Day: July 1, 2020

In this edition: Stories & Statistics

1. WORLD: Where Do Missionaries Go?
2. BANGLADESH: A Flower Jesus Made Bloom
3. PAKISTAN: Couple Appeals Death Sentence for Alleged Blasphemy
4. IRAN: Virtual Church Faces New Opposition
5. MIDDLE EAST: Confessions of a Bible Smuggler

Greetings,

I’m finding it harder and harder to trust any statistics related to COVID-19. To reignite my confidence in stats, I turned to missiologist Justin Long. See below for his article on the nuances of counting how many missionaries work among the unreached.

Justin also mentioned the new UNHCR report on Forcibly Displaced People (refugees, etc.). It has great infographics to help you wrap your head around the data, and the five-minute video at the top of the page is beautifully done.

All these great resources reminded me of this graphic showing how the Bible is a single, great narrative.

Blessings,
Pat

Source: Justin Long, June 3, 2020

I frequently teach Lesson 9 of Perspectives [see lesson summary]. Whenever I do, one feature of the session that is often done, either at the beginning or at the middle break, is the “Worldview Demonstration.” This presentation attempts to show people the world’s population, the breakdown of religions, and how many of the world’s missionaries and the world’s mission money goes to the “more reached” vs. the “less reached.”

Inevitably, I often get asked how old the statistics are, and whether they have been updated. And the answer is, “fairly old” and “sort of.”

It takes a significant amount of time and personal relationships to attempt to gather any sort of credible estimate of missionary numbers per country. Maintaining them over time—that is, looking for trends and ebbs and flows in missionary information—is even more difficult. Fortunately, we have two good, recent sources, both from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity. One is the 2010 Atlas of Global Christianity and the other is the latest World Christian Encyclopedia.

In the latest WCE, the total number of missionary workers globally is estimated at 425,000 (this includes all traditions).

But the real question we want to get to is “What percentage of these workers are laboring among the unreached?” And that’s where it gets even stickier… [But] here is what you wanted all along:

Globally: 425,000 missionaries

• Total in World A countries: 11,940 (3%)
• Total in World B countries: 87,000 (20%)
• Total in World C countries: 326,060 (77%)

Based on this we can note 77% of the missionary work force is almost certainly not focused on the unreached. 23% of the workforce is in places where “unreached” and “evangelized” peoples are largely found, but the workforce focused on the really difficult, most unreached peoples is probably not more than 3% of all missionaries.

» Read the short essay with regional breakdowns, definition of terms, and explanation of challenges. While there, check out other research and writing from Justin Long.

» Last week’s Missions Catalyst Resource Review mentioned a new app to help would-be missionaries (from the US?) find a sending agency. If that’s you, see also the matching service MissionNext.

Source: Bible League International, June 29, 2020

Prodip’s family first arrived in Bangladesh from India in 1970. Today, he’s 43 years old and lives in a tea garden in eastern Bangladesh with his wife and many other migrants from India. For a long time, Prodip spent his time drinking and doing drugs. He notes, “I spent half my money on alcohol and marijuana. It gave me a high when I was depressed.”

Then, a church planter visited Prodip’s family and shared with them about the Good News of Christ.

At first, Prodip ignored the believer, but the more they spoke, the more he was impressed by the pastor’s humility. He talked to Prodip at length about the gospel and the Bible. He says, “I understood that I was a sinner and needed Jesus to rescue me.”

While the pastor was praying, Prodip became emotional and began crying, which surprised him and his wife since he is not very emotional. “I knew that God had touched me deeply. I felt my life was like a flower that Jesus made bloom.”

[Eventually] Prodip confessed his sins to God as well his wife. Now, their relationship is growing better every day. He no longer drinks or uses drugs and has learned to handle life in a better way. “I can see the look of wonder and disbelief on people’s faces when they interact with me. I’m equally surprised to see myself changed and transformed.”

» See full story with picture.

» Also from Bangladesh, read a fun story about The Bangladeshi MacGyver Turning Trash into Robots (Compassion International).

Source: Christian Freedom International, June 24, 2020

Shafqat Emmanuel and his wife Shagufta Kausar are two more victims of Pakistan’s unjust blasphemy laws [which outlaw insulting Islam and its founder, Mohammed]. The young Christian couple was accused of sending blasphemous texts to a Muslim cleric in 2014. They were sentenced to death and have spent six years in separate prisons waiting for Pakistan’s High Court to hear their case. Their appeal has been repeatedly postponed and is now set for September 2020.

The illiterate couple have four young children. Shagufta was the sole breadwinner of the family since 2004 when her husband Shafqat became paralyzed following an accident that fractured his spinal cord.

The alleged texts were written in English. But neither Shafqat or Shagufta speak or read English. An investigation revealed that the couple was involved in an argument with their accuser months before the blasphemy accusation was made against them.

» Read full story and pray for this couple and their children.

» You might also be interested in learning how Pakistani churches are pulling together in COVID-19-related relief efforts (MENA Collective, via Mission Network News).

Source: Mission Network News, June 19, 2020

Iran’s latest legal changes target virtual churches and online ministries. According to Article18, new amendments to an existing law expand Iranian authorities’ ability to persecute religious minorities.

“Iran’s latest legislative amendment appears to be, in part, a response to internal uprising and political unrest across the country,” says Mike Ansari of Heart4Iran.

“For a long time, Iran has waged war on its minority population and blamed them for its misfortune. Many feel this is a desperate power-act by Iran to secure its longevity and survival.”

Meanwhile, a spiritual revolution is underway in the Islamic republic. “In the last three months, our call center at Mohabat TV has registered an all-time high of 3,000+ monthly decisions of faith from Iranian Muslims who are converting to Christianity,” Ansari says. “This ten-fold increase, compared to the same period in 2019, is a major indication that the Islamic Republic of Iran is losing a cross-section of its Muslim population to Christianity.”

» Read full story. Another story from Mission Network News shares good news from Syria.

Source: Open Doors, June 23, 2020

“John” arrived at the airport late in the evening. There was only one more hurdle to get through before he was safely with his contacts, secret Christians who were following Jesus in this Middle Eastern country.

He had to make it through the border.

He went to the customs line at about 9:30 pm. His hope was the customs officers wouldn’t ask to see inside John’s suitcase; he hoped they would just wave him through.

That’s not what happened.

» Read full story.