No country in the region has a surviving Christian community that originated before the arrival of Islam. There has been Protestant missionary work in much of North Africa since the 1800s (it only began in Mauritania in the 1980s).

The strength of the underground church varies, and the number of foreigners working and serving in-country fluctuates. Satellite TV and internet ministries operating outside the region are bearing increasing fruit.

Since the 1990s Algeria has witnessed significant conversions among the Kabyle people, with perhaps several hundred thousand Christians today. Other countries have seen far smaller and less resilient underground house church movements.

Levels of persecution vary, with the strongest opposition to Christ coming from family and community members. In recent decades, reports of dozens of house church plants in Morocco and Tunisia provide great encouragement, but very little is happening in Libya and Mauritania—yet. But God continues his work!

Republished from Prayercast