jobs, opportunities in their society, and even their lives.
Pray for a Church Planting Movement among the Pakhtun.
Although relative peace has come to Afghanistan, there is still conflict in many areas, basically hindering any significant opportunities for workers to go and provide a Christian witness. Pray for continued peace so there will be more opportunities to reach out with the Gospel.
For a number of years, radio has been the only opportunity for many Pakhtun to hear the gospel. However, most Pakhtun still do not know about radio broadcasts. Please pray that ways will be found to effectively tell the Pakhtun about these radio broadcasts.
There is a New Testament available in Pashto, the language of the Pakhtun, but most Pakhtun cannot read. Pray that workers will discover the best way to communicate the truth of Scripture to the majority of the Pakhtun.
During the Afghan conflicts over the past 25 years, some Pakhtun have chosen to become followers of Jesus. Please pray that those Pakhtun who once chose to follow Christ can play a part in seeing the Church grow and multiply among the Pakhtun.
One of the biggest challenges facing the advance of the church in the developing world is dependency on Christian workers. Please pray that Christian workers will be wise in financial relationships with Pakhtun believers, while also finding ways to minister to them in practical ways.
Those interested in assisting with projects to rebuild Afghanistan can contact the Memphis-Afghan Friendship Summit:
Call 901-921-6118.