Thursday, December 3, 2009

The Church Is Not Reaching Everyone -- Yet

Missions leaders divide the world into three groups to help us better understand what is taking place:

World C – 33% (Christianized nations)
It is surprising to learn that at least 78% of all Christian missionaries work in countries that are already Christianized, such as Zimbabwe, Russia, France, Brazil and the US. At the turn of the millennium, over $13 billion was being spent each year to reach people in these nations. Over 90% of all Christian literature, radio and TV was directed to reach people in World C. Everyone has not responded to receive Christ, but the gospel is readily available in these nations.

World B – 39% (some gospel presence, some Christians)
About 18% of all missionaries work in these partly reached countries. Records show that 9% of Christian literature and 4% of Christian radio/TV end up here. Some of these nations are even sending nations (such as India and South Korea).

World A – 28% (The unevangelized world: those who do not have Christ, Christianity or the gospel available to them.)
This group receives less than one-tenth of one percent of all the Christian literature, radio and TV ministry in the world. Only 3% of the world’s missionaries work here. [World Christian Database, www.worldchristiandatabase.org (“Missionaries Sent,” accessed October 29, 2008). Barrett and Johnson, World Christian Trends.]

No wonder so many people are still unreached! Who decides how these resources get used, anyway?

The idea isn’t to work less in World B or World C, but to do much more new work in World A. [Pages 63, 64]

Source: Sylvia Foth, Daddy Are We There Yet? (A global check-in on the world of mission and kids), Kidzana Ministries, Mukilteo, 2009

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