Ethiopia

Norwegian Lutheran Mission began our work in Ethiopia in 1948. Today, we work alongside the Mekane Yesus Church to reach unreached people groups in the country.

Ethiopia is located at the Horn of Africa, bordering Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan and Kenya. The country is more than three times the size of Norway, and it has got a population of more than 115 million.

The country is home to many different ethnic groups, speaking approx. 85 different languages. Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that has never been colonised. The capital is Addis Ababa.

A strong national church

Norwegian Lutheran Mission began working in Ethiopia in 1948. For the most part our focus has been on areas in the south of the country.

As a result of the mission work done by several different mission organisations, a strong national evangelical lutheran church has emerged: the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY). The Mekane Yesus Church was founded in 1959, and today, it counts more than 10 million members. It is considered both the largest and the fastest growing lutheran church in the world.

The least reached

Throughout our time in Ethiopia, Norwegian Lutheran Mission's focus has been on working among the least reached people groups in the country. Alongside our partner church, EECMY, we wish to contribute to a continued growth of national, independent congregations.

EECMY faces a great challenge in meeting the ever-growing need for educated evangelists, theologians and priest. To assist in this, Norwegian Lutheran Mission is involved in theological education, primarily at Tabor Evangelical College in Hawassa.

Helping the whole person

Helping "the whole person", meaning both physically and spiritually, is an important aim for both EECMY and the Norwegian Lutheran Mission. Alongside the church and local authorities, we therefore participate in several development projects in the areas of community development, education and health.

Norwegian Lutheran Mission also work closely with our sister organisations Danish Lutheran Mission (DLM), Finnish Lutheran Overseas Mission (FLOM), and Samband Íslenskra Kristniboðsfélaga (SIK) from Iceland. Their missionaries work under the Norwegian Lutheran Mission umbrella in Ethiopia.