African Readers Mark Their Place

To understand people’s reading habits is to get a glimpse into their lives. This infographic gives you insight into the bookmarks that highlight the patterns of African Christian readers in three countries (Kenya, Angola and Central African Republic). Explore data on reading frequency, favorite authors and trends from the African Leadership Study. Then pray with the Global Church to see more African Christian authors raised up to speak to their communities and the world!

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<p><a href="https://missionexus.org/african-readers-mark-their-place/"><strong>African Readers Mark Their Place</strong></a><br />To understand people's reading habits is to get a glimpse into their lives. This infographic gives you insight into the bookmarks that highlight the patterns of African Christian readers in three countries (Kenya, Angola and Central African Republic). Explore data on reading frequency, favorite authors and trends from the African Leadership Study. Then pray with the Global Church to see more African Christian authors raised up to speak to their communities and the world!</p>

Engaging through Prayer
Dear God, thank you for this picture of readership among Christians in Africa. Bless each reader as they seek to learn more about you and their world through the many books that are available. We also pray that you would raise up African Christian authors and give them the platforms and opportunities to communicate to believers in their countries, their continent and the world. AMEN

Personal Reflection
Everyone has a bookmark! Each person reading this page has a place in the grand narrative of the world’s knowledge and insight. Because of this, many different books and ideas have impacted each of us. As you explore the trends and insights into the readership patterns of African Christians, think about how they are similar or different to your own. If you are not from Africa, what have you learned about African readers? How will that impact the way you engage with African friends or colleagues? If you are from Africa, does this data surprise you or is it representative of your own bookmark? How does this infographic drive you to pray for the African Church and their search for insight and knowledge through reading?

Engaging the Church
As you attend a church in Africa or support and encourage the Africa Church from afar, how does the lack of people reading Christian African authors impact how your church responds? What could your church do to encourage African Christians to publish and communicate what God is teaching them? Are you investing in people who are leaders of the African Church so that they will have the capacity and opportunity to publish? What are some of the creative publishing approaches that might encourage more African Christians to get their ideas out there?

Organizational Application
For most ministries launched in Africa or serving Africa from other parts of the world, literature is a key component to evangelism, discipleship and support of the local Church. Most people in ministry have some exposure to the great challenges facing African Christian authors. But are ministries part of the problem or part of the solution? Are your ministry efforts and publishing initiatives empowering African Christian authors or making it more difficult for them to have an opportunity to engage the African Church? What materials are you bringing into Africa from outside sources? How are you pricing your materials in comparison to the local Christian publishing market? Are your efforts giving platforms to local voices or keeping local voices on the sidelines. These are tough questions to think through. Read through the need, the reasons this need is so glaring and then the points of prayer. Then ask yourself how your ministry can be part of God’s solution to see more African Christian authors be mobilized.

To find out more about how African Christian Authors are being empowered, connect with these initiatives:

• MAI http://www.littworld.org
• Oasis International http://oasisint.net/
• Publish4All http://www.publish4all.com

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Permissions
The representation of this data is copyrighted by Tyndale House Foundation and the information within is used by permission. GMI is sharing this visualization as a Missiographic with permission. Anyone seeking rights to utilize this infographic must receive permission from Tyndale House Foundation. Please email Tyndale House Foundation for more information at Foundation@TyndaleHouseFdn.org.