Posted on 2/2/2012 by Warren Bird in the Books Blog
No one is better at stimulating discussion about this question than Patrick Johnstone, editor of six editions of Operation World, and now compiler of The Future of the Global Church: History, Trends and Possibilities. It’s a massive 240-page project, six years in preparation, and richly illustrated on every page. It has almost as many graphics as text. You can spend hours studying it, and then come back another day and spend more time, learning even more. I know because I did, benefitting immensely.
What’s unique about this book is that it not only presents the religious dynamics of each country and region of the world, but it also examines the presence of Christians there, identifying each branch of Christianity country by country, and especially bringing out the role of evangelicals. He also has a major region-by-region section on the unevangelized.
Johnstone is hopeful and optimistic in his conclusions, but equally sobering about all that must happen before “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9 and Habakkuk 2:14). For example, in many countries where the gospel seems to be making good progress, it’s actually disproportionately represented by migrant workers, expatriates, or one particular people group.
Here are a few “did you know?” items that I learned:
- There are 22 mission agencies that each have over 1,000 missionaries in service. Who’s the largest? Answer: For the year 2010, Campus Crusade for Christ International with 9,913 workers in 128 fields.
- In 1900 Britain was the largest sender of missionaries, eclipsed soon by the United States. In 2010, 3 of the top 4 missionary-sending countries were Asian. If USA sends the most in 2010 (95,000), who comes next? Answer: India (82,950), South Korea (21,500), China (20,000), Nigeria (6,644), and then the United Kingdom (6,405).
- What are the top three countries where missionaries were sent in 2000? Answer: to India (42,023), to the USA (20,219) and to Brazil (6,966).
- In how many countries is less than 1% of the population affiliated with any branch of Christianity? Answer: 24. If you exclude Christian “foreigners” living in various countries, the answer is 35. As with all other stats, the book depicts them in a helpful graphic.
- Where are the people groups with the least exposure to the gospel? Answer: North Africa and the Middle East, followed by Asia. This area has been described as the 10/40 Window, and several graphics analyze it.
- Where are the most evangelicals? Answer: USA, followed by China, then Nigeria, India, Brazil, Ethiopia, Philippines, Kenya, Uganda, Congo and Indonesia. On that list, the ranking of China and Indonesia surprised me the most. In a few years China's evangelical population will most likely surpass that of the USA!
The book is well worth the price, and along with the purchase comes free or discounted access to various additional data and visuals available online.
By Warren Bird
Warren Bird, Ph.D., is Research Director for Leadership Network and co-author of 24 books on various aspects of church health and innovation.
Comments
Thanks Warren! Enlightening to see these sobering stats. The Church in North America must wake up, we have a day appointed were we have to give an account before Christ!
Angel