Missions Priorities Where are the people who have not heard about Jesus? Where should we prioritize taking the Gospel?

Missions PrioritiesWhere are the people who have not heard about Jesus?Where should we prioritize taking the Gospel?

Prioritization of the Great Commission (Overview)There is a great need to prioritize the Great Commission. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on bringing the awesome truth of Jesus to the least reached. 80% of missionaries are among evangelized (nominal) Christian people groups and a very large portion of Christian resources are in the U.S. There are many people who have heard little or nothing about Jesus and have almost nobody praying for them (by name) or who can tell them about Jesus. We need to prioritize these unreached people so we can obey our Master and complete the task He's given us all to do. We can pray more for those who have not heard the truth about Jesus and we can reallocate the resources at our disposal in order to more significantly impact the world for eternity.

Past Fruitful / Successful MissionsChristian missions have been successful in many places like sub-Saharan AfricaJust like a successful investment portfolio requires reallocation to strategically distribute resources (especially when do well in some areas and not in others), effective Great Commission outreach requires reallocation of resources.

Completing the Great CommissionJesus told us to make disciples of all ethne / ethnos (people groups)In order to do this, we Christian disciples must be engaged with all ethneAt present, there are many peoples with little or no Gospel witnessIn order to fulfill Jesus last command, we must make it a high priorityThis requires that we send people and resources where they are currently sparse but in very great need

Where are the majority of gospel / Christian resources?

Source: Barrett, David, and Todd Johnson. World Christian Trends AD 30 AD 2200. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2001. (WCT)If resources were distributed equally, they would be distributed according to:

Source: Barrett, David, and Todd Johnson. World Christian Trends AD 30 AD 2200. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2001. Actually:

Lowest Ratio (less than countrys portion)Highest Ratio (more than countrys portion)< 1.0 (Has less than countrys fair share per person)= 1.0 (Has countrys fair share per person)> 1.0 (Has more than countrys fair share per person)Data Source: World Christian Trends, Barrett & JohnsonRatios of Countries Portions of the Worlds Christian (Personal or Church) Income on a per Person Basis7.4 x proportionalshare0.51 x proportional share0.0170.00830.0491.30.0018Afghanistan 0.000072 x proportional share

Source: Barrett, David, and Todd Johnson. World Christian Trends AD 30 AD 2200. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2001.

Data Source: World Christian Trends, Barrett & JohnsonCost Effectiveness of World Missions Based on the Cost to Lead to the Baptism of a New Convert$1,551,000$130,000$15,800$9,800$40,800$171,800Afghanistan $30,400Mozambique $1,400Most EffectiveLeast Effective

David Barrett on Good Missions StewardshipDollar for dollar and hour for hour, the harvest coming from the 10/40 Window nations outstrips that from the rest of the world 100 to 1, Barrett says. That is, if the same money and time spent to win one person to the Lord in the West were put to use in the 10/40 Window nations, the effort would yield a harvest of 100 souls added to the kingdom of God. It is 100 times more cost effective, therefore, to reach those in the 10/40 Window. But for a sizable number of ethnolinguistic groups, cost-effectiveness reaches 1000 times more than in Western countries.World Christian Encyclopedia

Lowest Ratio (less than countrys portion)Highest Ratio (more than countrys portion)

< 1.0 (Has less than countrys fair share per person)= 1.0 (Has countrys fair share per person)> 1.0 (Has more than countrys fair share per person)Data Source: World Christian Trends, Barrett & JohnsonRatios of Countries Portions of the Worlds Christian Workers on a per Person Basis6.0 x proportionalshare1.6 x proportional share0.0900.330.290.970.00970.0340.022Afghanistan 0.0035 x proportional share

FewestMostRatios of Countries Portions of the Worlds Christian Periodicals on a per Person BasisData Source: World Christian Trends, Barrett & Johnson< 1.0 (Has less than countrys fair share per person)= 1.0 (Has countrys fair share per person)> 1.0 (Has more than countrys fair share per person)5.0 x proportionalshare0.18 x proportional share0.00700.210.330.520.00780.0540.056Afghanistan 0.0035 x proportional shareNote: Most of the red or orange nations are islands

FewestMostData Source: World Christian Trends, Barrett & JohnsonNumber of Evangelistic Offers or Opportunities to Become a Disciple per Capita per Year368268161329562

Needed in the U.S.Clearly the U.S. has more than her share of Christian finances, resources, and ministers.Thus, the U.S. does NOT need more money to obey the Great Commission in this nationObedient followers of Jesus with vision (from the Lord) are needed

The Great Need for More Emphasis on Reaching the Unevangelized with the Gospel

And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. Revelation 5:9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. Revelation 7:9It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. Rather, as it is written: Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand. Romans 15:20, 21

Imbalanced Evangelistic ActivitySource: World Christian EncyclopediaThere IS enough evangelistic activity to reach the whole world:Enough activity for every one in the world to hear a 1-hour presentation of the Gospel every other day all year longOver 1,430 billion hours of evangelism generated by Christians every year: personal witness, radio, TV, Internet, literature, etc.But this evangelistic activity is unevenly targeted: mostly at other ChristiansAs many as 86% of all Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists do not personally know a Christian. From: Justin Long, www.Momentum-Mag.org, Aug. 2007

The Unfinished Task28% are without access to gospel 39.5% of the worlds individuals are members of ethne with no viable churchWhile 72% of the world is adequately evangelized, 1,800,228,000 are left.**David Barrett, Todd Johnson and Peter F. Crossing, Status of Global Mission, 2005, in Context of 20th and 21st Centuries, International Bulletin of Missionary Research, Jan. 2005, p. 29.Source: Stan Park, Ethne 06

World PopulationForeign MissionariesSource: Operation World, World Christian Encyclopedia, USCWM, JP, GMI

Cross-cultural Missionaries per Million in Major BlocsSource: Todd M. Johnson & Mission Frontiers Magazine, June 2000; Stan Park, Ethne 06

Imbalance in Missionary DistributionOver 80% of all cross-cultural foreign missionaries minister among nominal Christian peoples.For every million unreached Muslims there are less than 3 missionariesChallenges of the Unfinished TaskImbalance in Missions FinancesQuestion: For every $1 of Christian giving to all causes how much goes to financing pioneer church planting among unreached peoples?Source: Joshua Project

Christian GivingAverage Christian gives 1.8% of their income 5% of Christian giving goes to missions (15 billion)More is lost to embezzlement (16 billion) than is given to missions Of mission funds -- between 0.1% and 1.66% is focused on unreachedSource: Stan Park, Ethne 06

Christian Ministers Focus95% of Christian ministers focus on their own peopleOf the 5% who become missionaries, 80-90% focus on ethne which are majority ChristianOnly 2.5 4% of missionaries are focused on the 25 - 28% of the world who are unreachedSource: Stan Park, Ethne 06

Status of Urgency for the UnreachedMajority of Christians still not aware of the challenge of the unreachedMany that are aware feel it is not their responsibilityMany church and mission leaders feel that missions to the unreached has been over-emphasizedSource: Stan Park, Ethne 06

If current patterns continue, the unreached will still be 23-28% of the worlds population in 2025Will We Change?Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.Albert EinsteinSource: Stan Park, Ethne 06

15,00025,00022,00010,000100,000300,00050,000200,000300,000The number of missionaries amongst the unreached remains terribly low.ChristianEvangelizedNon-ChristianNo Access9%36%55%2%25%73%24%40%36%1900192519501975200020252050Source: World Christian EncyclopediaFrom: Justin Long, www.Momentum-Mag.org, Aug. 2007

Chart1

558179879

6752811035

8504601209

13509311792

200123661718

263032362039

308338772115

C

B

A

Sheet1

CBA

1900558179879

19256752811035

19508504601209

197513509311792

2000200123661718

2025263032362039

2050308338772115

To resize chart data range, drag lower right corner of range.

Where Are Missionaries Needed the Most?Unreached people groupsLeast evangelized world or unevangelized world (World A)10/40 Window

Christians and the UnevangelizedSource: Operation World, World Christian Encyclopedia, USCWM, JP, GMI

Missionary presenceSource: Operation World, World Christian Encyclopedia, USCWM, JP, GMI

Percent Unevangelized Per CountrySource: Operation World, World Christian Encyclopedia, USCWM, JP, GMI

Unevangelized Population(in millions)Source: Operation World, World Christian Encyclopedia, USCWM, JP, GMI

1India344,000,0002China262,000,0003Pakistan144,000,0004Indonesia68,600,0005Iran48,700,0006Thailand34,100,0007Algeria32,900,0008Morocco30,900,0009Bangladesh30,000,00010Afghanistan26,000,000

Countries with the Most Unreached PeoplesIndiaChinaPakistanBangladeshNepalCountry # Peoples # UnreachedPeoplesSource: Operation World, World Christian Encyclopedia, USCWM, JP, GMI

India23322082China499406Pakistan401386Bangladesh370336Nepal315292

Where Are the People Who Have Not Heard About Jesus?Most Christians can more easily locate countries rather than people groupsJoshua Project* and WCT missions information was used to prioritize the nations using ten criteriaData for 15,893 people groups and 222 countries were used to evaluate the status of Christianity in the nationsThe results have many possible applications about world evangelization efforts*

Prioritization Weighting

Criteria (Percent Weighting)DescriptionPercent Least Reached (24%)Percent of the country's population living in a least reached people groupNumber Evangelism/Discipleship Opportunities (18%)The (average) number of discipleship offers per person per year in the countryJoshua Project Progress (15%)Progress of or response to the GospelChristian Workers per Million (14%)Number of Christian workers per million populationMinistry Tools (8%)Bible translation status, Jesus film, audio recordings, & Christian radio broadcastingCountry Indices (8%)Location indices (country persecution index, human development index, & percent evangelical)Population People Least Reached (6%)Population living in a least reached people groupNumber Least Reached People Groups (4%)Number of least reached people groups in the countryPopulation (2%)Population of the countryCost / Convert (1%)Average cost to lead to a baptism

Lowest PriorityHighest PriorityGreat Commission Prioritization of CountriesNote: Most of the purple nations are (small) islands

Country Great Commission Status / Prioritization Scores

Need of USA vs. Other Countries*Note: Of the 1,533,000 Christian workers in the U.S., 1.28 million or 83.4% of these Christian workers could perhaps be missionaries in another country in order to achieve global equity

USAAfghanistanIndiaChinaIndonesiaPriority1231285853% of Worlds Full-Time Christian Workers27.8%(6.0 x % pop.)0.0013%(1/292 x % pop.)5.6%(1/3.0 x % pop.)1.9%(1/11 x % pop.)1.0%(1/3.5 x % pop.)% of All Christian Personal or Church Income34.1%(7.4 x % pop.)0.00002%(1/19,000 x % pop.)0.14%(1/120 x % pop.)0.36%(1/58 x % pop.)0.17%(1/21 x % pop.)% of World Population4.6%0.38%16.7%20.9%3.5%

Need of USA vs. Other Countries (contd)Sources: Barrett and Johnson WCT, Joshua Project

USAAfghanistanIndiaChinaIndonesia# Discipleship Opportunities per Person per Year368Less than 1131629% Population Least Reached in the Country0.3%99.9%89.8%15.1%66.4%% Christian76%0.03%2.3%7.3%8%% Evangelical Christian32.5%0.0%1.8%6.0%4.0%Average Cost / Convert$1,551,000$30,000$9,803$15,828$40,765

Lausanne Covenant In 1974, it was more difficult to get many Christians, especially from different denominations, to agree upon some things. Yet, something remarkable happened after the Rev. Billy Graham and his evangelistic association helped initiate Lausanne I: The International Congress on World Evangelization in Switzerland. In July of 1974, more than 2,300 evangelical leaders from 150 countries agreed upon the Lausanne Covenant to be more intentional about world evangelization. The following paragraph is quoted from the Lausanne Covenant of 1974 and would be an excellent centerpiece or core value of any church missions program or personal missions involvement.

9. THE URGENCY OF THE EVANGELISTIC TASK "More than 2,700 million people, which is more than two-thirds of all humanity, have yet to be evangelised. We are ashamed that so many have been neglected; it is a standing rebuke to us and to the whole Church. There is now, however, in many parts of the world an unprecedented receptivity to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are convinced that this is the time for churches and para-church agencies to pray earnestly for the salvation of the unreached and to launch new efforts to achieve world evangelization. A reduction of foreign missionaries and money in an evangelised country may sometimes be necessary to facilitate the national church's growth in self-reliance and to release resources for unevangelised areas. Missionaries should flow ever more freely from and to all six continents in a spirit of humble service. The goal should be, by all available means and at the earliest possible time, that every person will have the opportunity to hear, understand, and to receive the good news. We cannot hope to attain this goal without sacrifice. All of us are shocked by the poverty of millions and disturbed by the injustices which cause it. Those of us who live in affluent circumstances accept our duty to develop a simple life-style in order to contribute more generously to both relief and evangelism." (Emphasis added.)

What Can We Do?#1 More prayer is needed for people in highly prioritized nations who have little or no opportunity to hear the truth about Jesus and very few Christians to pray for themNew missionaries can be sent to least reached peoplesGospel tools can be used or translated to help reach high priority peopleGreater emphasis could be placed on international student ministry

Practical Ways to Make a DifferenceChurches and individuals can evaluate the missionaries / organizations they support and consider focusing more on high priority countriesChurches could add more new missionaries &/or establish goals to increase the percentage of their support in high priority nations10/40 Window Bible school scholarships, radio, Bible translation, or scripture / gospel literature support could be earmarked for high priority countries (like with Gospel for Asia, the Bible League, or Every Home for Christ)Get involved with international student ministry

ConclusionThere is a great need to prioritize reaching people who have little or no access to the Gospel Countries with many least reached peoples can be targeted with more focused prayer and new missionaries or gospel resources.

******Source: Barrett, David, and Todd Johnson. World Christian Trends AD 30 AD 2200. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2001.

*Source: Barrett, David, and Todd Johnson. World Christian Trends AD 30 AD 2200. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2001. **Source: Barrett, David, and Todd Johnson. World Christian Trends AD 30 AD 2200. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2001.

***Source: Barrett, David, and Todd Johnson. World Christian Trends AD 30 AD 2200. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2001.

**Source: Barrett, David, and Todd Johnson. World Christian Trends AD 30 AD 2200. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2001.

******************************* e (USA) = 368; e (Afghanistan) < 1 *********

Documents

Missions Priorities Where are the people who have not heard about Jesus? Where should we prioritize taking the Gospel?