Pray for Montenegro

With a beautiful coastline, mountain scenery, and clear lakes, Montenegro is one of Europe’s fastest-growing tourist destinations. Life in Montenegro is generally peaceful, family-oriented, and closely connected to nature. The nation has an extensive history of empires, communism, and authoritarian rule. It was part of Yugoslavia and was then in a state union with Serbia before gaining its independence in 2006. Since then, Montenegro has stabilized significantly, even as it continues efforts to tackle institutional corruption and ensure that its courts and laws operate fairly and independently. Despite lingering cultural friction, Montenegrins are working toward a stable and prosperous future.

Ethnic divisions split the nation, as many citizens identify as Serb due to shared history and past union with Serbia. While Serbs and Montenegrins share cultural ties, some push for a distinct Montenegrin identity, while others see the two groups as one people. This has fractured politics, languages, and the Orthodox Church. Because its economy relies heavily on tourism, the country is highly vulnerable to unexpected global events. However, unemployment has declined significantly in recent years and continues to decrease. Despite baseline protections for civil liberties, corruption and political friction often push laws through without transparency or public debate. Patriarchal roots still influence the nation, and women are vulnerable to gender discrimination and domestic violence.

Despite the religious restrictions under communist rule in the twentieth century, almost everyone in Montenegro now identifies with a religion. However, most of them are still spiritually lost. About 20 percent of the population is Muslim, and roughly 70 percent of Montenegro identifies as Orthodox Christian. Orthodox Christianity has become a part of national identity, and deep divisions remain between the Serbian and Montenegrin Orthodox Churches. Montenegrin Orthodox believers have reported discrimination from national leaders. The Serbian Orthodox Church holds major political and cultural influence. However, Christianity is predominantly cultural rather than a personal belief, and many are not actively practicing their faith. Less than one percent of the population is evangelical, but the evangelical Church has grown from 0.03 percent of the population to 0.3 percent over the last two decades. More evangelical church plants are needed, as portions of the country remain largely un-evangelized.