The Great Church Shift

I got this from Brian, who got it from Jonny, who got it from these people.

At the beginning of the 20th century 75% of the world’s Christians were in Europe and America. At the beginning of the 21st century 60% of the world’s Christians were in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Brian writes:

Some people fear this and some are energized by it (and many are indifferent). I'm energized. God is infinitely big and the West has often recognized only a tiny, tiny part of God. We have much to learn from our brothers and sisters in Asia, Africa, and Latin America as the gospel is incarnated in those cultures. And we in the West need the humility to follow these leaders on other continents and of other (non-white) cultures and races.

Similarly, I have written before about NPR's estimates that by 2050, fully 50% of the world's Christians will live in Africa alone. Add in the explosion of the Church in Latin America and Asia, and by the middle of this century, Europe and North America will represent only a tiny fraction of the world's Christians.

Are you ready for this? Is your church? Is your denomination or association of churches? Almost certainly the American church will still wield a great deal of influence due to the massive amounts of financial capital that we continue to amass. But will we insist on spending most of it to send Americans overseas, or will we pay to host our brothers and sisters from around the world to come and teach America? Will we insist on a Euromerican theological construct, or will we open ourselves to African, Asian, and Latino theologians? God is rearranging the landscape of His Church and I am hopeful that the global North and West will recognize this shift and humbly follow God as He moves in the South and East. Already many within the "emerging church" conversation are beginning to listen to voices from the margins. I pray that this continues and that the emerging church will help lead other friends to follow this path.