What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
Historically the Gospel started in the East and moved westward, creating incredible growth in Europe and the Americas.
But in the past 100 years, it’s like we are watching a tennis ball bounce back from a brick wall as we have witnessed the Gospel moving back to the East and South as evidenced by extensive growth of the church in Latin America and Africa, to name a few.
This reversal has created an imbalance as the population of the Church in the East and South far exceeds the population of the Church in the West.
Contributing to the shift in balance is the near doubling of the percentage of Americans who call themselves “agnostic” coupled with the ten percent decrease in the number of Americans who call themselves “Christian” over the past twenty years.
Despite this disheartening “un-Christian” trend in the United States, this macro trend is opening up the door for “missions” to begin right back where we started—on our own doorsteps. Welcome back to the wild, and increasingly pagan West.
The message of God’s love found in Scripture has not changed, nor has the critical need for engaging young people around the world with the truths throughout God’s Word.
We started reaching kids using a single Book of Hope in 1987. In addition to translating the Book of Hope into more than 142 different languages, we have researched, partnered, and developed a robust catalogue of Scripture engagement products and programs designed to meet the heartfelt needs of children and youth around the world.
As the world around us changes, we are constantly adapting and innovating the mediums for the most effective and relevant reach to our audience—utilizing resources like online games, films, mobile apps, trading cards, storytelling, sports camps, and more!
We see innovation as essential to reaching the youth of the world. If we don’t constantly change and improve, we will lose valuable dialogue with the next generation—from East to West and everything in between. To that end, we believe that stepping into the digital realm will allow us to leverage the strategic diversity of the world we live in and be more effective in engaging children and youth around the world with the life-altering Word of God.
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I was born in Southern Africa and now pastor a church in New Jersey and have pastored in Long Island and Phoenix. Glad I am a part of #1 on the list.
Amazing–you are living proof that this trend is not just research and numbers. So thankful for epic life stories that take the Gospel across the globe…and back again!