From the Nile to the Nations

The Nuer, who call themselves Naath, meaning “the people,” are among the largest ethnic groups in South Sudan and are also found in parts of western Ethiopia. Their language, also called Nuer, belongs to the Nilotic family, which is also shared with other ethnic groups in South Sudan, including the Dinka and Shilluk.

Historically, the Nuer migrated along the White Nile and expanded eastward between the 17th and 19th centuries, seeking fertile land and water for their cattle - the very heart of Nuer life. Cattle symbolize wealth, identity, and connection with the divine. A common Nuer saying declares, “A man without cattle is not a man.” Their society values equality and community; leadership is earned by respect, not position. Before Christianity, the Nuer believed in Kwoth, the supreme God who gives life and rules over all things, a belief that remarkably parallels the biblical understanding of one sovereign Creator. This spiritual foundation made the Nuer receptive to the gospel when Christian missionaries reached them in the 20th century.

The Nuer people’s story is marked by hardship and resilience. Decades of civil war and displacement have scattered them across South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and beyond. Yet, just as God used Joseph’s suffering to save many, “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Genesis 50:20), He is using the Nuer’s trials to spread His Word. Amid this movement, Pastor Mading Bol, a Nuer man who migrated to the United States, became a key vessel of God’s plan. Formerly an Adventist, Pastor Bol encountered the teachings of the Seventh Day Baptist (SDB) faith and found in it a biblical expression of Sabbath-keeping, freedom in Christ, and believers’ baptism that resonated deeply with his people’s love for God and community.

In 2013, after a visit from Clinton Brown, then Executive Director of the SDB Missionary Society, the Nuer work began to take shape. By this time, a few SDB congregations had already been established in South Sudan. The first Nuer Seventh Day Baptist church building and congregation were established in Gambella, Ethiopia, in 2014, followed by the planting of another congregation in Cairo, Egypt, in 2021. These milestones marked the beginning of a remarkable movement of faith among the Nuer people.

In just over a decade, the Nuer SDB ministry has grown to include more than 23 congregations across South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Egypt, totaling about 2,000 members. There are also additional fellowships among existing SDB groups in Kenya and Uganda. Even though Pastor Mading Bol resides in the United States, he remains the visionary and driving force behind this mission. On the ground, Pastor Kuol Kech Gach leads the ministry in South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Egypt, providing spiritual oversight and encouragement despite enormous challenges.

God has also raised Nuer SDB congregations in the U.S., in Phoenix (Arizona), Anchorage (Alaska), and Omaha (Nebraska) - forming a bridge of faith between the diaspora and their homeland. Indeed, “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Genesis 50:20). The displacement of the Nuer people has become a vehicle for the gospel to reach across nations and generations.

The Nuer SDB believers in South Sudan and the refugee communities in Ethiopia and Egypt face daily struggles for survival with limited food, work opportunities, and worship spaces. Many gather under trees to praise God, echoing the early church’s simplicity and faith. Like the Israelites in Egypt, they live as strangers in foreign lands, yet they cling to God’s promises of deliverance and hope. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11). Their perseverance testifies to the living faith of a people who continue to worship amid hardship, serve amid lack, and believe amid adversity.

The SDB Missionary Society sees the Nuer work as a powerful revelation of God’s goodness and His global mission unfolding through unexpected paths. The growing Nuer churches need continued prayers, training, and sustainable resources to strengthen pastors and congregations, build worship spaces, and expand ministry outreach.  Their story is more than migration or denomination; it is God’s mission advancing through faithful people. From the Nile to the nations, the Nuer stand as living witnesses of a God who turns suffering into salvation and scattering into sowing. May their faith inspire us to bear one another’s burdens, “and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2), and to remember that “they shall come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13:29).

-Pastor Garfield Miller

Reflection

The journey of the Nuer Seventh Day Baptists shows how God transforms hardship into opportunity, scattering His people so the gospel can take root in new places. Their faithfulness reminds us that God’s mission advances even in the most difficult circumstances.

Prayer Point

Pray that God strengthens Nuer pastors and congregations with provision, protection, and hope as they worship and serve Him across South Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt, and the diaspora.

Reflection Question

How does the perseverance of the Nuer believers challenge your own faith?

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