11-06
This study presents the thesis that, contrary to popular opinion, within North America are people groups beyond the sound of the gospel. Few raise questions about Mexico’s 108 million people being a mission field among whom some 100 mission boards are working. Perhaps more wonder about whether the thirty-two.six million souls living in Canada constitute a mission field. But, many wonder if the United States is really a bona fide mission field that will only be evangelized with the help of mission organizations. These pages provide a rationale for considering North Americans as a mission field by means of a history of missions in the fifty states, an analysis of a number of unchurched people groups, and the results of a survey of mission boards and denominations ministering to the peoples of Canada, US and Mexico.
America is a mission field even though 25 percent of its populace consider themselves to be Protestants. This is a fact because the evangelicals are not distributed among the unchurched people groups. Although the gospel is presented twenty-four hours daily via mass media, it is not meaningful to the great majority of pluralistic peoples in our society.
The study reveals that some people groups are totally unevangelized, such as 27 million cultists, 6 million Muslims, 1,500,000 Hindus, 500,000 Buddhists and 250,000 Sikhs. Others essentially bypassed by the gospel are 35 million handicapped (80 percent), 10 million alcoholics (90 percent), 7 million Jews (95.5 percent), 4 million inmates in the prison system (98 percent), 2 million native Americans (95 percent), 2.5 million French-speakers, and immigrants in varying numbers from every nation in the world (95 percent).
American Christians are unaware that 33 million black Americans are only 30 percent evangelized, whereas black Africans are up to 50 percent evangelized. Nor do they know that while Christianity explodes in Latin America, 35 million Hispanics here are only to varying degrees touched by the gospel. Or that nearly 1.6 million American Chinese remain almost as pagan as those living in China.
Although 63 percent of Americans claim church membership, [in Alaska the percentage is 10 percent and in Hawaii it is 30 percent] only 20% are evangelical. In Mexico, only 4.2% are evangelical, while in Canada, 8% are evangelical. North America remains one of the larger mission fields of the world with millions of persons needing the gospel.
The national missions movement in North America, as compared to the foreign missions movement, is a relatively recent but growing phenomenon. Since 1930 more than two dozen missions have been established each decade. During the 1970's three missions per year were founded.
The analysis of the different people groups in North America is divided into 20 chapters. In each, evidence is marshaled to show that the group is essentially unchurched or large segments remain to be evangelized. Statistics are presented to indicate the relative size of the missionary opportunity. Historical background is given to help determine why the group is gospel-neglected or gospel-resistant.
The religious heritage of the people group is briefly traced and their exposure to Christianity is noted. A list of mission organizations that service the group and sources of evangelistic materials is appended for ready reference.
A list of approximately 600 mission organizations ministering in North America was compiled, and a survey of missions ministering in North America was conducted. That information has been compiled in a database entitled North American Mission Handbook which is appended to this volume.
Ten years ago a survey revealed that 12,000 missionaries served under 228 mission boards. The total number of missionaries was approximately 22,000. This figure did not include 1,000 staff serving with 250 missions listed in the International Union of Gospel Missions Directory, nor did it include 4,000 staff members listed in the Directory of Christian Camping International. Finally, that survey did not include denominational missions.
We conclude that the present study substantiates the thesis that not only is North America a mission field, but it is also a growing mission field. Peoples from most of the mission fields of the world are coming to North America in unprecedented numbers and remain nearly as unevangelized here as they were in their native country. Also, Dr. David Barratt suggests in the book World Christian Encyclopedia that Protestantism is shrinking from a two-third’s proportion of the populace in 1900 to a projected one-third of the whole by the end of the century.
For purposes of statistical comparisons, note the following: [World Almanac 2006 p.721]
The population of the United States for 2006 [est.] 300,000,000 Statistical Abstract 2006, Population Reference Bureau, World Population Data Sheet 2006
The population of Mexico -------------------------------- 108,000,000
The population of Canada-------------------------------- 32,600,000
The total population for North America -------------- 440,000,000 [US, Canada, Mexico]
The estimated world population figure ----------------6,555,000,000
The population of China is number 1 ------------------1,300,000,000
The population of India is number 2------------------- 1,122,000,000
The population of the United States is number 3 -- 300,000,000 [There are 116,282,000 households US, average income $52,000.00]]
Protestants in the world = 6.9% world population -- 382,374,000 p. 855 No. 1354
Protestants in North America = . 65,881,000 [370 million in world
Africa -- 91,070,000; Asia -- 85,764,000
Evangelicals = 30% of Protestants-------------------- 68,000,000
Nonreligious . ----------------------------------------------- 24,718,000 5%of NA
Muslims in North America . ---------------------------- 4,332,000 - 1500 Mosque/Information centers
Hindus --------------------------------------------------------- 1,500,000 - 400 Temples [851.3 million world
Buddhists ---------------------------------------------------- 3,000,000 - 1500 Temples [375.4 million in world]
Atheists ------------------------------------------------------ 1,997,000 [150.7 million in world]
Chinese folk-religionists ----------------------------------- 713,000 [402 million in world]
New-religionists -------------------------------------------- 1,561,000 [107.3 million in world]
Tribal religionists ------------------------------------------ 1,100,000
Sikhs ------------------------------------------------------------ 583,000 - [25 million in world]
Jews ---------------------------------------------------------- 6,154,000 [15 million in world]
Shamanists ------------------------------------------------------ 1,000
Confucians -------------------------------------------=------- 79,000 [includes Taoism-12,000]
Bahai’s --------------------------------------------------------- 847,000 [7.5 million in world]
Jains -------------------------------------------------------------- 7,500 [4.5 million in world]
Shintoists -------------------------------------------------------- 60,000 [2.8 million in world]
Other regligionists -------------------------------------- 650,000 [1.2 million in world]
Non-Religious---------------------------------------------31,286,000 [767 million in world]
Total of non-Christian religionsts -------- 16,100,000 4% of NA
Total including nonreligious--------------- 40,818,000 10% of NA
From the Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches, 1995,
Total Denominations reporting ------------------------- 79
Total # US Protestant churches---------------------------- 295,667 297 / church
Total # Canadian Protestant churches------------------- 20,778 290 / church
Total # US Protestant church members----------------- 87,727,000 34% of NA
Total # Canadian Protestant church members------- 6,025,091 21% of CA
Total # US & Canadian churches------------------------ 351,425 820 / church
Total # US & Canadian population-------------------- 288,000,000
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