Approximate 2002 AD Global Mission Statistics

(IN PROCESS 07-17-'02)

(1) World Population: 6.204 BILLION PEOPLE

33% of earth's people include Christians of all kinds.
40% of earth's people are reached (or evangelized) non-Christians.
27% of earth's people are unreached (i.e.unevangelized) non-Christians.

(2) Population of Major Religions Plus Subgroups of Special Interest to Christians

2.05 BILLION - Christians of all kinds
1.24 BILLION - Muslims
932 million - Nonreligious and Atheists
837 million - Hindus
368 million - Buddhists
234 million - Tribals
340 million - Chinese Folk Religionists
259 million - 0ther Religions
104 million - New Religionists

(3) World Population Growth, 1.22%, Compared with Muslims & Christian Subgroups

Muslims 2.11%, All "Christians" 1.27%, Roman Catholics 1.24%, Evangelicals 1.72%, Protestants 1.36%, "Gt.Com. Christians" 1.44%, Pentecostals and Charismatics 1.87%.

(4) Missionaries

429,000 Missionaries from all branches of Christendom
(Only between 2 and 3% of those missionaries work among unreached peoples.)
140,000 Protestant Missionaries
64,000 Protestant Missionaries From USA

(5) Distribution of Protestant Missionary Funds for Support of Both Foreign Missionaries and the Home Staff who Support the Field Missionaries in the Major Religious Blocks

74% Among Nominal Christians
8% Among Tribal Peoples
6% Among Muslims
4% Among Non-Religious/Atheists
3% Among Buddihists
2% Among Hindus
2% Among Chinese Folk Religions
1% Among Jewish Peoples

(6) Annual Global Church Finance in US Dollars

15,500 Billion - Total Annual Income
300 Billion - Giving to Christian Causes (1.8% of total income)
17 Billion - To Foreign Missions (5.7% of Giving to all Christian causes)
18 Billion - Eccliastical Crime

Target Groups Where Foreign Mission Funds are Spent
~87% goes for work among those already Christian, World C.
~12% for work among already Evangelized but Non-Christian, World B.
~1% for work among still Unevangelized and Unreached people groups, World C.
(or less than 1 penny of every $1,000 earned.)

(7) Of the World's 24,000 Unimax (#)People Groups 10,000 are Still Unreached

3700 Muslim 2700 Hindu 2000 Tribal 1000 Buddhist
400 Other 150 Chinese Folk Religions 50 Non-Religious/Atheist
(1600 have each more than 10,000 persons; 8,400 fewer than 10,000 persons each.)
(A large number of these Unreached Groups live in so called closed countries.)

(8) Average Ministry Cost in U.S. Dollars for Each Convert's Baptism

Mozambique - $1400 (least)
Ethiopia - $2700 (2nd)
Nepal - $3700 (5th)
Cambodia - $4300 (8th)
Average cost for World A - $32,000
for World B ............. $48,000
for World C ............. $490,000
Africa ................... $14,000
Asia ..................... $61,000
Lat. Amer ............... $145,000
Oceania .................. $634,000
Europe ................... $993,000
USA ...................... $1.5 Million!

# A Unimax People is a largest group within which the Gospel can spread as a church planting movement without encountering barriers to understanding or acceptance.

Main Sources:

World Christian Encyclopedia, 2001 and World Evangelization Resource Center, 2002.

—Prepared by Mobilization Division, U.S. Center for World Mission, Pasadena, CA.—

Bryan College short term missions trip

At OM USA we coordinate short term college groups that want to go on a missions trip. One of the groups was a team from Bryan College (Dayton, TN). Over Spring Break they went to Birmingham (UK). OM has a ministry there called LifeHope.
The team served with different churches in the city and worked with children and the elderly. They also visited 1000 homes door-to-door, inviting people for local Easter events.

It is encouraging to read the report from the team and see some of the pictures.

Luther Rice University

This week is the missions conference at Luther Rice Seminary, just outside Atlanta. I have been here before and it is a very special university/seminary. The speakers at their conference are quite often graduates. They are pastors of mission minded churches or are serving on the mission field.

I had the opportunity to speak at a class this morning. It was the Greek class (6 students + 1 prof). I shared stories of what God is doing around the world. The students and the professor asked questions about the work of OM and missions in general.

For the lunch we were invited for a Taste of the Nations. Students and faculty brought home made dishes in to share with everyone. There was food from The South (of the USA), Romania, Nigeria, Japan, Haiti, Scotland and India. Here a look at my plate before I got a Taste of the Nations.

Colorado Christian University

The campus of CCU is not huge, but they've got great energy. I attended CCU's missions week. I also hung out in the Student Union and talked with students. 2 conversations of note: I met a girl who came up to me and asked, "How do you know you are called?" We then talked for 20 minutes on calling, fears, and missions in general. I talked with another guy about miracles. He asked, "Why don't we as Americans see or perform miracles on a more regular basis." Very interesting conversations. I told some of my stories of my time overseas, and it is true that in general, miracles are not common in our American Christianity.




I attended a midnight bowling turnament to raise money for the CCU summer mission trips, then I was invited to tag along with a group going skiing at Copper Mountain. Yippee!

Liberty University

Nat and I visited America's largest Christian University - Liberty. 10,000 students attend. The academic center is huge. Thus far they only use part of the 3rd floor and none of the 4th yet. Nat and I had a good time. My highlights were meeting a Malaysian girl who visited the Doulos as a girl and even had a team come to her 11th birthday party. Her brother was also a STEPer. It's not often that I meet knows all about our ships, is excited about them, yet never served on board. OM Ships just are not well known in the USA.

I also shared in a dorm one night. I shared my testimony and some devotional thoughts. They seemed to be paying attention to me quite well. Even the dorm chaplain said so.

Also I discovered some of the IDAHOANS at Liberty. In fact there are 6 students who graduated from my High School. One had my mom as a teacher and I had his dad as a teacher.