More than 70% of the population of

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...

is Christian. Most are members of the Anglican,

United Congregational Church of Southern Africa The United Congregational Church in Southern Africa began with the work of the London Missionary Society, who sent missionaries like Dr. Theodorus van der Kemp to the Cape colony in 1799. He was established the first Congregational church in Cape T ...

, the

Methodist Church of Southern Africa The Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) is a large Wesleyan Methodist denomination, with local churches across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini, and a more limited presence in Mozambique. It is a member church of the ...

, and African independent churches. Anglicans are part of the

Church of the Province of Central Africa The Church of the Province of Central Africa is part of the Anglican Communion, and includes 15 dioceses in Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Primate of the Church is the Archbishop of Central Africa. Albert Chama is the current arc ...

. The

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

includes about 5% of the nation's population. The number of

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

churches has been rising in the 21st century. Churchgoers participate in night prayers, evangelism and crusades. Midweek Bible study services are conducted in some churches. In these meetings, prayers are offered for the church, members, community, and leaders in the nation. Churches in Botswana include Pentecostal Protestant Church, Assemblies of God, Apostolic Faith Mission, Eloyi Christian Church,

Pentecostal Holiness Church The International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) or simply Pentecostal Holiness Church (PHC) is a Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination founded in 1911 with the merger of two older denominations. Historically centered in the Southeaste ...

, Dutch Reformed Church in Botswana, Good News Ministries, Christ Embassy, Bible Life Ministries, Victory International Centre (VIC), Royal Assembly Ministries Int’l, First Love Church, and Winners Chapel International. The

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...

is present. Many of the churches are members of the Botswana Council of Churches. The churches normally meet occasionally to worship together under the name Evangelical Fellowship of Botswana. This body is like an organization of churches and it is the voice of the church.

History

One of the first missionaries to bring the gospel to Botswana was

David Livingstone David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of t ...

Major denominations

Most Botswana citizens identify as

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

, typically as

Anglicans Anglicanism is a Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia ...

, Methodists, or as members of the

. A survey identified the distribution among these groups as 66%

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, 7% Roman Catholics and 1% Other.

Youth programs

While children were treated as small adults during the colonial era, the 1800s brought a wave of Sunday school programs (Protestants) and parochial schools (Catholics) specifically for that young population. By the late 1800s, over half of Botswana's young members were attending elementary schools run by local parishes.

Beliefs and attitudes

* 19 percent of Botswana Christians: believe in salvation through

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, attend church regularly, study the Bible, invest in personal faith development through a church community, accept church leadership positions, and believe they are obligated to

evangelize In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are in ...

to others. * 20 percent are Professing Christians''.'' These persons are also committed to "accepting Christ as Savior and Lord" with an emphasis on personal spirituality over organized religion. * 24 percent are

Liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

Christians'','' predominantly

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

and

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

. They are regular churchgoers, exhibit a high level of spiritual activity, and recognize the authority of the church. * 16 percent are Private Christians''.'' They own a Bible, but rarely read it. Only about one-third attend church. They believe in God and good works, but not necessarily within a church context. This was the largest and youngest segment. Almost none are church leaders. * 21 percent are

Cultural Christian Cultural Christians are nonreligious persons who adhere to Christian values and appreciate Christian culture. As such, these individuals usually identify themselves as culturally Christians, and are often seen by practicing believers as nom ...

s''.'' They identify as Christians, yet they do not view

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

as essential to salvation, exhibiting minimal religious behaviors and attitudes favoring a universality theology.

Conversion

A study from 2015 estimated that about 100 Botswana Muslims convert to Christianity each year, most of whom belong to an evangelical or Pentecostal community. It has been reported that conversion into Christianity is significantly increasing among East Asians.

Education

The majority of Botswana Christians attend co-educational public schools, mostly government operated. The Christian schools were built by churches such as Moeding College for the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, and St. Joseph's College (established by the Roman Catholic Church). Although the schools are Christian schools, Botswana's government participates in their development, related infrastructure, and hiring practices (particularly in hiring teachers).

Media

Every week day public channel BTV broadcasts short religious programs.