One door God has opened for me is participating with global church leaders to win one billion converts to Jesus Christ in the next ten years! This was part of a vision of Dr. Bill Bright, founder and chairman of Campus Crusade. The goal is also to start five million new churches!
We have over 40 denominations and hundreds of independent and non-denominational groups participating. It is an ecumenical, diverse movement.
I am serving on a global teaching team to train pastors to carry out the great commission. I am also serving as co-chair for North America.
The Christian faith is exploding in different parts of the world. Recently, Dr. James Davis, the co-chair of Global Networking shared ten reasons to rejoice in 2010. I want to share these with you.
10 Reasons to Rejoice in 2010
1. Africa’s 600 million Christians makes it what missiologist Philip Jenkins calls, the single greatest religious shift in world history!
2. China has 45,000 new converts every day totaling more than 130 million Christians. Nearly 16 million came to Christ in 2009!
3. United States pastors have made startling advances in an increasingly hostile culture. The signs of the next spiritual awakening are dawning.
4. Indian leaders see nearly 15,000 making first-time decisions for Christ every day. More than 5 million in 2009!
5. Indonesia, a Muslim nation, boasts some of the largest churches in the world, and has mushroomed from 1.3 million to 11 million believers in 40 years!
6. In Vietnam, Protestant Christianity grew 600 percent last decade!
7. In the small island nation of Fiji, church planters yielded 200 new churches last year alone, with hundreds baptized every Sunday!
8. In just one district in Uganda, leaders planted more than 1200 churches last year using the Filipino model, and as a nation they are targeting one million new believers in 2010!
9. Korea sends more missionaries than any nation on earth!
10. Nigeria hosts the largest prayer meeting in the world with 2 million each December!
This does not include the phenomenal growth of the Church in Eastern Europe, South America, other parts of Southeast Asia, the wildfires of revival in nations of the former USSR!
In January 2010, I will be speaking at Synergize 2! in Orlando. During March and May I will be part of the speaking/teaching team in conferences in Argentina, Brazil, and Turkey. Pastors Conference!
I really feel like a mule at the Kentucky Derby when I have the privilege of working with some of these world leaders. But God has opened that door, and I am going to be faithful to this opportunity.
Thanks for your prayers and support.
John Ed Mathison
www.johnedmathison.org
