A recent survey, published in Evangelical Mission Quarterly, reports that 87% of Muslims, Buddhist and Hindus living in Asia (3,624,484.000 people) do not personally know a Christian. By regions, in Africa 26.2% of unbelievers, people of another religion or have no religion at all, know a Christian; in Latin America 89.9%, Europe 75.3%, North America 78.8%. The study concluded what we have read before, that 90% of ministry resources, people and money, are directed to those who have already heard the message of Christ, and a great deal of those resources are dedicated to those who have already accepted the Gospel. Interesting study, what does it mean?For me, first, it means that we, the Church, need to continue to evaluate our outreach strategy. As we look at missions within our local congregation, how much of our mission dollars and people are going to those 3.6 billion people who have never even had a contact with a believer? While Gospel literature, schools, orphanages and youth camps are important; do those activities and programs actually translate into believers coming in contact with non-believers? These statistics suggest that missions and missionaries are more inclined to be occupied in a project of outreach rather than actually being involved as a personal witness.
Secondly, it is a challenge for people, like me, who work with national missionaries and pastors, to teach them to understand the importance of building relationships with non-Christians in their communities. This problem of ecclesiastical isolationism is universal. Throughout the world the church continues to be a “holy huddle,” spending more time with people of like-faith rather than developing a personal relationship with those who have no understanding of who Jesus is. Giving a tract, showing the Jesus film to the masses are okay, but those efforts pale in comparison with the power of personal relationships, which is how most people of this world come to a real understanding of Christ and His salvation.
Question? Do you personally know a Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist where you live? Are they a part of your network of friends? Indeed, for those who live in the U.S., in your network of friends, do you know non-believers? The hope of the world lies in the hands of each one of us as we live and work each day among those who have never heard.
