Equipping the Church for Generations to Come

Plant growing in sunlight
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Graph of where Christians have lived or are projected to live in the world, by region.
Source: https://lausanne.org/report/polycentric-christianity/christian-growth

The graph above is very striking; take in what it says. It shows by proportion where Christians lived in the world, by region. So, in 1900, over 80% of Christians lived in Europe or North America (the “Global North”). A very small number lived in Africa, a few in Asia, and almost 10% in Latin America (combined, the “Global South”). Look at what has happened: by 2020, just over 30% lived in the Global North; almost 70% lived in the Global South. By 2050, if current growth projections hold true, it will be even more lopsided. And look at the percentages for Africa and Asia!

Do a little thought experiment with me: imagine this graph represented Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by region and the Global South’s share of world GDP was growing rapidly, while the Global North’s share was shrinking. Think of how governments (and people!) in the Global North would be galvanized into action!

Well, for believers in the Global North, this should also galvanize us into action. First, we should ask: is this because the church in the Global North is shrinking, or because the church in the Global South is growing rapidly? And the answer is, yes to both. This should lead us first to pray for our part of the world, asking God to pour out His Spirit through the Gospel on our region.

Then, it leads us to ask: what are the consequences of such rapid church growth in the Global South? There too we should be galvanized to pray. Think of church leaders in these rapidly growing regions. In the Global North, we expect church leaders to be trained and, for that, we have Bible colleges and seminaries. If God granted our church to multiply to become two, four, or more churches, we would look for graduates of one of those institutions to lead the new church plants. What if there were none?

That is the situation in most of the places where the church is growing rapidly: there are few Bible colleges or seminaries, so there are few graduates. More than likely, the leaders of the multiplying and expanding churches are developed from within. Due to the rapid growth, new pastors are in many cases also new believers. Their qualifications are often limited to a willingness to lead and a level of personal charisma. Does that bode well for these churches?

For better or for worse, at our moment in church history, the biblical and theological heft of the world’s churches are found in leaders (pastors, teachers, etc.) in the Global North. But the need for building up and maturing believers into “mature manhood” as Paul calls it in Ephesians 4:13 is concentrated in the Global South. For example, in my church of several hundred here in America, the number of seminary-trained Christian leaders is in the double digits. By contrast, among the over 100,000 believers in the network of churches I work with in Asia, the most training anyone has is a one-year Bible college certificate. One result is that the Prosperity Gospel (which leads neither to prosperity, nor is it the Gospel) and legalism (also not the Gospel, see Galatians!) run largely unchecked through the growing churches in the Global South, and few pastors have enough biblical background to challenge these false teachings.  

So, you see, there is a lot at stake for the future of the church around the world as you look at that chart. Where does this point beyond 2050? While I may not live that long, my children will, as will the children of those I train around the world. What kind of church are they going to grow up in?

In God’s providence, we have the opportunity to be galvanized by this chart: to pray for the church in our own backyard, as well as around the world. To pray and to work, so that church leaders in the places where the church is growing rapidly will be biblically mature, and able to lead with truth and love, for the glory of the Head of the Church.

ELI exists for this moment in the life of the global church, with the hope that future generations in the Global South will be equipped to carry God’s truth effectively for generations to come.

Subscribe Form
Malcare WordPress Security