Ministry in a Multi-Cultural and Unchurched Society

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Mi n i s t r y i n a Mu l t i -Cu l tura l and Unchur ched Soc i et y

1. Population growth: over six billion people; in 1900 there were only about 1.6 billion, and as recently as 1970, only 3.7 billion. Almost four times as many people in 2000 as 1900 ( WCE2 , 1:4). 1 Most populous continent is Asia 3,683 million, Africa, 784 million, Europe, 729 million, Latin America 519 million, North America 310 million, and Oceania 30 million. (Asia, Africa, and Latin America comprise 82% of the world’s population!)

1 World Christian Encyclopedia , 2nd ed., 2002.

2. Complex, ethnic diversity: over 160 distinct languages spoken, numbering well over 60 million people, drawn to urban areas for economic, social reasons

3. Bastion of power, influence, civilization, and control: the modern city as the symbol and sign of human civilization; the seat of commerce, industry, politics, military, business, education, jurisprudence, religion, entertainment, athletics, government, medicine, etc.

B. The benign neglect of the evangelical church

1. As of 2000, 419,000 Christian workers are serving God outside of their home countries (this number includes missionaries of all traditions, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, independent, and marginal Christian). The U.S. is the largest mission sending and receiving country on earth, sending 118,200 missionaries to other countries and receiving 33,200.

2. Most workers go to the least needy fields, though over 60% of all people live in cities.

“The real, demonstrated sending priorities apparently emphasize helping Christians become better Christians rather than helping non-Christians consider Christ – or helping Christians of one kind (essentially Catholic or Orthodox) become Christians of another kind (evan gelical or Catholic or charismatic, and so on) rather than