Here are some astonishing facts:
1. Spiritual Challenge (Satan does not give up ground without a battle)
-There may be up to 160,000 martyrdoms per year in 50 countries.
-More Christians have been martyred in the 20th century than in the previous 19 centuries combined.
2.Political & National Challenge
-Countries with the highest % of unreached tend to be the most closed to Christianity & persecuted peoples.
-Government severely represses all religious activity and there is systematic oppression, imprisonment and execution of Christians.
-Physical and spiritual starvation of millions of people.
3.People Group Challenge (Remaining people groups are the most difficult to penetrate)
- GEOGRAPHIC BARRIERS: remote, harsh climate, difficult access, or nomadic.
- LINGUISTIC BARRIERS: illiteracy, no scripture in their language, unwritten language, terminology confusion.
- CULTURAL BARRIERS: persecution, closed to change, Christianity viewed as a “foreign” religion.
4.THE CHURCHES CHALLENGE (Here in lies the real problem)
-Imbalance in Missionary Distribution
1. 95% of Christian ministers spend most of their time focused on their own people
2. Of the 5% of Christians who become missionaries 80-90% focus on ethne which are majority already Christian or Evangelized
3. Only 2.5 – 4% of missionaries are focused on the 25 - 28% of the world who are unreached
-Imbalance in Missions Finances
1. Average Christian gives 1.8% of their income to the church
2. 5% of Christian giving goes to missions (15 billion)
3. More is lost to embezzlement (16 billion) than is given to missions each year
4. Of mission funds -- ONLY-- 0.1% - 1.66% is focused on unreached Peoples
All of this to say that if we stay on the same course as "the Church" in general, then the statistics will not change because populations will grow and out grow the number of missionaries and monies going to the unreached.
Example:
This is where we should Focus to complete the Task at Hand!!!!Christian Islam Hindu Buddist Non-Religious
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