Global Intercession: Praying for the Pacific / Oceania Region.

What Are Pacific Nations?

Pacific Island countries, which number around 14-18 nations, are primarily grouped into three sub-regions: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

Oceania, in contrast, is a broad geographical and political region that not only includes the Pacific Island countries but also large continental landmasses such as Australia and New Zealand.

• Melanesia: Includes Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
• Micronesia: Includes Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, and Nauru.
• Polynesia: Includes Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, and others. 

TOP 10 POPULOUS NATIONS IN OCEANIA

Christianity in Oceania.

Thank God for the strength of Christianity in the Pacific Islands. The Pacific was one of the first areas to be evangelized in the modern Protestant missionary era. By the end of the 19th Century, most of the Pacific region had become Christian through the sacrificial labours of early LMS (London Missionary Society), Methodist, Anglican and Pacific Islander missionaries. Missionary casualties were high through disease, violent death and cannibalism, and the gospel arrived alongside Western colonialism, but great people movements brought whole peoples and islands to Christianity.
Praise God for the continued legacy of their work, and for continued spiritual life to the churches they planted.

Prayer in the Pacific Islands.

Renewal of the Pacific Islands vision for mission and prayer. The South Pacific Prayer Assembly and Deep Sea Canoe Movement are recapturing this great 19th Century heritage. In recent years, New Zealand has had a good record in sending out missionaries. Other nations, such as Fiji and Papua New Guinea, are seeing more significant sending movements occur.

Political Situation.

Unrest and violence have occurred in several locations for ethnic, economic, political and socio-cultural reasons. Fiji – with its split between indigenous Fijians and the large ethnic Indian population and its history of coups – remains the most obvious example. But Bougainville, other parts of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands have seen upheaval in the not too distant past. Tribalized culture, limited resources and some resentment against the influence of Western and Asian powers mean that a number of islands could witness similar kinds of upheaval in the near future.

Migration.

A large-scale demographic shift is occurring across the region. Migration is happening on an unprecedented scale. Many Pacific Island ethnicities have a larger population in diaspora than in their traditional homeland. The main contributing factors are:

• Demographic. As Australia and New Zealand deal with ageing populations and low fertility rates (at least among the majority Caucasian population), the Pacific Islands have high fertility rates and a burgeoning young population.
• Economic. Vast disparity between the haves and have-nots, lack of opportunity in the Pacific Islands and the need to fill current and future employment gaps in wealthy nations (especially Australia/New Zealand) pull many Islanders away from their traditional homelands.
• The younger generation in many Pacific Island nations feel disenfranchised and betrayed by their forebears. In these small and remote island nations, they often have little opportunity for meaningful employment or education. Emigration, restlessness, frustration, mischief and even organized crime are the result. In some countries, those under age 25 comprise up to 40% of the population. Pray for viable, God-honouring solutions to these challenges, for the younger generation to find hope and purpose in Christ.

Increasing investment, involvement and immigration from Pacific Rim nations will profoundly shape the Pacific’s future. China in particular but also Japan, Korea and Taiwan have significant stakes in the natural, material and human resources of the Pacific islands, stakes that will most likely grow in scale and influence.

Unity and Vision.

There is a need to revive a vision for evangelical cooperation and mission throughout Oceania. Vast geographical distances and the lack of unity and shared identity – especially between the many Pacific islands and the dominant Australia/New Zealand – are challenges. Yet determination still exists to foster unity and prophetic vision.

Challenges:

Secularism and multiculturalism are rising; these undermine the strong Christian heritage of these nations and relegate Christianity to a mere place at the table of competing belief systems. The arrival of a more assertive atheism, Mormonism, Islamism, Baha’i-ism and Buddhism all rattle the religious status quo. Confidence in the veracity of the gospel cannot help but be threatened.
The decline of traditional forms of Christianity. The denominations that had such a great impact in the Pacific Islands and the traditionally strong denominations are suffering in numbers and in vitality. Pentecostal and charismatic groups are mostly growing in their stead.

Pray for the completion of the task of world evangelization in the Pacific.

• There are very few unevangelized tribal peoples; some exist in New Guinea’s interior. Many more are only superficially evangelized and need more thorough ministry.
• The few evangelical believers in parts of New Caledonia, French Polynesia and on many of the nominally Christian island groups. Some areas need to be re-evangelized.
• The Indians of Fiji are the largest unreached people in the Pacific. Pray for effective evangelization of these Muslims and Hindus.
• The Chinese are increasing through immigration. In some islands, this is for trade or low-paid labour; professionals and students. Many remain unevangelized, despite notable responsiveness to appropriate outreach.
• International students are more concentrated in Australia and New Zealand than in just about anywhere else in the world. They are often very open to the gospel. Churches need to acquire a vision for this highly strategic group of future leaders in their homelands, which are usually very restrictive in terms of access for Christian mission.
• Other immigrant groups, especially to Australia and New Zealand. This includes Arabs, Iranians, Malays and Indonesians, Europeans, Somalis as well as East and Southeast Asian peoples. In most cases, they will have greater opportunity for exposure to the good news in their new lands than in their countries of origin.
• Translation of Scripture. There remain hundreds of languages without the Bible. Many of them may need translators.

Thank You for Praying for the Pacific/Oceania Region.
For more information on this Region: Operation World.

Sources:
The Operation World.
Worldometers.