Editor’s note: This is the third post in a 12-part series that highlights information found in IMB’s Annual Statistical Report. The report is based on 2019 research data. A full copy of the report is available at imb.org/asr.
Our best estimate of gospel sharing by Christians worldwide reveals a staggering reality—we are failing to keep up with the global population growth rate.
While almost 1.5 million people were added to the global population every week in 2019, recent estimates seem to indicate that, on average, evangelical Christians only share the gospel around 275,000 times per week. This reality should spur Christians everywhere to share their faith regularly.
Across the globe, God continues to call missionaries from the nations to go to the nations. An instrumental part of the core missionary task is “Exit to Partnership.” Many global missionaries are coming from mission fields where IMB personnel have labored for many years alongside indigenous partners in the planting of healthy reproducing churches.
Since a major component of church health is local indigenous ownership in the Great Commission, these churches are sending missionaries to reach the nations. Only as more and more Christians from all nations share the gospel on a regular basis to those near and far will we keep up with population growth rates.
Growth and death rate data from CIA World Factbook (www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/docs/profileguide.html)