Bibles for Mozambique
Background
Mozambique is a former Portuguese colony in southeast Africa. Situated to the northeast of South Africa, and directly west of the island of Madagascar, the country only gained independence from Portugal in 1975 after being a Portuguese colony for 470 years. Prior to being a Portuguese colony, Muslim Arabs occupied parts of the coastal region [1]. After only two years of independence, the country descended into a protracted civil war that lasted until 1992. In 1994, the country held nationwide elections and has since been a relatively stable presidential republic.
Mozambique as a country faces challenges from droughts and destruction from recent cyclones. Cyclones Idai (March 2019) and Kenneth (April 2019) left scars in the form of destroyed homes, lost crops, lives, and weakened infrastructure in many parts of Mozambique. In many parts of the country, the people live close to the soil, depending on it for sustenance, resilience, and survival [2] yet, this proximity to nature means vulnerability, especially when these cyclones or torrential rains do strike [3].
Mozambique is considered a low income economy, with the population primarily engaging in subsistence farming. Nearly 63% of the population is below the poverty line.[5] Infrastructure is also very limited. Only 33% of the population has access to electricity; only 20% of the total population is on-line.[5] Many families barely get by with what little resource they have and with what they can make monetarily. Mozambique ranks #126 in the CIA world factbooks GDB purchasing power, below Laos, Myanmar/Burma, and Afghanistan.[4]
In addition to the economic and natural disaster challenges, there is a growing threat of radical Islam. Beginning in 2017, Muslim radicals began attacking northern Mozambique towns. In 2019, these radicals started aligning themselves with ISIS [6], while also targeting Christian communities with violence, kidnappings, and beheadings [7]. In attacks in July of 2025 alone, 46,000 people were displaced in northern Mozambique and 6 Christians were beheaded [8].
The Bible situation in Mozambique
There is a vibrant Church in Mozambique, but access to God’s Word is extremely limited. Most pastors lead their churches with no Bible or only small hand copied text portions. Our in country contact recently shared the stark reality of the Bible situation in rural parts of the country:
“One of the most serious challenges facing the Christian community … is the severe scarcity of Bibles, a reality that has crippled the growth and maturity of the churches ... The roots of this scarcity are both economic and environmental … [F]amilies often struggle to secure enough food for survival. In such conditions, purchasing a Bible is far beyond reach for most households, leaving many Christians without access to the written Word of God.
The problem was dramatically worsened by Cyclone Idai in 2019, which ravaged [many parts of the country] with unprecedented destruction. Torrential rains and flooding swept away homes, schools, crops, and churches. For many pastors and church members, their Bibles and Christian literature were among the possessions lost to the floodwaters. In the aftermath of the cyclone, when people desperately needed spiritual encouragement, the reality was that entire congregations were left without even a single Bible to turn to for comfort and guidance. Pastors who once faithfully preached from their worn Bibles suddenly found themselves with nothing but memory and fragments of Scripture to sustain their messages.
The absence of Bibles … has had serious consequences for spiritual life and church growth. Many pastors, unable to read directly from the Scriptures, are forced to preach based on what they have heard from others, recall from memory, or from the Gospel portions provided [by other ministries]. While this reflects their dedication and resourcefulness, it inevitably leads to gaps in teaching, misinterpretations, and a weakening of doctrinal foundations. Congregations are deprived of the richness and depth of the Word, resulting in shallow understanding and stunted spiritual growth.
Young believers, in particular, suffer the most. Without personal access to the Scriptures, their faith often remains dependent on oral teaching alone, making them vulnerable to discouragement, doubt, and even false teachings. Sunday services lose the depth that comes from a shared reading of the Word, and discipleship becomes limited. For many churches … the absence of Bibles has become a heavy barrier to raising mature, grounded disciples of Christ.”
While there is a Bible Society office in the far southern capital of Maputo, the distance between Maputo and the far north of Mozambique is the same as the distance from the Panhandle of Florida to the northwest corner of Vermont. This distance is impossible for a typical pastor to travel who doesn’t have a vehicle, much less for the typical Christian who is a subsistence farmer.
The first step to meeting the need of Bibles to God’s people in Mozambique is to first equip the pastors, elders, deacons and evangelists with God’s Word as the leaders will then be able to adequately feed their congregation with spiritual food, the Word of God. We have been told by our national contact that Biblia Global is the only ministry partnering with our local contacts to provide full Bibles free of charge to pastors and other Christians in all of Mozambique. It is for such a situation that Biblia Global exists! Our desire is to continue this long term partnership to provide the Word of God to the Church in Mozambique.
2025-2026 Bible Distribution
In 2025, 1,000 Bibles and New Testaments were purchased in Portuguese, Sena, and Shona and distributed to pastors, elders, deacons, and evangelists across Mozambique from 2025 through 2026. This was done in partnership through our amazing contacts with the ministry Every Home for Christ Mozambique. These were funded from the Biblia Global’s General fund. If you give to this fund, you are a part of helping to meet this deep need for God’s Word in Mozambique!
Distribution #1
In this distribution, Pastors and church leaders from the region gathered at a central church to receive Bibles funded by Biblia Global.
Distribution #2
In this distribution, Pastors, elders, evangelists and church leaders from the region gathered at a central church to receive Bibles funded by Biblia Global. The pastors received a Bible in their language and also received a new pair of shoes from a ministry named Soles for Jesus.
Distribution #3
In this distribution, graduates of a ministry training program called “Be Fruitful and Multiply” (first location) run by Every Home for Christ Mozambique received a Bible funded by Biblia Global
Distribution #4
In this distribution, graduates of a ministry training program called “Be Fruitful and Multiply” (second location) run by Every Home for Christ Mozambique received a Bible funded by Biblia Global.
Notes:
[1] CIA World Factbook, Country Background, Mozambique, cia.org [home page on-line]; available from https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mozambique/; accessed 18 September 2025.
[2] From digital conversations with in-country partner, October 2025.
[3] In-country partner, Idib.
[3] Idib.
[5] CIA, Idib.
[6] Danielle Wallace, “ISIS soldiers behead Christians in Mozambique, burning church and homes: 'Silent genocide',” foxnews.com [home page on-line]; available from https://www.foxnews.com/world/isis-soldiers-behead-christians-mozambique-burning-church-homes-silent-genocide; accessed 19 September 2025.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.