World Christianity and Mission 2021: Questions about the Future

Abstract

This article marks the thirty-seventh year of including statistical information on World Christianity and mission in the International Bulletin of Mission Research. This year it includes details on some of the most frequently asked questions in quantifying mission and global Christianity: the number of missionaries worldwide, global access to the gospel, and the burgeoning Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. The article also provides brief methodological reflections on how the future of this kind of research might change, given the realities of COVID-19.