Prayer Profile:

Ethnic Serbs migrated to the area of Kosovo in the 7th century. By the early 13th century it was fully part of the Serbian Empire, and the Serbian Orthodox Church was birthed in Kosovo. Invading Ottomans defeated the Serbian empire, leading to 500 years of Turkish rule and the steady growth of the Albanian population.

After World War II, Kosovo was part of Tito’s Yugoslavia. Albanians grew to be the dominant ethnic group, and from the 1960s were demanding an independent Kosovo. The government of Slobodan Milosevic vigorously opposed this during the 1990s, responding with repressive measures. This led to the tragic armed conflict.

The UN governed Kosovo in the post-war period, aiming to rebuild the war-ravaged land. The Albanian Kosovo assembly controversially declared it to be independent in 2008, as the world’s newest nation. It is also one of Europe’s poorest, facing many economic and social problems.

Redemptive Struggle: In a majority Muslim land where Orthodox churches and monasteries still dot the landscape, may the majority Albanian population and the minority Serbian population find the living Jesus.

There are over 1,000 Albanian evangelical believers in Kosovo, and most have met Jesus in the last 10 years. Praise God that this young Church has equal legal status with Islam and Orthodoxy.

Key Scripture to Pray: He [Abraham] is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. - Romans 4:16b-17

Going Before the Father: Kosovo is made up of Albanians (88%, mostly Muslim) and Serbs (7%, mostly Serbian Orthodox Christians). Romans 4 talks about “God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as through they were.” Pray that God would breathe His life into this land and that many would call on Him for salvation.

There are still 21,000 Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Kosovo. This is part of the legacy of brutal war and violence. Pray for these people to find adequate housing and peace in their lives.

New Kosovar believers need teaching and discipleship training. Pray that the new believers will continue to grow in the knowledge of God and become even more effective in proclaiming their faith.