Africa – A Challenge

Slides and charts prepared by Chris Maynard 2011-08-04 based on data in “Atlas of Global Christianity” 2010

Center for the Study of Global Christianity

Missionaries sent per million Christians

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Total Africa

Mauritius

Latin America

Equatorial Guinea

Sao Tome & Principe

Asia

Senegal

Swaziland

Cape Verde

Total WORLD

South Africa

Europe

Oceania

North America

Africa’s highest sending nations compared with the rest of the

world averages

The Global Church sends 184

Africa sends 44

N.America sends 596

South Korea sends 1,014

IF all Africa sends at least 44 missionaries per million, how many more will go?

0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000

Madagascar

Zambia

Ghana

Tanzania

Kenya

Nigeria

Malawi

Mozambique

Angola

Uganda

Ethiopia

DR Congo

If everyone reaches current African average

we send 8,000 extra missionaries (from 26

countries)

2,000 from Ethiopia

1,600 from DR Congo

2,200 from East Africa

0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000

Madagascar

Zambia

Ghana

Tanzania

Kenya

Nigeria

Malawi

Mozambique

Angola

Uganda

Ethiopia

DR Congo

If we reach current World average we

will send 78,000 extra missionaries

IF all Africa sends at least 184 missionaries per million, how many more will go?

Over 8,000 from each of these three

22,000 from 32 countries not on

this chart

Some Observations• There is scope for more international sending by

African churches– When every country in Africa had very few Christians

it may not have been important– Now some still have very few, while others have very

many. It is more important

• Could South Africa be an example to others?• Is poverty a barrier to sending?

– In the “Atlas of Global Christianity” where these figures come from, The Indian state of Mizoram is held up as an example of sending from poverty (page 295)