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GlobalMissionCenters.org 1
Urbanites
ZNew Ways to Reach
BuddhistsJews
Hindus Urbanites
Muslims Secular/Postmoderns
OPEN THE DOORSthe global mission centers
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ZZ1 155to
1 1,759to
OUTSIDEthe 10/40 window
inside the 10/40 window
If the population of the world walked past the UN building at 1 per second, an Adventist would pass by every 6 seconds. If the population of Egypt filed by the pyramids at 1 per second, it would be 32 hours between Adventists.
Two-thirds of the world lives in the 10/40 window, but only 15% of our Adventist churches are there.
Outside the 10/40 window, there is 1 member for every 155 people whereas inside the 10/40 window there is just 1 member for every 1,759 people.
Ankara, Kabul, Meshed, Pyongyang, Dammam, Turkey Afghanistan Iran North Korea Saudi Arabia
5LARGEST
THAT HAVE NO ADVENTIST
CONGREGATIONSBooklet Design by Ellen M
usselman
VILLAGES IN INDIA HAVENO KNOWN CHRISTIANS
458,000
CITIES
GlobalMissionCenters.org 3
ZT
he challenge of sharing the Three Angels’ Message of Revelation 14 can seem overwhelming if you are
standing in Saudi Arabia, Northern India, or Cambodia. Seventh-day Adventists have made very little progress in reaching many of the massive people groups of the 10/40 window, and multiplied millions in these areas know nothing of a Savior. But we aren’t giving up. In fact, the difficulty of the situation is calling us to even greater focused attention.
ZTHE DOORS AREN’T LOCKED
Number of Adventists inMiddle East & North Africa.
Estimated Sabbath attendance at the Loma Linda University Church.
3,514
3,800
The General Conference has established six Global Mission Centers to find ways to unlock the doors that keep us from effectively reaching Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, postmoderns, and other groups. These centers are like laboratories that are experimenting with new approaches to sharing our faith while remaining faithful to our Bible beliefs. They have developed a knowledge base, resources, and working models which can help equip you to reach your neighbor and can guide the church as it sets out to start new work in unreached people groups around the world. The Global Mission Centers are opening doors which, for centuries, have appeared to be closed to the Gospel. Global Mission Center directors are consultants, experimenters, collaborators, mentors, practitioners, and resource producers. Discover how they can help you in your outreach.
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1 14WORLDWIDEPEOPLE
in
is a Buddhist.4th
Buddhismis thefourthlargestreligion in the world.
has the largest number of Buddhists:
CHINA
244 million.
Keys
to U
nloc
king
the
Budd
hist
Doo
rGregory Whitsett, directorwhitsettg@gc.adventist.orgCEAR.globalmissioncenters.org
Amy Whitsett, associate directorwhitsetta@gc.adventist.orgCEAR.globalmissioncenters.org
Older than Christianity, Buddhism is the fourth-largest religion in the world. It influences the perspective of many Asians, including those who
consider themselves non-religious. Today, Buddhist philosophy is growing in the West.
The Center for East Asian Religions (CEAR) is finding better ways to open the hearts of Buddhists to Jesus. Progress comes with understanding the Buddhist mindset. Significantly, Buddhists don’t believe in a supreme god or a corrupt human nature. Rather, religion is a system for helping improve oneself.
Below are some keys to unlocking doors with your Buddhist neighbors.
Trust: Invest in establishing genuine friendships.
Experience: Buddhists use experience to know truth. Share your own experience with Jesus. Ask God to reveal His love.
Wisdom: Introduce the historical Jesus who performed miracles; who taught the human heart was incurably controlled by lust, hatred, and ignorance; and who offers to heal the heart.
Reform: Buddhists value self-discipline. Model and coach them into a new life of victory made possible only by Jesus.
Whether you want to reach an Asian neighbor or a whole community, the Global Mission Center for East Asian Religions can help you avoid common mistakes.
CENTER FOR EAST ASIAN RELIGIONS
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GlobalMissionCenters.org 5
Ellen White wrote that reaching out to Jews “is a work that is to be treated with special wisdom. It is a work that must not be ignored” (Letter 96, 1910).
Seventh-day Adventists have a special calling to reach out to Jews, a calling that has not been completely fulfilled. The World Jewish-Adventist Friendship Center has studied ways of sharing with our Jewish brothers and sisters. Many Adventists of a Jewish background are assisting the center in its mission. Their work is revealing effective ways to approach Jews. Here are some keys for reaching out to our Jewish friends and neighbors:
Invite them to your home to enjoy refreshments or a meal.
Talk about current events, but avoid controversial topics.
WORLD JEWISH-ADVENTIST FRIENDSHIP CENTER
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Richard Elofer,directoreloferr@gc.adventist.orgWJAFC.globalmissioncenters.org
Listen to stories about their spiritual journey. Discuss the beauty of the Psalms or the love
of God as found in the Torah. Share the meaning of the Sabbath from your
experience.
Contact the World Jewish-Adventist Friendship Center to find out more about how to build bridges between Adventists and Jews.
14.2MILLIONJEWS
20.0MILLIONSDAs
Although Jews make up only 0.2 percent of the world population, they have won 28 percent of the Nobel prizes for medicine.
28%NOBELPRIZE
vs.
There are more doctors in Israel than there are Christians.
20,000Christians
22,000Doctors
There are nearly as many Jews in the United States as are in Israel.Ke
ys to
Unl
ockin
g th
e Je
wis
h Do
or
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Hind
u Do
or
Clifmond Shameerudeen, directorshameerudeenc@gc.adventist.orgCSAR.globalmissioncenters.org
An ancient religion, Hinduism has been passed down for hundreds of generations in India and surrounding countries. When someone changes religion, it can greatly disturb a family.
That is one reason why church growth is slow in parts of India. In 14 large cities in Northern India, you cannot find more than 50 Seventh-day Adventists.
The Center for South Asian Religions (CSAR) is taking on the challenge of reaching out to Hindus as well as Sikhs and Jains. They have found several keys for opening the door to share with these faiths:
Visit people in their homes since many South Asians believe that having visitors brings blessings to the host.
Avoid being alone with persons of the opposite gender.
Take every opportunity to pray with people, especially for health and family issues.
Converse on day-to-day topics such as health, family, and children’s education.
Share a meal to help build strong friendships. Dress modestly. If possible, wear the
South Asian cultural attire. Use titles of respect for older persons, i.e.
“Bapuji” for men, and “Mataji” for women. Share your personal testimony, especially
the stories of healing from sickness.
Indian Hindus have moved throughout the world as entrepreneurs and professionals. They can be found in almost every conference territory and local community. Find out how your outreach can be more fruitful by consulting with CSAR.
CENTER FOR SOUTH ASIAN RELIGIONS
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Z 3rdHinduism is the world’s third-largest religion with over a billion adherents.
5014 CITIESin Northern India with
ADVENTISTS
<
USA has the world’s ninth-largest population of
Hindus.
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the
Urba
n Do
or
Doug Venn, directorvennd@gc.adventist.orgURBAN.globalmissioncenters.orgmissiontothecities.org
Ellen White wrote: “When I think of the cities in which so little has been done, in which there are so many thousands to be warned of the soon coming of the Saviour, I feel an intensity
of desire to see men and women going forth to the work in the power of the Spirit, filled with Christ’s love for perishing souls.” (Pacific Union Recorder, October 23, 1902)
As the world’s population continues to flock to cities, we urgently need to reach urban areas with the Three Angels’ Message of Revelation 14. The Global Mission Urban Center explores key ways to assist fields in addressing Mission to the Cities using Christ’s method through:
Establish Centers of Influence in urban areas that offer a variety of programs from heart health and fitness to money management and photography. These are platforms to put Christ’s method into practice in urban communities.
Involve every member in building relationships in order to provide points of contact and build trust in urban areas.
Start small groups in homes and workplaces in the community.
Identify needed ministries for different population groups.
Help enhance urban communities in specific ways. For example, Pathfinders may paint over graffiti or clean up empty lots.
GLOBAL MISSION URBAN CENTER
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Since 2009, more than half of the world’s population lives in cities.>50%
People in the cities need our message of hope. They are often stressed and busy and desperately need the Sabbath message. A church family can help them connect and find places of service and community.
9 10 ARE IN ASIAout of
of the largest urban populations
NEW YORK CITYSAN FRANCISCOPORTLAND, OR
“POST-CHRISTIAN.”fit the description of
More than half the populations of
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As the newest major religion, Muslims believe that their faith supersedes all that has come before. They see no reason to investigate Christianity, and there are
many disincentives for those who do. Converts can lose their property, have their children taken away, and find that their marriage has been annulled. It would seem that Islam has locked the door to the gospel. But the Global Center for Adventist-Muslim Relations has found some keys to open that door:
Show hospitality--it’s very important to your Muslim friends.
Talk about current events. Many Muslims realize that the last days will bring the judgment of God, and they want to be ready.
Be respectful about differences when discussing spiritual topics.
Ask about their families and be willing to share about your own family.
CENTER FOR ADVENTIST- MUSLIM RELATIONS
Petras Bahadur, directorbahadurp@gc.adventist.orgGCAMR.globalmissioncenters.org
Samuel Lumwe, associate directorlumwes@gc.adventist.org
Ask questions about their culture and share about your own culture.
Be open about your Adventist identity.
We are beginning to see hope for better relations with Islam. In Germany and other places there has been dramatic growth in Islamic immigrants deciding to follow Jesus. Muslims already recognize Jesus as a great prophet. By working together, we can help them recognize Him as the Savior.
Keys
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Mus
lim D
oor
1,700,000,000MUSLIMS WORLDWIDE
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is the fastest-growing major religion worldwide.
The Muslim population in North America will
ISLAM
double by 2050.
Eighty-four percent of Muslims are not aware of ever meeting a Christian.
84%
GlobalMissionCenters.org 9
Petras Bahadur, directorbahadurp@gc.adventist.orgGCAMR.globalmissioncenters.org
Z
I don’t go to church, and I don’t know one person who does,” said Brian Kenny, a 39-year-old Irishman interviewed in USA Today. “Fifteen years ago, I didn’t know one person who didn’t.” His experience reflects
a trend in Europe where more and more of the population reflect the postmodern proposition that institutional religion does not matter. How do we share the good news about God with people who don’t believe He is relevant?
The Center for Secular & Postmodern Studies is developing methods to engage postmodern populations. Here are some of the keys that will help you open a dialogue with postmoderns, who:
Share concern for people who have been neglected by society or discriminated against.
Value interaction with people from many cultures.
Appreciate genuine friendship and hospitality, including an invitation to experience community as part of the church.
CENTER FOR SECULAR & POSTMODERN STUDIES
1.1 BILLIONPEOPLE IDENTIFY AS“NON-RELIGIOUS”
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Kleber Gonçalves, director goncalvesk@gc.adventist.orgCSPS.globalmissioncenters.org
Will often respect you for sharing your personal experience with God (so giving your testimony can be a meaningful point of contact).
Want to experience belonging to a group before they believe what the church teaches.
So much of our evangelism practice has been based on speaking to other Christians. Now the Center for Secular and Postmodern Studies is helping us talk to those who have dismissed institutional religion, but need God just as much as we do.
has the fourth-highest number
of atheists of any nation in the world.
JAPAN 80
million.
Only two percent of the Swedish population attends church regularly.
2%
One third of Americans have not attended church in the last year.
Keys
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Secu
lar &
Pos
tmod
ern
Door
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RESOURCES & SERVICES THAT OPEN DOORS
The Seventh-day Adventist church was born in the United States, a nation with a predominantly Christian heritage. In that
environment, we began developing our approaches to Bible teaching and evangelistic methods. As we grew, we naturally exported much of what had worked in the United States, and while some adaptations were made to methods used as the work expanded to other countries, we generally retained the rationales used to reach those from Christian backgrounds. The result has been that our baptisms around the world have come, in a large degree, from people who had already become Christians but who were members of other denominations. Our
dream is to find much more effective ways of sharing the gospel with people from non-Christian backgrounds. Rapidly fulfilling prophecies tell us that we have no time to lose. Billions of people still don’t know there is a Savior. We must learn ways to move past the barriers—to open the doors to hearts from all religious backgrounds. The Global Mission Centers offer tools and training to reach the 42% of the world’s population that is a part of 6,741 unreached people groups (Joshua Project). A few of the resources are listed here. Register online to access many more, including videos and online classes, at GlobalMissionCenters.org.
New Ways to ReachBuddhistsJews
HindusUrbanites
Muslims Postmoderns
10 GlobalMissionCenters.org
GlobalMissionCenters.org 11
FEATURED TITLESWinning Hearts: Leading Buddhists to Faith in God Edited by Gregory and Amy Whitsett
It’s Time: Voices from the Front Lines of Urban Mission Edited by Bettina Krause
God’s Mission to the Nations: An Old Testament Study Applied in the Hindu Context By Andrew Tompkins
Narrative, Meaning & Truth: Fulfilling the Mission in Relativistic Contexts Edited by Bruce A. Bauer and Kleber Gonçalves
OTHER TITLESMinistering to Mourners: Funeral Rituals and Christian Witness in East Asian Contexts Edited by Gregory and Amy Whitsett
Ministry to the Cities By Ellen G. White
New York City, A Symbol Compiled by John Luppens
Edited by Gregory and Amy Whitsett
VOICES FROM THE FRONT
LINES OF URBAN MISSION
IT’S TIMEHEARTSWINNING
LEADING BUDDHISTS TO FAITH IN GOD
Mission to the Cities Committee, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Edited by Bettina Krause
VOICES FROM THE FRONT
LINES OF URBAN MISSION
IT’S TIME
Andrew Tompkins
VOICES FROM THE FRONT
LINES OF URBAN MISSION
IT’S TIMEMISSIONTO THE NATIONS
GOD’S
AN OLD TESTAMENT STUDY APPLIED IN THE HINDU
CONTEXT
Edited by Bruce A. Bauer & Kleber O. Gonçalves
VOICES FROM THE FRONT
LINES OF URBAN MISSION
FULFILLING THE MISSION
IN RELATIVISTIC CONTEXTS
&TRUTHNARRATIVE, MEANING
All of these resources and more can be found online at GLOBALMISSIONCENTERS.ORG GlobalMissionCenters.org 11
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“...they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had
opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.”Acts 14:27 NKJV
GlobalMissionCenters.org
Z“For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” 1 Corinthians 16:9 NKJV
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