This morning, I encountered a surprising statistic. “Most members of the Churches of Christ live outside the United States.”[1] The article went on to report, “Churches of Christ in America make up slightly less than half of its worldwide membership. There are more than 1,000,000 members of the Churches of Christ in Africa, roughly 1,000,000 in India, and 50,000 in Central and South America. Total worldwide membership is over 3,000,000, with around 1,300,00 in the U.S.”
I have worked for years with the Church in Korea and have often pointed out there are more Christians per capita in Korea than in America! South Korea, statistically, is a more Christian nation than the United States! I am preparing to return this fall to Singapore to work with SIBI – the Sunset International Bible Institute. They are training young men and women to preach in India, China, and Southeast Asia. They are doing a great job, and the Church continues to grow!
On the other hand, the Pew Research Center on Religion and Public Life recently reported:
The religious landscape of the United States continues to change at a rapid clip. In Pew Research Center telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians when asked about their religion, down 12 percentage points over the past decade. Meanwhile, the religiously unaffiliated share of the population, consisting of people who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” now stands at 26%, up from 17% in 2009.[2]
I’ve heard many people lament the decline of Christianity in America – and that may be true – but the Lord’s Church worldwide is growing. Maybe it’s time for them to send some missionaries back to us!
[1] https://www.christianity.com/church/denominations/churches-of-christ-10-things-to-know-about-their-history-and-beliefs.html
[2] https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/