THE NATIONS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AMERICA S CHANGING SPIRITUAL LANDSCAPE

Transcription

1 THE NATIONS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AMERICA S CHANGING SPIRITUAL LANDSCAPE

2

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD AMERICA S SPIRITUAL LANDSCAPE DEFINING UNREACHED NATIONS HOW GOD IS BRINGING THE NATIONS TO THE U.S. UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS IN THE U.S. OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPACT HOW TO SHARE GOD S STORY HOW TO SHARE YOUR STORY SOURCES GO. MULTIPLY

4 2

5 FOREWORD But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 (emphasis added) The United States has long been known as a melting pot of people from various ethnic and religious backgrounds, and this defining characteristic continues today as people from every nation migrate to our land. I believe God is bringing the nations here to our country, workplaces, and neighborhoods for His glory. The unreached are closer to you and me than ever before creating a unique opportunity for us to engage the lost from some of the spiritually darkest areas of the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. My hope is that this booklet inspires and empowers you to be a bold witness to the power of Christ s resurrection in your own Jerusalem as well as to the ends of the earth. Sincerely, Kurt Nelson Chief Executive Officer 3

6 4

7 AMERICA S SPIRITUAL LANDSCAPE Christianity has consistently been the predominant religious faith of the United States, but a recent survey shows that the Christian population in the U.S. is declining while other religions, and even unbelief, are growing. *The change column displays only statistically significant changes; blank cells indicate that the difference between 2007 and 2014 is within the margin of error. **The other world religions category includes Sikhs, Baha is, Taoists, Jains and a variety of other world religions. The other faiths category includes Unitarians, New Age religions, Native American religions and a number of other non-christian faiths. Source: 2014 Religious Lansdcape Study, conducted June 4-Sept. 30, 2014 by the Pew Research Center. Figures may not add to 100% and nested figures may not add to subtotals indicated due to rounding [1]. CHRISTIANS DECLINE AS OTHER FAITHS AND THE UNAFFILIATED GROW Christian Protestant Evangelical Mainline Historically black Catholic Orthodox Christian Mormon Jehovah s Witness Other Christian Non-Christian faiths Jewish Muslim Buddhist Hindu Other world religions ** Other faiths ** Unaffiliated Atheist Agnostic Nothing in particular Don t know/refused 2007 % < % Change* %

8 DEFINING UNREACHED NATIONS... behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb... And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. Revelation 7:9-10 Often we categorize nations by political boundaries, but God has a more diverse definition for the people He has created. He defines the nations by cultures, and we call those people groups a group of individuals or people bound together by the same manners, customs, and other common distinguishing features. According to the Joshua Project, a people group is the largest group within which the Gospel can spread as a church planting movement without encountering barriers of understanding or acceptance and is often distinguished by common language [2]. To be classified as an unreached people group, there must be an absence of an indigenous community of believers with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize a people group without outside assistance. Typically an unreached people group has less than a 2% evangelical Christian population. 6

9 7

10 HOW GOD IS BRINGING THE NATIONS TO THE U.S. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Leviticus 19:34 The dispersion of people has often served as God s way of bringing the gospel to those far from Christ, and He continues to use this method today as foreign-born people move to the United States often larger cities for work, education, or refuge. 8

11 PERCENT OF THE FOREIGN BORN BY REGION OF ORIGIN, 2012 ANNUAL AVERAGES Native Born 83.9% Foreign Born 16.1% Mexico and Central America Asia Europe IMMIGRANTS In developing countries, livable wages can be difficult to earn. This leads many people to move to places like the United States for a season or permanently to earn higher wages and support their families. Unlike refugees, immigrants freely choose to leave their home countries in search of financial provision. In a 2012 report, the United States Department of Labor shared that 16.1% of the United States labor force is foreign born. Caribbean South America Africa Canada, Bermuda, Oceania, and not specified Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics [3] 9

12 UNIVERSITY STUDENTS American universities are well respected around the world and many nations are eager to send students to the U.S. to obtain the skills and knowledge needed to participate in global business. Over the course of the academic year, there were nearly 975,000 international students studying on U.S. soil a 10% increase from previous years making America the largest host of international students of any nation [4]. Many of these students are from the world s spiritually darkest countries. TOP 20 PLACES OF ORIGIN OF INT L STUDENTS IN THE U.S. Rank Place of Origin WORLD TOTAL China India South Korea Saudi Arabia Canada Brazil Taiwan Japan Vietnam Mexico Iran United Kingdom Turkey Germany Nigeria Kuwait France Indonesia Nepal Hong Kong 2013/14 886, , ,673 68,047 53,919 28,304 13,286 21,266 19,334 16,579 14,779 10,194 10,191 10,821 10,160 7,921 7,288 8,302 7,920 8,155 8, /15 974, , ,888 63,710 59,945 27,240 23,675 20,993 19,064 18,722 17,052 11,338 10,743 10,724 10,193 9,494 9,034 8,743 8,188 8,158 8,012 % of Total % Change Source: Institute of International Education [5] 10

13 LEADING COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN OF RECENT REFUGEES TO THE U.S. Burma (Myanmar) Dem. Rep. Congo Number of refugees admitted to the U.S. from Oct. 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016 Somalia Iraq Bhutan Syria Iran 2,049 2,924 2,805 5,780 5,385 6,350 8,112 REFUGEES The United Nations defines a refugee as someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence [6]. More than three million refugees have arrived in the United States since 1975, and as tensions rise around the world, many will continue seeking peace and refuge within our borders [7]. Each fiscal year, the United States government determines the number of refugees they will accept. The U.S. plans to accept 85,000 refugees including 10,000 Syrians using an extensive screening process during fiscal year 2016 [8]. Note: Based on the nationality of the principal applicant. Source: Refugee Processing Center PEW RESEARCH CENTER [7] 11

14 UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS IN THE U.S. FAST FACTS: Total People Groups in the U.S.: 482 Unreached People Groups in the U.S.: 83 Total Population in the U.S.: 322,613,000 Total Unreached Population in the U.S.: 10,710,000 12

15 LARGEST UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS IN THE U.S. People Group Jewish Japanese Arab, Iraqi Turk Persian Urdu Gujar Khmer Jewish Lao Jewish Thai Punjabi South Asian, Bengali-Speaking Bosniak Population in U.S. 5,185, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,000 Main Religion Judaism Buddhism Islam Islam Islam Islam Hinduism Buddhism Judaism Buddhism Judaism Buddhism Sikhism Islam Islam Main Language English Japanese Arabic Turkish Persian and Iranian Urdu Gujarati Khmer Hebrew Lao Yiddish Thai Punjabi Bengali Bosnian Place of Origin America Japan Iraq Turkey Iran India & Pakistan India Cambodia Israel Laos Europe Southeast Asia India & Pakistan Bangladesh & India Bosnia & Herzegovina Source: Joshua Project [9] 13

16 OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPACT As the number of foreigners residing in the U.S. increases, so does the opportunity for ministry. Here are a few ideas to get you started with impacting the nations in your neighborhood. 14

17 CAMPUS MINISTRY If you live near a university, you can volunteer with established campus ministries that are focused on engaging international students with the gospel. CULTURAL EXPERIENCES There s bound to be ethnic restaurants and festivals near you. Break out of your normal restaurant and entertainment choices to try new foods and experience new cultures with the intent of sparking spiritual conversations. GOHERE East-West s GOhere initiative works with local churches to equip and send out their congregations to share the gospel with the unreached in their community. To get your church involved with this ministry, visit REFUGEE OUTREACH Refugees often reside in urban areas and have great physical, financial, and spiritual needs. You can meet these needs by serving with organizations that are focused on refugee outreach. ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE To succeed in business and education endeavors, foreigners desire to learn English. Many local churches and Christian organizations offer English as a Second Language courses as outreach opportunities. DIASPORA Work with East-West stateside missionaries to engage unreached people groups living in major cities in the United States. For more information about our Diaspora Initiative, visit 15

18 HOW TO SHARE GOD S STORY You don t need a seminary degree or apologetics training to be God s witness to the unreached in your sphere of influence you simply need to know Jesus. East-West trains believers just like you to use five familiar Scriptures in tandem with the diagram on this page to share God s story the gospel with the lost. God s story starts with Him. Explain that He has always existed in perfect holiness and created all things including people. People were made for relationship with God, but we rebelled against Him. This rebellion is called sin and God says all people have sinned (Roman 3:23). The penalty of sin is death and eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23). But while we were still sinning, God sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins (Romans 5:8). Through Jesus life, death, and resurrection, God offers us a free gift of grace (Romans 6:23). Anyone can accept this free gift and have eternal life by confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing your heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). Make the invitation. Ask, Is there anything keeping you from believing this today? MAN GOD If they believe, guide them in this prayer: God, I admit that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank You for loving me and sending Your Son, Jesus, to die for my sins. Today I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead. Amen. 16

19 17

20 18

21 HOW TO SHARE YOUR STORY Your testimony is a powerful way to tell others about Jesus. We train believers to share their story in three parts: before Christ, meeting Christ, and after Christ. In doing so, we ask them to pick three words or phrases that describe what they experienced during these seasons of life and elaborate on their chosen words in one to two sentences. Here s an example: Before Christ: Purposeless. Prior to knowing Jesus, my life lacked meaning and I did not know I had a purpose for living. Meeting Christ: Loved. When I met Jesus, I learned that God loved me and proved it by sending His Son to die for me. After Christ: Purpose. Now that I follow Jesus, I know that God wants to use me to impact others and that I have an incredible purpose. Now it s your turn. Spend a few minutes practicing God s story and your story with other believers and intentionally go out with these tools to spark spiritual conversations in your daily life. BEFORE CHRIST: MEETING CHRIST: AFTER CHRIST: 19

22 SOURCES [1] America s Changing Religious Landscape: [2] What is a People Group? [3] Foreign-born workers in the U.S. labor force: [4] IIE Releases Open Doors 2015 Data: Releases/2015/ Open-Doors-Data#.V40EMZMrJTa [5] International Students: Leading Places of Origin: International-Students/Leading-Places-of-Origin/ [6] What is a refugee: [7] Leading countries of origin of recent refugees to the U.S.: [8] How Many Refugees the U.S. Takes and Where They Go: [9] Countries: United States: 20

23 GO. MULTIPLY. Together, we can ignite a worldwide movement of gospel-centered multiplication. PRAY Partner with us to advance the gospel among the unreached GIVE Steward your resources to make disciples GO Step into the mission field for a short-term mission trip, mid-term, or long-term stay SHARE Advocate for God s work in spiritually dark places through East-West Ministries Visit to get involved with East-West today. 21

24 2001 W. Plano Pkwy, Ste. 3000, Plano, Texas We would like to thank an anonymous donor for graciously donating the cost of printing this publication.