The U.S. as a New Mission Field
A data-driven perspective on the rapid shift in global Christianity, the decline of North American churches, and our calling to respond.
The Reality of U.S. Churches
With over 200 million unchurched people, the United States represents one of the largest concentrations of unreached populations globally.
- Churches Rapidly Declining: Approximately 2.7 million people leave the church in the U.S. every single year.
- The Rise of Post-Christianity: In 2016, 48% of Americans (approx. 168 million) defined themselves as post-Christian (indicating they do not believe in God, do not attend church, or do not believe the Bible). This metric has grown by 4% each year.
- Diaspora and Immigration: 55 million foreign-born immigrants reside in the USA. 14.2% of the U.S. population is from unreached people groups (UPG) alongside 820,000 international students (mainly from China). These groups live where we live, shop where we shop, and picnic where we picnic.
- Concentration of Unreached Groups: There are 361 distinct Unreached People Groups in the USA, making it the nation with the 3rd largest number of UPGs in the world (including Turks, Albanians, Somalis, Afghans, and Sikhs).
- Geographic Reality:
- There are 10 states where 96% of the population are unreached and unchurched.
- There are 100 counties where evangelicals represent less than 2% of the population.
- There are 20 major metropolitan areas where the evangelical population is under 6%.
- The Cost of Baptisms: Aggregating all operational costs of American churches, the average expense per baptism in the United States is estimated at $1.55 million.
- Sustainability in Church Planting: Missiologists note that we need to plant 4,000 churches annually just to keep pace with population shifts, and 8,000 annually to reach the currently unchurched. While some denominations plant thousands of churches, within two years only a small fraction remain active due to financial strains, lack of fruit, or leadership attrition.
Explore More: In-Depth Statistics
Explore the detailed charts, numbers, and reality of the U.S. as a mission field in this follow-up study.
Secularization & Theological Shifts
Secularization Trends
Cultural relevance and political correctness have often replaced representation of God's truth. Missiologists warn that raising up a generation that does not supremely value truth results in a secularized society.
Theological Viewpoints
Survey data regarding beliefs held by U.S. evangelicals and church-goers:
- 65% believe humans are born innocent (denying the doctrine of original sin).
- 48% believe God changes by learning and adapting (denying immutability).
- 26% believe the Bible contains helpful accounts of myths but is not literally true.
- 56% believe God accepts worship from all religions equally (including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam).
- 43% believe Jesus was a great teacher, but not God.
- 38% believe religious belief is a matter of personal opinion rather than objective truth.
Churches & Missional Disengagement
Churches in North America risk losing their once-fervent passion for missions. Research shows high levels of disengagement within the pews:
- 51% of Christians do not know the Great Commission at all. Only 17% have heard it and know what it means.
- 47% of practicing Christian millennials agree that it is wrong to share one's personal faith with someone of a different belief.
- Non-Christians express a desire for Christians to actively listen to them in spiritual conversations rather than monologue.
Four Types of Churches in the U.S.
Classification of mission expansion (Exponential Leadership model):
Global Mission Context
Christianity is spreading faster today than it has at any time in human history. However, this explosive growth is taking place almost exclusively in the Global South, while the Global North faces rapid secularization.
The Global South
Explosive Expansion and Growth
- Africa: Grew from 9 million believers in 1900 to 335 million in 2000 (37x growth). There are now 3.7 times as many Protestants in Africa as in North America.
- Latin America: Increased from 50,000 Protestants in 1900 to 64 million today (a staggering 1,280x growth).
- Asia: Between 1970 and 2000, the Christian population grew from 101 million to 351 million. In China, 10,000 people become believers every day, registering 4,300% growth in 50 years.
- Missionary Shift: In 1980, 65% of missionaries were sent from the Global North. By 2020, 63% of all global missionaries were sent from the Global South.
The Global North
The Rapid Decline in the West
In the past few decades, radical and rapid changes have occurred in the Global North, particularly in the United States. These trends have turned North America into one of the most critical mission fields in the world today.
Churches are struggling to maintain engagement, worldviews are shifting away from scripture, and cities are growing increasingly secularized.