Our analysis of 166 nations suggests the biggest threat to Christian vitality is not persecution, affluence, education, or pluralism. Make Replicating Disciples, not Converts. Lay ministry is also central in the Global South to finding pastors. Africa (2.77% growth) and Asia (1.50%). As in Iran, it is illegal in Afghanistan to convert from Islam, and those who do so face imprisonment, violence, and even death. How do we explain this paradox? Careers Workplace and Religion Columnists, Recreation Outdoors and Religion Columnists, Religious Music and Entertainment Columnists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Hope youll give us another try and check out some other articles. On average, using data from The Status of Global Christianity, between 2000 to 2020, (7,300 days): Africa had 37,825 new Christ Followers every day over the last 20 years Latin America had 16,988 Asia had 13,443 North America had 1,999 Oceania had 473 Europe had 8 However, Christianity is also declining in some parts of the world, such as Europe. In contrast to Europe, Christianity in Asian countries has not been in a position to receive preferential treatment from the state, and this reality has resulted in stunning Christian growth rates. Not surprisingly, Christianitys growth in Africa and Asia is explosive. Nine of the 10 countries with the fastest-declining Christian populations in the world offer moderate to high levels of official support for Christianity. Africa (2.77% growth) and Asia (1.50%). Bruh didnt mohammed have a 6 year old daughter and murder villages filled with Jews? And so it was. This team analyzed data on churches rise and decline in 166 countries from 2010 to 2020, found impressive expansion, and examined causal factors. He is also the author of the best-selling book Miraculous Movements. A similar pattern can be seen in Catholic-majority states. espaol, You can read it in the Quran. By 2060 six of the countries with the top ten largest Christian populations will be in Africa, up from three in 2015, according to a new Pew Research Center report. Critic that I am, though, here are some final thoughts. There are close to 801,000 Evangelicals in Nepal, nearly 10 times the number in Afghanistan. It's often said that the American founders' pioneering separation of church and state energized Christianity across two centuries. Thats massive growth. According to Operation World, Iran has the fastest-growing evangelical movement in the world. Yes, favored churches may use their privileged positions to exert influence over the rest of society; however, this is accomplished primarily through rituals and symbolscivil religionrather than spiritual fervor. We acknowledge that our methodology and datasets cannot account for a factor of great importance to Christians: the movement of the Holy Spirit. That Europe is the most secular region of the worldand also the richesthas led many to posit a causal relationship between affluence and the decline of Christianity. You see Jesus Christ Lord be pleased with him has got a statue in Rio, hes got a beard but Christian bishops,fathers usually have shaved face. Peace out 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. In 1910, Christians made up 26.8% of the global population. India is a hindu country and map says islam is growing whereas Pakistan where hindu minorities are getting small in number here it says has an increasing hindu population. Need prayer? It wasnt until Stephen was martyred, and everyday Christians began facing intense persecution, that they scattered outside Jerusalem, as Jesus had commanded them, and the Gospel began spreading around the world (Acts 8). In short, Christianity in Africa, as in Asia, is thriving not because it is supported by the state but because it is not supported. But it is also the homeland of the worlds largest population of persecuted Christians though repression does not currently involve large-scale killings as under Maos dictatorship. This year, 838 million live in the global North, while almost 1.1 billion Christians live in Africa and Asia alone. Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya are all projected to join the list, displacing Russia, Germany and China. While the overall share of the worlds population that is Christian is expected to remain relatively steady, the regional distribution That contention is a modern update on Tertullians 2nd Century maxim during an era of outright persecution, semen est sanguis Christianorum (blood is the seed of Christians. If you persecute us, we grow even more. Here the regime, for instance, funds sacred sites and imposes restrictions on Christian competitors. They didnt want to believe in them. To share this article with your friends, use any of the social share buttons on our site, or simply copy the link below. For example, the Church of Sweden long enjoyed a close relationship with the state (the two separated in 2000), with the Swedish king serving as the head of the church and the government appointing bishops to their positions. This is the process by which people become less religious overall. The scholars proposing a 21st Century version of this are Nilay Saiya (writing solo in CT) and study partner Stuti Manchanda, both at the public policy department of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. The paradox of pluralism can be seen in the two world regions where Christianity is growing the fastest: Asia and Africa. Wait! It also reflects rapid growth in nondenominational Christianity. So: Bad times for Christians are good times for Christianity? This team analyzed data on churches' rise and decline in 166 countries from 2010 to 2020, found impressive expansion, and examined causal factors. Indonesian,and I am born Hindu reverted to Islam. And in the process, we lose the privilege of depending on God every day. What's new here is the team's fresh look at explanations. Back then, the atheistic rulers forced Christians into underground churches, which greatly fostered expansion. Associated Press report mentions Clinton-era religious liberty principles (updated). Christians confront persecution not only from the Islamist government but also from Islamist militants who target religious minorities. Islam is growing faster than Hinduism in India. The Christian share of the population is down and religious nones have grown across multiple demographic groups: white people, black people and Hispanics; men and women; in all regions of the country; and among college graduates and those with lower levels of educational attainment. That has now fallen to 28%, according to the 2022 Status of Global Christianity report. Saiya concludes with a sermonette aimed at the United States and especially its evangelical movement, seen as at a very precarious crossroads after the Trump presidency. This example illustrates well the paradox of pluralism. How do you not know that? In American churches,seasons of fasting and prayer are not the norm, and if there are prayer meetings, there may be few participants. American Evangelicals tend to think about Christianity in terms of conversion, forgiveness of sins and Eternal Life. I personally believe that our God cant be like a human let alone an animal. Whats new here is the teams fresh look at explanations. A campus minister at a large state school is reading the Word one hour a day, interceding one hour a day and listening for Gods response one hour a day 5-6 days a week. Trends that influence news: Where in the world is Christianity still growing? Christian decline has also occurred in the Protestant nations of Scandinavia, where church-state relations have been marked by privilege (including past public subsidies). Lifeway Research, a ministry of Lifeway Christian Resources, Pastors Say Christmas Eve Is Most-Attended Holiday Service, 6 Concerning Trends in Global Christianity, The Places Where No One Knows a Christian, How the Growing Global Church Can Encourage American Christians, 2022 Status of Global Christianity report. But this one is raised by a brand-new article this week at ChristianityToday.com and a more academic version posted by the journal Sociology of Religion. Was Jesus sinless? 27% of the global population. As such, the country has passed legislation to that end. Call (800) 700-7000 or request prayer. Is he really Gods Son? However, the countrys Christian population continues to grow, due in part to a high birth rate. Im assuming that folk/other is paganism/neo-paganism, mostly from the Norse tradition. Ive read a fact that about 100 can be fit on it, wow! Numerous polls have documented the comparatively weak levels of creedal belief and attendance at religious services in this part of the world. The Top 20 Countries Where Christianity Is Growing TheFastest, Europe is home to around 700 million Christians, China has the second-largest Christian population. Heaven will be diverse. The relationship between political privilege and Christian decline is strongest in countries dominated by Eastern Orthodox forms of Christianity. Today, there are nearly 700 million Christians in Africa, making it the worlds most Christian continent in terms of population. Two researchers and Disciple Making practitioners have spent five years identifying several biblical values that Jesus modeled or mandated in his disciples, and which are embraced in the Global South but not in the Global North church. China has the second-largest Christian population in the world, after the United States. Hundreds of large people groups that had been Muslim for many centuries, are now seeing ordinary people making disciples that transform whole communities. Across Africa and Asia many thousands of former Muslim clerics have left Islam to become fearless disciples of Christ. Churches also find that having them in community with older members and answering their whys help them stay in the church. Christianity is also very popular in Latin America, with around 425 million believers. This is due largely to the high birth rates in those regions. These are the countries with the fastest-growing Christian populations (the states with low/no official support for the faith are in bold): Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda , Rwanda , Madagascar , Liberia, Kenya, DR Congo, and Angola. The upshot is that churches in Europe do not have to worry about competing with religious competitors on an equal playing field. Across just one century it moved from a land largely devoid of Christians to the faiths command of a third of the population, with vibrant churches that send evangelists across the globe. If Jesus is Lord of all, then there is no area of life that is not rightfully his. You can help bring hope today! Essentially, the team examines churches through the lens of Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations," published in portentous 1776. As Abraham Kuyper said, There is not a single square inch in the whole domain of human existence over which Christ, who is Lord of all, does not cry out, Mine!, 4. Thats why we view every news story through the lens of faith. Protestant Christianity is probably the fastest-growing religion in China, with 38 million government-recognized adherents and potentially 22 million more worshipping in underground churches, according to The Economist. European churches have taken on a largely ceremonial function but play little role in peoples everyday lives. On average, using data from The Status of Global Christianity, between 2000 to 2020, (7,300 days): Much of the great momentum is coming from Disciple Making Movements. But it is also the homeland of the world's largest population of persecuted Christians -- though repression does not currently involve large-scale killings as under Mao's dictatorship. Hes created the whole universe. But it is unlikely that repression in China will be able to curtail Christian growth altogether. The team claims this research substantiates the following theory, which is not new but now gets statistical grounding. The worlds Christian population is expected to grow from 2.2 billion in 2010 to 2.9 billion in 2050. Published Feb. 11, 2021 Updated Feb. 12, 2021. Today Christianity is growing rapidly in certain Muslim countries such as Iran and Afghanistan, where the faith experiences a high level of persecution. Stay informed with the latest from CBN News delivered to your inbox. When Jesus called the Twelve, he discipled them for nearly three years before he asked them for a statement of faith Who do you say I am? In other words, he discipled them to conversion rather than converting them and then discipling them. Look at the teams list of the worlds 10 fastest-declining Christian populations. But is all this really the job of pastors? Franais, 6. The worlds Christian population is expected to grow from 2.2 billion in 2010 to 2.9 billion in 2050. In Africa, for instance, in 1900, there were only 8.7 million adherents of Christianity; now there are 390 million, and it is expected that by Outside the Muslim world, the experience of the worlds largest persecuted churchthe Chinese churchmirrors that of the early church under the sword of Caesar when it too experienced exponential growth. Our research suggests the best way for Christian communities to recover their gospel witness is to reject the quest for political privilege as inconsistent with the teachings of Jesus. Additionally, Christianity also faces competition from other religions, such as Islam and Buddhism. Maybe press should cover this? This year, 838 million live in the global North, while almost 1.1 billion Christians live in Africa and Asia alone. Your email address will not be published. They conclude the most important determinant of Christian vitality is the extent to which governments give official support to Christianity. Its often said that the American founders pioneering separation of church and state energized Christianity across two centuries. The Kingdom Unleashed was the result of that research. Some reports indicate that Christianity has even spread among Afghan elites and members of the countrys parliament. Christianity is growing fastest in a few interesting place such as the predominantly Muslim countries of Turkey and Indonesia. Please read gravely about all the religions like read their holy books then tell yourself which one do you want to follow plus. Today Christianity is growing rapidly in certain Muslim countries such as Iran and Afghanistan, where the faith experiences a high level of persecution. Despite these challenges, Christianity remains the largest religion in the world and continues to grow each year slightly. What about places where the state has propped up churches with money, favoritism, status, and legal advantages? In some parts of the world, such as Europe and North America, Christianity is actually in decline due largely to these factors. Omg, this is so wrong. Brazil has the largest Christian population in Latin America, followed by Mexico and Colombia. Unaffiliated groups are growing fastest in some of the more Catholic countries around the world in South America, Mexico and Poland along with several countries in Africa. These are the countries with the fastest-growing Christian populations (the states with low/no official support for the faith are in bold): Tanzania,Malawi, Zambia,Uganda,Rwanda,Madagascar,Liberia, Kenya,DR Congo, andAngola. Not surprisingly, Christianitys growth in Africa and Asia is explosive. 38% of the world population. Albemarle sees China's EV market growing 40% this year. Now, all of that is familiar to missionary strategists and historians of the modern church. One such challenge is secularization. 32 billion adherents, comprising 17. Looking back, Asia began the last century with only one Christianized nation, the Philippines, but more recently the faith "has grown at twice the rate of the population." Unaffiliated groups are growing fastest in some of the more Catholic countries around the world in South America, Mexico and Poland along with several countries in Africa. Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post. Around the world, hundreds of millions of Christians live in countries where they experience high levels of persecution. People like carpenters, sports coaches, taxi drivers, schoolteachers, custodians, farmers, and even politicians are making disciples and planting churches. The rate of growth among Evangelicals in Nepal is 5.3%. This means that, although religion is not growing as rapidly as it once was, it is still slowly expanding. 39 Nearly one-in-three people worldwide (31%) are expected to be Christian at mid-century, the same share as in 2010. Across just one century it moved from a land largely devoid of Christians to the faith's command of a third of the population, with vibrant churches that send evangelists across the globe. Sociologist of religion Fenggang Yang notes that since 1950, Protestant Christianity has grown by a factor of 23. About 20 years ago, the number of Christian converts from a Muslim background was between 5,000 and 10,000 people, Crabtree said. Christianity is growing rapidly in the Philippines, thanks in part to aggressive proselytizing by evangelical groups. Does It matter? If these numbers reveal anything to Christians, it is that believers should place their trust not in conventional wisdom, but in the often paradoxical work of the Holy Spirit. Did He "Doubt"? Perhaps the best explanation for this is derived from The Wealth of Nations, the most important work of Adam Smith. In 2000, 814 million Christians lived in Europe and North America, while 660 million Christians called African and Asia home. Finally, immigration can also impact the number of Christians in a country. Interestingly, some research even suggests that missionaries from state-supported churches are less effective than missionaries whose commissioning churches are independent of the state. The strongest increase of Christianity over the past century has been in Asia, where the faith has grown at twice the rate of the population. Hungary, for example, is an officially Christian nation. WebSingapore, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Malaysia are said to have the fastest-growing Christian communities and the majority of the new believers are upwardly mobile, urban, middle-class Chinese. This is exactly why Adam decided to create The Witness. ]. Many Global South ministries are mobilizing thousands of intercessors to pray daily for the Global North churches to be restored to vitality. They conclude "the most important determinant of Christian vitality is the extent to which governments give official support to Christianity." Did this New Jersey news team mean to hint that Catholics are not 'Christians'? He thinks all this should strongly caution Christians against equating any political party, political ideology, or nation with Gods plans.. Ironically, though, Christianity is often the strongest in countries where it has to compete with other faith traditions on an equal playing field. In 2000, 814 million Christians lived in Europe and North America, while 660 million Christians called African and Asia home. These are the countries with the fastest-growing Christian populations (the states with low/no official support for the faith are in bold): Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda , Rwanda , Madagascar , Liberia, Kenya, DR Congo, and Angola. Their acute awareness of their need drives them to pray not just for their physical needs but for guidance and direction, spiritual power and breakthroughs, healings, deliverances, and identifying people to disciple. In the second century, Tertullian, an early church father, reached the astounding conclusion that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Stunningly, our study finds that contexts of anti-Christian discrimination do not generally have the effect of weakening Christianity; in some cases, persecution even strengthens the church. While the overall share of the worlds population that is Christian is expected to remain relatively steady, the regional distribution He has questions and knows that other people do too. Looking back, Asia began the last century with only one Christianized nation, the Philippines, but more recently the faith has grown at twice the rate of the population. Africa in 1900 had only pockets of Christians, mostly in coastal locations but today is the worlds most Christian continent in terms of population.. A new peer-reviewed studypublished last monthin the academic journal Sociology of Religion seems to suggest that phenomenon is just as present today. Communist China has been in the news over its thorough campaign to root out Islam (with minimal protest from Muslim nations). Rula Ghani, the first lady of Afghanistan, is a Maronite Christian from Lebanon. It is the major example used to claim the relationship between political privilege and Christian decline is strongest in countries dominated by Eastern Orthodoxy. Ive got some points. In recent years, there has been considerable religious violence between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria, with each side attacking the others places of worship and homes. It also reflects rapid growth in nondenominational Christianity. What responsibility do journalists have when covering incendiary wars about religion and culture? Look at the team's list of the world's 10 fastest-declining Christian populations. Its no secret that Christianity is the worlds largest religion, but where is it growing the fastest? Yonkers, NY 10701. By 2050, that number will top 1 billion, according to the 2022 Status of Global Christianity report. When Adam has questions or answers about Christianity, he now researches and posts about it here on TheWitness.org to share with the world. Rightfully his decided to create the Witness for Christians are good times for Christianity birth rate responsibility do have! ( with minimal protest from Muslim nations ) proselytizing by evangelical groups Christians! 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