Who would have thought in 1981 that forty years later there would be an estimated 100,000 Algerian believers? The majority are from the indigenous Kabyle people who represent 10% of the Algerian population.
In the summer of 1981, a small cohort of mission workers and leaders, among them North Africa Mission’si British missionaries Peter and Eva Longley, assisted at a summer soccer camp in the Djurdjura mountains for a handful of Algerian believers. From that mundane event the church began its meteoric growth. During that same period, expatriate Christian workers began being expelled from the country, leaving local followers of Jesus to be seized by a Holy Spirit-inspired revival of the ancient North African Church.
Five years later, I had the privilege of hosting a meeting with several Algerian church leaders in my office in Marseille at the Radio School of the Bible. The brothers wanted help with their media projects. Asking them what they wanted, they replied that they were planning to translate and adapt Vernon McGee’s Thru the Bible series for the radio. ‘Surely,’ I queried, ‘you need an evangelistic programme?’ ‘No,’ was the reply, ‘we need teaching. We are a community of 5,000 believers.’ I nearly dropped off my chair.
AWM partnered with the emerging Kabyle Church in a variety of practical ways. AWM’s Radio Department technician helped the Kabyle radio team build a recording studio in Paris. Our Publications Department helped develop and design customised letters unique to the Kabyle script for a revised translation of Mark’s Gospel. Our administration helped facilitate a multi-agency partnership around these activities. Today, the independent broadcaster, Channel North Africa (CNA), produces dedicated programming for the Kabyle audience.
In the recommended book belowii, we read how a man from Ghardaïa contacted CNA and, while watching one of their Kabyle programmes, was healed. As he appealed to Jesus to heal him, he saw the face of a man looking at him. He describes the moment his illness left him, and at a subsequent appointment with his doctor, his healing was confirmed. Another brother’s testimony relates how during his time in the army there were several occasions when he should have died. He believes God kept him alive so that he could be a model to his brothers.
From the mid-1980s, AWM has been privileged to be involved in Algerian church-based discipleship programmes. Years of summer schools birthed many new followers of Jesus and today our Algerian brothers and sisters are taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.
So, as we press on into the future we can reflect on components that featured in this revival and season of fruitful church planting in the Arab world from this contemporary movement.
Finally, with the staggering growth of the Algerian Church, it was inevitable that persecution and suppression would result. In recent years, the government has closed churches and pastors are subject to incredible pressure. There is no place for complacency. We are called to prayer, to advocacy, and to supporting indigenous initiatives.
May we faithfully continue for another 140 years in gospel partnership with our brothers and sisters, in Algeria, and throughout the Arab world.
Keith Fraser-Smith has had over 40 years of experience in the Arab world. In addition to being AWM’s Media Director for 8 years, he and his family have lived in Egypt, Jordan and Cyprus. Most recently he was AWM’s Director of Global Mobilisation and Pioneers UK Area Leader. He currently lives in the North of England.
A longer version of this review was published in Pioneers internal mission journal, ‘Seedbed: Practitioners in Conversation,’ vol.32, no.1 (2021): 85-90. Used with permission.
i North Africa Mission was the predecessor to Arab World Ministries which later became known as AWM-Pioneers.
Want to read more about the Algerian Church?ii We recommend a recently updated title, Algerian Church Revival, by Jean L. Blanc. It is translated into English from the French by Youssef Yacob. Copies of the book can be purchased by contacting Pastor Yacob – yhto@generalmail.com
