Date post: | 22-Jan-2018 |
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Global Mission TrendsMajor Trends Impacting Missions Today
Trend #1Amazing growth of Christ-followers
world-wide
Islam is growing faster than Christianity.
Agree or disagree?
Fastest growing countries last 20 years
Country %Change
Qatar 342 %
United Arab Emirates 262 %
Kuwait 143 %
Bahrain 137 %
Western Sahara 122 %
Niger 114 %
Oman 113 %
Liberia 100 %
Chad 99 %
Lebanon 95 %
9 of 10
How many have Islam as primary religion?
Major religions 1900 to 2050
Christianity growth projected as flat to 2050
Major Religions Annual Growth Rates vs Evangelicals
1.2%1.3%
1.2%
1.9%
1.2%
2.6%
0.0%
1.0%
2.0%
3.0%
An
nu
al
Gro
wth
Rate
Amazing Advance of the Gospel
1965 2015
Evangelicals world-wide
90 million
650 million
% of Worlds Population
4% 9%
• Globally an estimated 55,000 people become Christ-followers every day.
• An average of 3,500 churches are planted every week around the world.
Remarkable Growth in China
1949 – Less that 1 million believers
2016 – Estimates suggest between 80-100 million believers
Over 6,000 -10,000 people become Christ-followers
every day in China.
Remarkable Growth in Iran
• 1979 – 500 known Christ-followers
• 2016 – Some estimates suggest possibly 1 million Christ-followers (many have had to flee the country)
Remarkable Growth in Indonesia
• 70,000 new house churches in last few years.
• Over 15% of the population are Christian
• Almost half of the Muslim Background
Believers in the world are Indonesians.
• The government was so concerned that they
have stopped counting Christian growth.
(the largest Muslim country in the world)
Other countries with remarkable current growth of Christianity
India – “like China in the 1970’s and 80’s”
Mongolia – 1989 less than 10 known Christ-followers, today
estimated 75,000 and growing at almost 8% AGR
Bangladesh – over 156 million people
Officially: 89% Muslim, 10% Hindu, 1% Christian.
Unofficially: insiders suggest Christianity is closer to 10%
• Be encouraged by what the Lord of the Harvest is doing!
• Spirit of God is at work around the globe and we have
privilege and opportunity to be involved.
• Importance of long-term commitment.
• Christians should have children – spiritual and physical.
Trend #1 - Amazing growth of Christ-followers world-wideImplications
Trend #2Slowing Evangelical growth
since peak in 1990s
Declining Evangelical annual growth rate (AGR)
Slowing growth – China
Plateauing – Korea
Declining – Europe / West
Every major religion is growing faster than Evangelicals in the United States
1.2%1.3%
1.2%
1.9%
1.2%
2.6%
1.0%
2.6%
2.0% 1.9%
0.5%
0.8%
0.0%
1.0%
2.0%
3.0%
An
nu
al
Gro
wth
Rate
Solid = Global Striped = United States
The absolute number of non-believers is growing.
YearAbsolute number of non-believers
1900 1.06 billion
1970 2.46 billion
2000 4.14 billion
2016 4.96 billion
There are more people alive today that do not know Christ than at any other time in history.
Number of global cross-cultural mission workers is growing or shrinking?
2000 – 450,000
2016 – 386,000
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
400,000
450,000
500,000
2000 2016
Cro
ss-c
ult
ura
l Mis
sio
nar
ies
90% of decline is from US
5% from UK
5% from rest of the world
• Great Commission is not finished!
• Business as usual will not get the job done.
• Missions must remain as the core DNA of a church.
• Church must invest mission resources strategically.
• Vital importance of campus and mobilization ministries.
• Mission resources from US may grow scarcer.
Trend #2 - Slowing Evangelical growth since peak in 1990s.Implications
Trend #3Limited resources directed
toward people groups with the least access to the Gospel
“Unreached” now applied to everything
• My neighbor … co-worker … New England is “unreached.”
• Missions buzz-word that has lost its meaning.
• No longer carries meaning of an ethnic people group with virtually no access to or presence of the Gospel.
Unreached peoples off the radar“Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt. Let’s move on.”
Unreached = < 2% Christ-followers
Total people groups: 16,600
6,700 (40%)Unreached people groups:
Unreached = people groups with few, if any, indigenous believers, missionaries, Bibles, Christian resources, churches
What does it mean to “reach” a people group?
• An indigenous church planting movement is underway.
• Indigenous evangelism, leadership training, worship forms, Christian arts and church multiplication are occurring.
• Christianity is not viewed as something foreign.
• The movement has the capacity and vision to saturate the rest of the people group.
• Movement has reached “critical mass” – chain reaction capable of carrying on the process.
• Outside assistance is no longer needed.
Limited Missionaries
Less than 1 in 10
How many missionaries work among the unreached?
10/40 Window
Limited Access
How many of the remaining 6,700 unreached people groups live in restricted access countries? 5 out of 6
Limited Resources
Question: For every $1 of Christian giving to all causes how much goes to financing pioneer church planting among unreached peoples?
Answer: Less than a penny
North Americans spend more on Halloween costumes for pets than on outreach to unreached people groups.
Limited Churches
Location Population Churches Churches Population Location
Portland, OR 580,000 448 0 564,000 Asansol, India
Birmingham, AL 212,000 459 0 618,000Al Hudayadah, Yemen
Lancaster, PA 59,000 81 0 504,000Smarakaland, Uzbekistan
Indianapolis, IN 852,000 511 0 211,000 Tarhuna, Libya
https://player.vimeo.com/video/200845546
50 largest unreached people groups
These 50 unreached groups are comprised of 1.5 billion souls.
One in five people on earth live in these 50 unreached peoples.
Every group is larger than 10,000,000 in population.
None have an indigenous church capable of taking the Gospel to the entire group.
List of 50 largest unreached groups today is same as it was 10 years ago.
• Christ may be coming soon, but doubtful it is today if Matt
24:14 must be fulfilled.
• Making disciples of all people groups remains the Biblical
mandate for completing the Great Commission.
• A significant portion of church’s budget and personnel
ought to be allocated toward those with the least access.
• Need champions for the large unreached groups.
• Consider relocating to an unreached people group.
Trend #3 - Limited resources directed toward unreached people groups.Implications
Trend #4Movements to Christ among
Muslim people groups
• Islam began around 622 A.D.
• Over the centuries great numbers of “Christians” have been converted to Islam.
• But there have been very few movements of Muslims coming to Christ.
Definition of a movement
• At least 1,000 baptized believers –OR –100 new church starts
• Over a two-decade period
“A Wind in the House of Islam”By David Garrison
600-1800 No known movements
1800-1980 2 - Indonesia and Ethiopia
1980-2000 11 - Iran, Algeria, Bulgaria,
Albania, West Africa,
Bangladesh, Central Asia
2000-2013 69 - across the globe
Muslim Movements to Christ
02
11
69
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
622-1800 1800-1980 1980-2000 2000-2013
Mo
vem
en
ts t
o C
hri
st
Years
Kabyle Berber in North Africa
Oromo, Hararghein East Africa
Javanese in Indonesia
Arain in South Asia
A Wind in the House of Islam
Only a beginning
What percentage of the world's Hindu, Muslims, and Buddhists do not know a Christ-follower? 81%
• Rather than ask God to bless our agenda, move where God is moving.
• Spirit is moving in an unprecedented way among Muslims, often in supernatural way.
• Call is not to safety and prosperity, but to lay down our lives for those without the Gospel.
• Importance of local ministries among refugees and immigrants.
Trend #4 - Movements to Christ among Muslim people groupsImplications
Trend #5Rise of Global South as center
of Christianity
There are now as many Christ-followers in China as in North America.
The Great Shift
Year% Christians in
Europe and North America
% Christians in Latin America,Africa and Asia
1800 99% 1%
1900 90% 10%
1979 50% 50%
2016 24% 76%
Remarkable Growth of Christ-followers in the Global South
10
290
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
America /Europe
Global South
Mill
ion
New
Be
lieve
rs
For every 1 new Christ-follower in the US and Europe there are
29 in the Global South.
The new faces of the Body of Christ
From countries like Nigeria, Brazil, India and China
Rise of Asian, Africa and Latin American missionaries
10/40 Window Chinese
Koreans
Filipinos
NigeriansLatin Americans
Indians
• Receiving nations are becoming sending nations … success of missionary activity!
• Importance of partnership with non-western initiatives.
• Mission teams are now often a mix of internationals.
• Global South leaders given a representative voice.
• Importance of developing mission vision in everyone we minister to.
Trend #5 - Rise of Global South as center of ChristianityImplications
Trend #6Emphasis on Disciple-Making Movements. But great need for formal pastoral training.
Disciple-making movements (DMM)
Church Planting movements (CPM)
Training for trainers (T4T)
• Finding a “Person of Peace” • Discovery Bible Study• Early, simple training - emphasizing
obedience and every disciple a witness• Rapidly reproducing house churches• Minimal formal structure• Four generations before considered
successful
Globally what % of pastors lack formal training? 95%
Potential new pastors needed every day? 500*
Global lack of trained pastoral leadership
Without shepherds the sheep are easily lead astray. An estimated 2/3s of those reached through evangelism eventually fall away due to lack of discipleship and pastoral leadership.
An estimated two million plus pastors, particularly in Asia, Africa and Latin America, are undertrained and isolated.
* Some estimates suggest this could be as high as 1,000 per day.
• Indigenous multiplying movements are the key
to reaching those with the least access.
• Rapidly reproducing disciples is foundational.
• Need to encourage formal pastoral training for
indigenous leaders.
• Great ministry opportunities for teachers and
theological educators.
Trend #6 - Emphasis on Disciple-making movements. But great need for formal pastoral training.
Implications
Trend #7Acceleration of Bible translation
Complete Bible640 (9.0%)
New Testament1,450 (20.5%)
Portions or Translation Underway 1,300
(18.3%)Questionable Need
or Dying 1,000 (14.1%)
Non-Living 900 (12.7%)
Translation Needed 1,800
(25.4%)
Status of Bible translation
About 1,800 (25%) languages need Bible translation to begin.
0
25
50
75
100
125
150
175
200
225
1900 1950 1995 2000 2010 2015 2025
3 10
1821
73
120
215
Vision 2025
Would take until 2150
before all translation
projects started.
Vision 2025 Initiated
Great improvement, but still
take until 2038 before all
translation projects started.
Vision 2025 Accelerated
Rate needed for next 8 years to
accomplish Vision 2025 - Bible
translation in progress in every
needed language by the year 2025
Tra
nsla
tion P
roje
cts
sta
rted p
er
year
A Bible in every language that needs it
• New translation methodologies, indigenous
partnerships, crowd sourcing and technology are
greatly speeding up Bible translation
• A quality draft of New Testament once took 20-25
years. In some cases, now takes only 2-3 years.
• ParaText software and development of progress.bible
• Non-copyrighted translations
• “I was highly skeptical. Now I think it is inevitable”
President of Pioneer Bible Translators
• Quite possible that Bible translation will begin in
every language that needs it by 2025.
• “This is the first generation that can genuinely say the
Word of God may be available in every language that
needs it. A real finish-line is not that far off!”
• Great opportunity for technical people to be involved
in the Great Commission.
Trend #7 - Acceleration of Bible translationImplications
Trend #8Changing relationship of local church, mission agencies and
international partners.
“Traditional” Trend
Has worked well, but mission agency can view local church simply as a source of manpower
and funds, rather than ministry partners.
“Do-It-Yourself” Trend
• Mega-churches by-passing mission agencies, denominations and foreign partners.
• Sending workers or money directly to field.
“Partnership” Trend
Unreached people group
or place
Mission agency
Local church
Ministry Resources
National “proximate”
church
Existing Networks
and Training
“Partnership” Trend
• Complicated and difficult
• Involves building many trust relationships
• Empowers the national church
• Outcome focused
• Highly impactful
Trend #8 - Changing relationship of local church, mission agencies and international partners.
Implications
• “The Great Commission is too big for anyone to accomplish
alone and too important not to try to do together.” MissioNexus
• Partnership and genuine collaboration are the “new normal”
• Demonstrates the Body of Christ working together
www.visionSynergy.net
Trend #9Changing role of North American missionaries.
• Strong trend suggesting that the role of North American missions is over.
• Inefficient to send personnel. Just send money.
• So many problems here in US.
Time to pass the baton?
• Not a passing of the baton, but a cooperative equal partnership.
• Importance of both West and Global South missions efforts
• Often West providing expertise, training and innovation
• Global South offering zeal, new manpower and cultural-nearness
• Western humility and servanthood are key
• Global South missions still in adolescence - allow the Global South to learn from the experience and mistakes of the West
www.LinkingGlobalVoices.com
Greatest opportunity for partnership
10. Convergence of prayer and missions movements –
particularly among younger generation. Houses of
Prayer focused on missions and unreached peoples.
11. Business as Mission – indigenous micro-enterprises,
seed funds for local banking, job creation, dignity.
12. Reuniting of humanitarian aid and missions – more
holistic approach.
Other trends impacting global missions
Other trends impacting global missions
13. Orality movement – 60% of world prefers oral learning
vs 40% book learning. Bible storying and oral training.
14. I WOULD NOT IGNORE OR BYPASS THE PRINTED WORD
OF GOD – OTHERWISE FALSE TEACHING IS TOO EASY TO
PASS ON. THE WORD OF GOD MUST BE OUR ANCHOR
15. Urbanization – More likely to minister in a city hi-rise
apartment than in a rural setting.
16. Renewed interest in reaching internationals often from
unreached people groups that are living in US cities.
Other trends impacting global missions
16. Better understanding of world-view and
how sin is perceived in various cultures.17. Dramatic increase in
persecution of Christians
Vision of Coca-Cola Company:
“A can of Coke in the handof every person on the planet.”
How much more Jesus Christ?
That There Might Be Worshippers
“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before
the throne and before the Lamb” Rev 7:9
Soli Deo Gloria