Missions in The U.S.

This week my church, Christ Church in Plano, Texas, is hosting a team of missionaries who are training to go out in to the mission field and start churches - in the U.S. They are supported by churches in the AMiA (Anglican Mission in the Americas) and receive pastoral oversight from the Rt. Rev. Emmauel Kolini, Archbishop of the Anglican Province of Rwanda - yes, Africa is sending missionaries to the U.S.

The United States is clearly viewed by Christians in the rest of the world as a mission field that needs new planting for the harvest - not because people have not heard the Gospel, nor because those who profess to be Christians are few. Statistically, the U.S. is overwhelmingly Christian, per data on the 20 largest churches.

Notice in this data that the second largest religious group in the U.S. is "Non-Religious", and that group has grown by 110% from 1990-2000. This is not the fastest rate of growth for a religion in the U.S., but considering the huge numerical difference between these top two groups and all other religions in the U.S., the 110% represents more than 1,4442,300 people in the U.S. "converting" to "non-religious" each year.

As a point of perspective, Christianity, along with fastest growing groups, based on 1990-2000 numbers of approximate annual new members per year in the U.S. (much of this represents population growth or immigration, rather than converts, for that sector):
Christianity = 780,500 (+5%)
Islam = 57,700 (+109%)
Buddism = 68,100 (170%)
Hinduism = 53,900 (237%)
Native American = 5,600 (119%)
Bahai = 5,600 (200%)
New Age = 4,800 (240%)
Sikhism = 4,400 (338%)
Deist = 4,300 (717%)

The U.S. religious environment remains very dynamic. According to a survey reported in CNN Feb 25, 2008, nearly half of American adults leave the faith tradition of their upbringing to either switch allegiances or abandon religious affiliation altogether. Some of this is due to the cultural environment, much is due to a "crisis in leadership" in our Christian homes and churches, which the AMiA is responding to.

"The AMiA is a bold missionary strategy born seven years ago in response to a crisis of faith and [Christian] leadership in North America. [The AMiA is] driven by a compelling vision of reaching the 150 million individuals in the U.S. and Canada who have yet to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by building communities of faith and transforming lives."

The Anglican Initiative for Mission's 2008 Anglican School of Church Planting, is being held this week, May 24 – June 1, 2008, at Christ Church, Plano, TX. This intensive training will "provide a theology, models, and practical application of the six characteristics of a functioning Anglican Church: Worship, Discipleship, External Focus, Communication, Administration, and Pastoral Care...church planters will work with coaches to develop a strategic ministry plan to shape the way each characteristic will be lived out in their new church. "

• May our prayers go up for these new ministers this week. They are facing an uphill battle, not only among the non-religious and those who have chosen to reject God outright, but by the growing numbers of Christians as well as non-Christians who have heard of God, but do not truly know and understand His great mercy and awesome power.

• Please join me in praying for all those who go forth to teach others about the God of the Bible - the God that pursues each of us so that we can dwell with Him. God began pursuing each of us in Genesis 3:8-9, not because He doesn't know where we are at, but because each of us is hiding, in so many ways, from the presence of the Lord God.

• Pray that others may know His will for their lives - may know the mighty God of Isaiah 46: 9-11 - "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand."