Most of the people groups still unreached by the gospel live in an area stretching across the maps of northern Africa and Asia. Christian missions strategist Luis Bush started calling this rectangular area or band: "the 10/40 window." He gave the area that easy-to-remember name because it is that area of Africa and Asia from 10 degrees north of the equator to 40 degrees latitude north of the equator.
Read Luis Bush' April 1996 10-40 window message: "Getting to the Core of the Core" [ click here (requires Adobe Acrobat reader) ]
Click on | ![]() |
|
|
"We need another surge into the darkness! May God give us the necessary urgency and passion." |
World evangelism statistics: Of the 55 least evangelized countries, 97% of their population lives within the 10/40 Window. Unless something changes soon, most of these unreached people will never hear the Gospel. Why? Well, Bryant Myers of World Vision estimates that only about one and a quarter percent of Christian mission giving is going to missions work in the 10/40 Window. Open evangelism is difficult and even impossible in many 10/40 Window countries. Those are "creative access" areas. [ more on creative access ]
What will you do in the next five days that will move the Church toward reaching those in the 10/40 window with the gospel?
Facts about missions
Missions statistics from the 10/40 Window:
- Center of population:Two-thirds of the world's population -- more than 3.2 billion people -- live in the 10/40 Window.
- Unreached and unevangelized: 95% of the people living in the 10/40 Window are unevangelized. Many have never heard the Gospel message even once.
- Good news: In 1989 there were only four known Christians living in Mongolia. That country now has an estimated 10,000 indigenous believers. Also, Christian television programming can now be received in many closed 10/40 Window nations.
- Poverty: Eighty-five percent of those living in the 10/40 window are the poorest of the world's poor. [ PowerPoint on Third World development ]
- Good news: Christians are delivering more than $1 million worth of food to one 10/40 Window refugee camp in 2003. In one North African country that is hostile to the Gospel, it rained after an Easter service. A local news channel reported, "Christians have brought rain to the desert."
- World religions: Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism are centered in the 10/40 Window. [ more info ]
- Least evangelized cities: Half of the world's least evangelized cities are in this window.
Statistical data on unreached people groups:
The statistics on non Christians can be staggering [ fate of the unevangelized? ]
- 865 million unreached Muslims in 3330 cultural sub-groupings
- 550 million unreached Hindus in 1660 cultural sub-groups
- 150 million unreached Chinese in 830 groups
- 275 million unreached Buddhists in 900 groups
- 2550 unreached tribal groups with a total population of 140 million
- Good news: Missions researcher David Barrett says the country with the fastest Christian expansion ever is China, now at 10,000 new converts every day.
Bible availability
- At least some Scripture has been translated into 2,212 of the world's 6,500 languages
- 366 languages have the entire Bible
- 928 other languages have only the New Testament
- Individual books (such as the Gospel of John) are available in 918 additional languages
- 80 percent of the world's people have access to at least some portion of the Bible in a language they can understand.
"I will praise you among the nations, O Lord" -- Psalm 18:49
Countries in the 10/40 Window:
Afghanistan
Algeria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Benin
Bhutan
Burkina Faso
Cambodia
Chad
China
Cyprus
DjiboutiEgypt
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gambia
Gibraltar
Greece
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
India
Iran
Iraq
IsraelJapan
Jordan
Korea, North
Korea, South
Kuwait
Laos
Lebanon
Libya
Macau
Mali
Malta
MauritaniaMorocco
Myanmar (Burma)
Nepal
Niger
Oman
Pakistan
Philippines
Portugal
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
SudanSyria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
United Arab Emirates
Vietnam
Western Sahara
YemenFrom Unhindered.com . . .
Why missions? Watch the "population explosion" unfold: [ click here for continuously updated global statistics. ]
John 3:16 in over 3,000 languages of the world
![]() | Four things you can start doing today. [ read more ] |
| ||||||||||||||
Howard Culbertson, Southern Nazarene University, 6729 NW 39th, Bethany, OK 73008 | Phone: 405-491-6693 - Fax: 405-491-6658
Copyright © 2000, 2001 - Last Updated: January 9, 2004 | URL: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert.fs/1040.htm