Hungary
Summary
Hungary became a Christian kingdom in A.D. 1000 and for many centuries served as a bulwark against Ottoman Turkish expansion in Europe. The kingdom eventually became part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under communist rule following World War II. In 1956, a revolt and an announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact were met with a massive military intervention by Moscow. Under the leadership of Janos KADAR in 1968, Hungary began liberalizing its economy, introducing so-called “Goulash Communism.” Hungary held its first multiparty elections in 1990 and initiated a free market economy. It joined NATO in 1999 and the EU five years later. [1]
📷: Wikipedia
Statistics
From the The Joshua Project [2]
In the News
📷: Wikipedia
Prayer Guide
Expatriate missions increased numerically in the 1990s, but have since levelled off. Pray for sensitivity and a true servant attitude in seeking to help the Hungarian Church. The main ministries required of expatriates are leadership training and mentoring, equipping the laity and imparting missionary vision. The need is still very real for long-term workers who will learn the language and culture. The Hungarian missions movement is still in its infancy, but the great promise is beginning to be realized – a Missions Expo recently attracted 20,000 people. The largest agencies are: CCCI, YWAM, RG, ABWE, Greater Grace World Outreach.
Christian help ministries:
a) Scripture distribution. The Hungarian Bible Society was revitalized in 1989. Pray for its ministry in distributing the Bible. A revised New Translation of the Bible in 1990 marked the 400th anniversary of the original Hungarian version.
b) Christian literature is in demand. Many new Christian publishing companies have been founded. The need continues for Christian books, written in Hungarian, that communicate the gospel to non-Christians in today’s language and idioms. Balanced books, written in Hungarian, for the spiritual growth of believers are also needed. CLC has two bookstores in Hungary. The Hungarian Literature Mission is a major source of evangelistic materials.
c) Christian media. In addition to many broadcast hours a week in Hungarian by TWR, opportunities are increasing for local Christian programmes on TV and radio. Hungarian Gospel Radio Foundation and the Reformed and Lutheran Churches have their own radio programmes. IT has a music-recording studio to serve Central Europe. The Internet and a host of Christian websites offer another means for discipling believers and reaching out to non-Christians.
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