Cote d'Ivoire flag Côte d’Ivoire

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In 1929 Alliance missionaries penetrated the back country of Côte d’Ivoire and made contact with the unevangelized Baoule tribe. More than 75 years later, a crowd of 8,000 worshippers gathered in the city of Bouaké for the closing worship service of the Alliance national church convention. During the previous evening, an offering of more than $2,000 was received to send the church’s first international missionaries. Thanks to U.S. believers who gave to the Alliance Great Commission Ministries, that gift was matched, and it helped send an Ivorian missionary couple to Togo.

The Alliance in Africa is continually equipping pastors to shepherd the growing congregations. Until 1992, African pastors had to go to Europe or North America for top-level seminary training. The cost of travel and accommodations prevented many from obtaining the education they desperately sought.

To meet this need, the Alliance churches of Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Gabon, and Burkina Faso created the West Africa Alliance Seminary (in French, la Faculté de Théologie Evangélique de l’Alliance Chrétienne, or FATEAC) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, an institution of higher theological education.

FATEAC’s vision is “to contribute to the blossoming of an authentic Christianity in contemporary Africa by providing a strong biblical and theological education in view of the diversity of evangelical ministries and taking into account the African realities.”

In addition to students from The Alliance, FATEAC welcomes those of other evangelical denominations. Today, FATEAC includes nearly 70 students from more than twelve denominations and from 15 nationalities.

Cote d'Ivoire map

Field Office Information

C&MA Field Entry in 1930

Field Director:
Jeter Livingston
Mailing Address:
Mission Protestante CMA 08 B P 371
Abidjan, 08, COTE D'IVOIRE
Phone:
011-225-22-41-10-75
Email:
cmafd@aviso.ci
Website:

National Church

Evangelical Protestant Church (C&MA) of Côte d’Ivoire: 1,584 organized churches, 771 unorganized groups, 153 ordained ministers, 282,791 baptized members, and 356,746 inclusive members

Team Initiatives

  • Train pastors through the West Africa Alliance Theological Seminary in Abidjan and the Bible Institute in Yamoussoukro.
  • Encourage the national church to mobilize its new missions movement.
  • Reach out to Abidjan’s Lebanese community of tens of thousands of people.

6 International Workers in Cote d'Ivoire

Photo of Cindy Cook Cindy Cook

  • 8 years of service

Photo of Matt Cook Matt Cook

  • 10 years of service

Photo of Deanna Harrison Deanna Harrison

Photo of Randy Harrison Randy Harrison

Photo of Jeter Livingston Jeter Livingston

  • 22 years of service

Photo of Laura Livingston Laura Livingston

  • 27 years of service

Senegalese Youth Experience Jesus at Sports Event

2008-08-04 12:52:58.0

“The skies threatened rain, but the soccer game in Senegal went off as planned,” said Alliance worker Doug Conkle. Young men from an underprivileged neighborhood participated in the youth sporting event that was sponsored by a nonprofit Christian community center with which Conkle’s team partners. Soccer balls were donated by a U.S. Alliance church youth group that wanted to get involved with missions.

Just before the game, one of the teams learned it probably wouldn’t be able to start practice for the upcoming season because there were no usable soccer balls from the previous year. “What a surprise for them when both teams were presented with not one but five soccer balls to use for practice!” said Conkle. “It’s great to see how God coordinated efforts of a youth group in the States to validate our testimony here.”

After the game, the players watched a taped video testimony of a Christian soccer player from the Cote d'Ivoire national team. “Each player left with a t-shirt that advertised the community center and a smile on his face,” said Conkle.

Demographics

Population
Population--17,298,040 Infant mortality rate--90.8/1,000 Life expectancy--48.6
Capital City
Yamoussoukro, official (185,600) Abidjan, administrative (4,113,600) pop.
Geography
A littler larger than New Mexico, Côte d’Ivoire (124,502 sq. mi.) has a coastal strip in the south, dense forests in the interior, and savannas in the north.
Languages
French (official), African languages
Ethnicity/Race
Akan--42.1%; Voltaiques--17.6%; Northern Mandes--16.5%; Krous--11%; Southern Mandes--10%; other (includes French and Lebanese)--2.8%
Economy
Per capita income--$1,500 Inflation--1.4% Unemployment--13% Literacy rate--51% (2003 est.)
Government/Political Climate
Presidential/parliamentary democracy until 1999, when a coup overthrew the government and installed a military dictatorship. Although Côte d’Ivoire is one of the most prosperous of the tropical West African states, its economic development has been undermined by political unrest and civil war.
Religion
Indigenous--40%; Muslim--35%; Christian--25%

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