1. The State of the Spread of the Gospel18
The State of the Spread of the Gospel

2. A Word about Statistics
We can’t discern the numbers who will be in heaven in the future
The focus of the chapter is on “engagement” of people groups with the gospel
The global status of Christianity is dynamic – so a person must keep up to date on statistics

3. Global Studies Adherents to Christianity – 33% of world pop
Stable for last century
Largest religious group
190 to 420 million evangelicals depending on source
Brazil – 30% “evangelical”
Survey of 4 urban centers: 0.6 to 4.1% evangelical
Excluded those with syncretistic beliefs

4. Counting the Nations
Many have sought to count all the ethno-linguistic people groups of the world
Wycliffe - Ethnologue
Barrett/Johnson – World Christian Encyclopedia
Scribner/Morrison – Joshua Project
IMB – Church Planting Progress Indicators (CPPI)

5. Affinity Blocks, etc
Various Heirarchical models are used to understand how people groups relate;
EX:
15 affinity blocs
250 people clusters
10,000 specific people groups sharing 7,000 living languages
Sociological affinities such as “teachers”

6. Urban Centers Another logical organizing strategy
Takes into account shift from rural to urban
From 2000 to 2030, population growth will be in cities of developing countries

7. Progress of Gospel Today
Table 18.3 – (be familiar with it for final)
Focus on status 0-3 – all <2% evangelical
55.6% of identified people groups in this group
57.8% of world’s population in this group
Table 18.4 – (be familiar with it for final)
6,463 people groups in status 0-3
74 have population of 10 million or more
495 have pop. Of 1 million to 10 million

8. UPGs: Current Efforts Actions IMB report Finishing the task report
Strategic Prayer
Contextual Church Planting
Indigenous Church reproduction
IMB report
Every year many UUPGs (unengaged) are removed from the list because missionaries are now working among them
Finishing the task report
Since 2005, more than half of the UUPGs known to exit at that time have been engaged

9. Critical Issues
Syncretism – often evangelical beliefs are a veneer over older animist beliefs, voodoo, etc
Contextualization – must maintain the tension between the uncompromised authority of the Word and the need to make the message plain
The Majority World – we are not the only ones engaging the UPGs of the world. Reached peoples are strategizing and mobilizing to reach their near neighbors who are unreached