How Did The Gospel Get To Georgia?
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Invest in GeorgiaOut of a population of 4.9 million, about 49,000 people in Georgia claim to be Christians. As we consider the Church today, we can gain insight by looking back in history to see how and when the gospel was first brought to Georgians. So, how did Georgia get to this point?
HOW WAS THE GOSPEL BROUGHT TO GEORGIA?
In the first few centuries AD, Christianity spread gradually throughout the Roman Empire as believers dispersed and travelers encountered Christian communities. This led to a Christian presence in Georgia. Some traditions claim that the apostles Andrew and Simon the Zealot preached in Georgia as early as the 1st century.
During the 4th century, Saint Nino—a Christian woman from Cappadocia—preached the gospel in the Kingdom of Iberia, which is modern-day Georgia. She influenced the royal family to convert to Christianity. Soon after, Christianity was officially adopted as the state religion, making Georgia one of the earliest officially Christian nations in the world.
Christianity quickly became central to Georgian culture and identity. The Church helped develop the Georgian alphabet so the Bible could be translated into the local language, anchoring Christianity deeply in the intellectual and cultural life of the nation. Over time, the Georgian Orthodox Church emerged, shaping theology, literature, and national consciousness for centuries.
WHAT DOES THE CHURCH LOOK LIKE TODAY?
Today, the overwhelming majority of Georgia’s population still identifies as Christian, specifically Eastern Orthodox. Roughly 80–85% of the population identifies with the Georgian Orthodox Church. But many Georgians only nominally identify with Eastern Orthodox due to the influential cultural and social role the Georgian Orthodox Church has within the country.
The second largest religion is Islam with an estimated 500,000 Muslims. Protestantism is a small minority presence. Some growth has come through missionary work and through converts from other religious backgrounds, but overall numbers remain small compared to Orthodoxy.
The social reality for Protestants can be mixed. Georgia legally guarantees religious freedom, and Protestant churches operate openly, but they often lack the cultural influence and historical rootedness of Orthodoxy. In some cases, Protestant communities have faced social suspicion or pressure. Still, there are signs of gradual diversification, especially in urban areas, and a small but persistent Protestant presence continues to grow through local churches, missions, and new converts.
HOW CAN YOU PRAY FOR THE CHURCH IN GEORGIA?
While many Georgians are familiar with Christianity, many associate with the religion or go to church out of tradition rather than genuine faith. Pray that the gospel would be freshly heard and received, not merely inherited, and that hearts would be renewed with genuine faith.
Christian denominations outside of the Georgian Orthodox Church can face social pressure or institutional challenges, including censorship and building permit rejections. Pray that they would be granted freedom to gather, worship, and share the gospel without hindrance. Pray for believers to be bold in their witness so that more Georgians would know the true gospel and grow in their biblical understanding.
Pray for Radical’s efforts through their partnership with a missions training center in Georgia to be fruitful, and for the students to be equipped to make disciples and plant churches in hard-to-reach places.
Finally, pray for church leaders across Georgia. Pray for Georgian church leaders to be equipped with sound theology, to preach Scripture clearly, and to shepherd their congregations with wisdom and integrity. Pray that strong, biblically grounded leadership would help plant and cultivate healthy, faithful churches throughout the country.
